Eric Palm, River Forest’s long-time village administrator, will fill that same position in Hoffman Estates beginning in early 2021. Palm’s hiring was finalized Monday, Dec. 7 when the village board of the northwest suburb unanimously approved his hiring, according to the Daily Herald.
His last day in River Forest will be Feb. 5 and he will start in Hoffman Estates a week later.
Lisa Scheiner, who has served as assistant village administrator since 2013, will serve as the acting village administrator when Palm leaves and until a new village administrator can be recruited in 2021.
Village President Cathy Adduci said in a Dec. 2 press release, “Times are such that people might not want change, but the village will face this head on. These are challenging times, but with consistency and focus, we will be fine. Eric has been an exceptional leader and we are grateful for his leadership and commitment to River Forest.”
Palm has served as village administrator in River Forest since 2010.
In Hoffman Estates, Palm will lead a much larger community and village hall staff. With a population of 52,000 it is approximately five times the size of River Forest. Between full and part-time employees, Hoffman Estates has a staff of 400 people. Hoffman Estates is also a Home Rule community. Palm will replace a village manager who retired in August after 22 years in the job. His salary will be $225,000.
“I am thankful to all of the elected officials, residents and business owners that I have established relationships with during my time in River Forest. Most importantly, I want to thank the professional village staff who deserve the credit for our success. It is their hard work each day that allows us to achieve all of the village board’s goals,” Palm said in the release.
