The Village of Niles Board of Trustees has selected Joe La Margo as the next Village Manager of the Village of Niles, pending his official appointment, which will be considered at the July 27 Village Board Meeting. His start date would be August 31, 2021. La Margo would replace the vacancy left by Steven C. Vinezeano, who retired on January 31, 2021.
Joe La Margo is an award-winning public servant from Portage, Michigan, where he most recently served as the city manager overseeing the day-to-day operations of the city of 50,000 people and a budget of more than $90 million. In 2021, La Margo was awarded the Community Leadership Award from the Michigan Management Executives Association for guiding the City of Portage through a major crisis that could have caused a portion of the city's water system to be contaminated.
La Margo has a diverse and distinguished career in public service, including previous work for the Cook County Bureau of Finance, the Cook County Clerk’s Department of Tax and Real Estate, the Office of the Illinois Secretary of State, and the Village of Orland Park prior to his position in Portage, Michigan. He holds a Master of Arts in organizational leadership and public policy from Lewis University and a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration with a concentration in economics from Loyola University.
The selection of La Margo comes at the end of an extensive recruitment process. The Board of Trustees formed an Ad Hoc Village Manager Search Committee, comprised of three trustees and an alternate voting member. Former Mayor Przybylo and Trustees Craig Niedermaier, Denise McCreery and George Alpogianis (now Mayor) were part of the Committee. The Committee went on to solicit proposals from executive search firms and selected GovHR USA to help conduct the recruitment process. Over 60 applications were received from applicants in 11 states. GovHR interviewed 12 candidates, then recommended 6 candidates for interviews with the Ad Hoc Search Committee. As a result of the interviews, the Ad Hoc Search Committee selected the top three candidates to be interviewed by the Village’s department heads and the Village Board.
“We are excited to bring La Margo on board during this time of great potential for the Village,” said Niles Mayor George Alpogianis. “There is so much community growth and development right around the corner, and Joe’s sound financial background is just the thing we need right now as we’re coming out of this devastating pandemic and setting up the pieces for long-term success.”
La Margo prides himself on being involved in the communities he serves. He is a founding member of the South Suburban Anti-Bullying Coalition. He also served with the Illinois Secretary of State Audit Advisory Group. La Margo's family is also a great source of pride. He and his wife, Melissa, have four children, with their eldest, Christian, having served in the U.S. Navy.
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