Doug Pollock, a Riverside village trustee who is part of a slate of three candidates running unopposed in the April elections, will become the top administrator for the village of Burr Ridge come July 1.
On Feb. 27, the Burr Ridge Village Board voted to appoint Pollock village administrator after Steve Stricker retires from the job at the end of June.
Pollock and Stricker have worked side by side in Burr Ridge Village Hall for more than two decades. Stricker has been village administrator for 27 years, while Pollock has served as the village’s community development director since late 1995.
“I’ve known privately that [Stricker] was considering retirement, and he was kind of prepping me for the position,” Pollock said. “He recommended to the village board that they promote me to replace him.”
As community development director, Pollock has led the way in shepherding development projects through the planning and zoning process in Burr Ridge, something he’ll still have a hand in as administrator.
“Working with the Plan Commission is something I enjoy, and I want to continue doing that,” Pollock said.
Burr Ridge apparently won’t hire a one-to-one replacement for Pollock in the community development department. Instead, the village board also gave the go ahead to begin a search for an assistant administrator who will also handle day-to-day work involving zoning and planning.
“I’ll continue to do big projects,” said Pollock, “I’d like to keep my hand in that and guide that.”
The job of village administrator is really no different than being village manager. The terms are used interchangeably. According to a report in the Hinsdale Doings newspaper, Pollock’s salary as community development director is $128,500 and that the village board has targeted $145,000 as the village manager’s pay in its budget for the 2017-18 fiscal year, which begins May 1.
Pollock said that while serving as administrator will increase his job responsibilities somewhat, he plans on continuing to serve as a Riverside trustee.
“I think I can manage both,” he said.
He also said his role as a trustee has informed how he’ll approach his new job.
“In my four years as trustee in Riverside, it’s absolutely given me a much better perspective on what that role means,” Pollock said. “I’m that much more sensitive and aware of what trustees need to do their job and support them.”
Riverside Village President Ben Sells said that he had no doubts Pollock could handle duties of both a village administrator and trustee.
“I think he can do it, and he’s in the best possible position to know,” Sells said. “He’s always very valuable as a trustee because of his planning expertise.”
