Mayor Appoints Interim Village Administrator Before Vacancy Deadline

Mayor Susanne Branding announced she has appointed Roy Witherow as interim village administrator to fill the opening left by former administrator Bob Vitas, whose last day in the office was December 31.

Witherow was hired as assistant village administrator to Vitas in October 2010. 

The appointment was made late last week, ahead of today’s deadline to fill the open spot, which according to Lake Zurich village code is 30 days after a vacancy. 

Branding said she chose to appoint Witherow after executive session meetings with the village board that discussed him filling the position.

“Before appointing Roy, I checked with the village attorney who confirmed the interim position does not require the advice and consent of the board,” Branding said in an email to village board members sent Friday January 27.

Branding referenced an executive session held Monday January 23, stating the board was in agreement that Witherow was the right person to fill the interim position.

His compensation also was discussed by the board.

“He (Witherow) was not willing to accept the offered salary of $117,700 but did come down to $130,000 from $135,000 (his initial position was $140,000),” Branding stated further in the email to the board.

Vitas’ ending salary as administrator was $145,000 per year plus benefits.

Witherow previous salary as as assistant village administrator was $107,000.

“The alternative was Plan B, which was to bring someone in from the outside on a temporary basis-those individuals run about $100 per hour, which is $4,000 per week which equals $200,000 per year,” Branding said.

Branding cited a number of benefits in having Witherow fill the interim role prior to a permanent replacement being found. 

They include his previous experience working with village employees and department heads, his knowledge of village initiatives and goals already in place, and that he can ‘hit the ground running’-all while providing a cost benefit during difficult economic times.

According to the village code, the village president has the ability to designate a person to fulfill the function of the office of village administrator within 30 days of a vacancy.  

In pursuing a permanent replacement for the village administrator role, the village has been accepting applications with a deadline of tomorrow, January 31.

The board of trustees plans to go through all of the candidates once all resumes are received to determine the best-fit candidate for a new village administrator.