Residents Help Choose New Village Manager

Three individuals are vying for the spot as Glen Ellyn's Village Manager. 

About 35 residents participated in Tuesday's town-hall event by asking questions and listening to presentations from village manager candidates. 

Village board members were in attendance to help conduct the informal interviews of the three remaining potential hires. 

Of the original 82 applicants, Mark Franz, Bryon Vana, and David Forrest were the three remaining contenders. Voorhees Associates, a public management recruitment firm, conducted the search for the village and narrowed the 82 down to six potential hires. The trustees then whittled it down to the three remaining candidates.

Each candidate answered three initial questions including some background information on his experiences, why he wanted to manage Glen Ellyn, and what opportunities he saw for improvement.

After 15 years of municipal management, Mark Franz thinks he'd be a good fit for Glen Ellyn. Franz grew up in Deerfield and currently serves as Homewood's Village Manager. 

“[Glen Ellyn] is very progressive and I truly believe that a partnership between the community and the government is the way to go,” said Franz.

Bryon Vana is the only candidate that is a Glen Ellyn resident and has 25 years of municipal management experience, and currently works as the Darien City Administrator. Vana echoed a similar sentiment as Franz about his feelings on the village.

“This is a unique opportunity for me, as this is a personal community, and I’m familiar with the area. We have a very unique situation with our community involvement,” said Vana. “I would cherish this opportunity.”

Like Franz, David Forrest also boasts 15 years of municipal management and is the only candidate from out of state. Forrest has worked in various areas in Pennsylvania and currently serves as the Norristown, PA Municipal Manager.
When explaining why he thinks he’s a good fit for this position, Forrest stated, “I would like to work in the town I live in," he said, “I’m looking to put down some roots here and I don’t know why anyone wouldn’t want to live here.”

Residents recorded any observations or thoughts about each candidate and turned in their thoughts at the end of the event. The board will review the those observations along with the candidates' answers before making a final decision, which will most likely come in May.