In a topsy-turvy week in the search for a new Oak Park village manager, two of three previous finalists were dropped from consideration, a fourth candidate was added unexpectedly to the mix, interview panels were reconvened and the added candidate, Kevin Jackson of Long Beach, California, arrived in the village to see it in person.
Jackson, the deputy city manager in Long Beach, met independently with village board members on Feb. 7 before the board’s regular Monday night meeting, according to Village President Vicki Scaman.
“It seems fair to us, if we’re going to seriously consider a candidate, for them to have stepped foot in Oak Park,” she said.
Jackson has recently been a finalist for two similar positions. The Long Beach Post reported Jackson has been a finalist for top positions in Boulder, Colorado in 2021 and in Kansas City, Missouri in 2020.
How he will fare in the Oak Park race remains to be seen. Scaman said the village board will discuss the two remaining candidates at the end of the week and hopefully make a decision as to whom they will extend the job offer.
Scaman would not say which two of the three early finalists had been dropped from the mix.
“This last round of candidates has been a pleasure to engage with,” said Scaman.
The initial trio of finalists were Interim Village Manager Lisa Shelley, Eric Johnson of Carpentersville and Lionel Lyons of Petersburg, Virginia. Those three had already completed a series of interviews and toured the village prior to the last-minute addition of Jackson.
In an effort to make his experience similar to that of the other finalists, Jackson was interviewed remotely by the village board, as well as by panels of senior village officials, partner organizations and community stakeholders last week. There was no public facing virtual meeting for Jackson as there had been with the initial trio.
Jackson has held the position of deputy city manager of Long Beach for four years and his responsibilities include oversight roles within the government and community, according to his bio, which is available on the village of Oak Park’s website. Before that, he spent nine years as the neighborhood services director for the city of Champaign, in central Illinois. He holds a master’s degree in public administration, as well as a bachelor’s degree in psychology and sociology, from Arizona State University.
Last year, Jackson was one of two finalists for city manager of Boulder. He lost out on the position to Nuria Rivera-Vandermyde, formerly the deputy city manager of Austin, Texas.
Scaman told Wednesday Journal that all four candidates, even the two that were dismissed, are more than capable of doing the job.
“I’d like to thank each and every one of them for their participation,” she said. “Ultimately, at this point, it’s about matching candidates’ expertise and experience with the goals of this board.”
