Oak Park hired Thomas W. Barwin as its new village manager in a special meeting last night.
He will be paid $152,500 plus benefits.
Barwin has served as the city manager of Ferndale, Mich., a Detroit suburb (pop. 25,000), for the past eight years, and lists 19 years of city management experience on his resume.
Revitalizing a historic downtown, regenerating infrastructure, and “continued exceptional city service in [a] downsizing environment” are some of the accomplishments Barwin lists during his tenure in Ferndale.
The hiring capped a six-month national search prompted by the April departure of long-time Village Manager Carl Swenson for Peoria, Ariz.
“Tom Barwin’s experience and personality are a perfect match for Oak Park,” Village President David Pope said in a statement.
“Tom rose to the top of the list early in the process. His list of attributes as a municipal manager is long and impressive. He understands the need to balance growth with historic preservation; he has a strong background in financial and operational management and labor relations; and he recognized the many benefits of nurturing positive relationships with the schools and other taxing bodies.”
Trustee Robert Milstein said last night that one of the things that stood out was how down-to-earth Barwin is. He said Barwin will be engaged with the public and will “not be a manager who stays in his office.” Trustee Martha Brock agreed, saying, “You will see him out and about.”
Barwin is “one of these special people who has the ability to master any situation,” said Trustee Greg Marsey.
Trustee Ray Johnson, a Michigan native, said he is familiar with Ferndale and that Barwin transformed the Detroit suburb into “Fashionable Ferndale.” He also liked that Barwin took it upon himself to take a regional focus, working with Detroit and other neighbors on issues such as traffic congestion.
In a Ferndale statement, Mayor Robert Porter said, “We deeply appreciate the key role Tom has played in the dramatic turnaround Ferndale has undergone over the past ten years, and the leadership and effort he has put forth to both move this region toward sustainable development goals and to diversify the transportation system.”
“Although I am leaving one of metro-Detroit’s most interesting, upbeat and progressive communities, I am thrilled to be joining one of America’s truly great and forward-looking communities,” Barwin said in a statement. “I am sincerely honored to have been selected and can’t wait to get started.”
Barwin will continue at Ferndale over the next month and begin work in Oak Park in early August.
