As Jesal Patel continues to settle in as Lincolnwood’s new mayor, he will do so with Anne Marie Gaura as village manager.
At the June 1 Village Board meeting, the board unanimously approved a new employment agreement for Gaura, Lincolnwood’s village manager since January 2019.
“I look forward to continuing to work with the talented and hardworking staff and attorneys as well as the elected officials who are selfless and dedicated towards Lincolnwood and making it the best community it can possibly be,” Gaura said in a prepared statement that she read at the meeting.
In Lincolnwood, the village manager enters into an employment agreement coinciding with the term of the mayor. Therefore, when Patel took office in May, Gaura’s initial agreement concluded.
After the inauguration of the new board in May, the trustees approved a temporary extension for Gaura ahead of a new pact running concurrently with Patel’s four-year term.
“I am very excited to know that for the balance of my term as the village president that I will be able to be able to work with Anne Marie Gaura,” Patel said. “She brings a level of calm and preparedness that makes it easy for us to do our jobs. Stressful situations are brought down to a proper level so that we can manage and get through the business of running municipal government.”
Gaura’s annual base salary will be $210,000 with $5,000 increases set to go into effect every June. When she started in 2019, her annual salary was $175,000.
In an e-mail to Pioneer Press, Gaura said during her time in Lincolnwood the village has started a $12.6 million water transmission project allowing the village to get its water from Evanston, resulting in wholesale water rate savings. Those funds are set to be used for an upgrade to the village’s water main, she said.
In addition, Gaura cited other accomplishments including the installation of a 60-inch outfall sewer and the scheduled multi-use redevelopment of the vacant northwest corner of Touhy and Lincoln Avenues, the one-time home of the Purple Hotel.
Gaura’s abilities have drawn praise from one of her nearby colleagues, Morton Grove Village Administrator Ralph Czerwinski.
He recalled they participated in frequent Zoom meetings along with representatives of Niles, Skokie and Evanston during the worst of the coronavirus pandemic.
“She was innovative, knowledgeable about government activities, collaborative,” Czerwinski said. “I think we have a strong future to work together between those communities to not work independently and offer suggestions to one another to make the area strong and vibrant.”
In addition to the new pact with Gaura, the village has hired Denise Joseph as its finance director, replacing Robert Merkle, who retired.
Joseph most recently was the Assistant Finance Director in Glencoe and is set to start her new role on June 15.
