Homer Glen interim village manager gets interim removed from title
The Homer Glen Village Board on Monday named interim village manager Joe Baber as its next village manager.
Baber, the village’s chief building official, has been interim village manager since July when former village manager Carmen Maurella, who is also the Homer Township assessor, resigned.
Baber, a Homer Glen resident, has worked for the village for more than 13 years, and has been interim village manager three different times. He has more than 24 years experience in local government and previously worked for Plainfield during its period of high growth.
Mayor Christina Neitzke-Troike said Baber brings a wealth of knowledge to the position.
“Joe has been part of the village family for 13 years,” she said. “He knows the village inside and out. He’s the perfect person for the job.”
Baber will be the sixth village manager or interim village manager the village has had since 2016 with most people serving for about one to two years. His salary will be $160,000 a year, village documents said.
Former village manager Mike Mertens worked from 2016 to 2018, followed by interim village manager Anne Marie Gaura for about a year. In 2019, the board hired Karie Friling, who left in 2021 to become the executive director of the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County. Assistant village manager Matt Walsh was interim manager until Maurella was hired in 2022.
Baber said he hopes to bring stability to the position and does not plan to leave soon. He said he has been a Homer Glen resident for more than 30 years, has a good relationship with the staff and wants to see the continued success of the village.
“I will continue to work with the elected officials and staff for the betterment of the community,” he said.
Board members said they appreciated Baber keeping them informed of village issues the past several months and said they look forward to working with him.
Trustee Dan Fialko said he appreciated that Baber is a Homer Glen resident and is invested in the community.
“You are one of the longest employees here, and I think you’ve earned the position of village manager,” Fialko said. “I think it’s an overdue, well-deserved position.”
Neitzke-Troike, who was elected in April, said she would like to see Baber remain throughout her term, which is up in 2027.
“We’ve had our ups and downs with village managers because the board constantly changes,” she said. “I plan to keep Joe for my full term.”
The mayor identified several priorities, including transferring jurisdiction of Will County Highway 1, a 3.14 mile corridor that includes Hadley and Parker roads and Chicago-Bloomington Trail, from the county to the village. Other issues include fighting the county’s planned expansion of 143rd Street, building a new wastewater treatment plant, addressing residents’ high water bills and completing the transfer of parks from Homer Township to the village, Neitzke-Troike said.
For the last few months, Baber has been handling the duties of both chief building official and interim village manager, but will no longer be the chief building official. The department may be reorganized, Baber said.