Oak Park Nears Vote on Village Manager Candidate

This coming Tuesday evening, the Oak Park Village Board is scheduled to vote on whether to hire Kevin J. Jackson as its next village manager.

It will cap a methodical-turned-spontaneous process over the last four-plus months. During that span, Jackson emerged ahead of three finalists who had undergone a multi-layered and public vetting process. A late, post-deadline entry into the process, Jackson’s path was different.

He was announced as a candidate on February 1, nine days after Oak Park hosted a public community forum that featured the three original finalists who were winnowed from 38 applicants. They are Oak Park Interim Village Manager Lisa Shelley, Carpentersville Village Manager Eric Johnson and former Petersburg, Va. Deputy City Manager Lionel Lyons.

A turning point occurred in late January when the search firm retained by the Village Board, GovHR USA, broached the idea of adding Jackson as a candidate. His 4 ½-year tenure as a deputy manager with the City of Long Beach, California had ended about three weeks earlier.

In an interview Thursday, Village President Vicki Scaman said that when the firm made the suggestion, it was “an unplanned moment,” and there was “a little bit of awkwardness.”

However, in conversations that she has had with mayors and leaders of other communities, Scaman has heard them share accounts of similar situations that have arisen, she said.

In an interview Wednesday, Jackson said he was “pleasantly surprised” when he learned it was not too late to be in the running for Oak Park’s top municipal administration job.

While Jackson did not take part in a public forum, like the other finalists, he was interviewed remotely on February 3rd by the Village Board, as well as panels of senior municipal staff, community partners and community members. The following Monday, February 7th, he was interviewed in person by Oak Park Village Board members, two at a time to abide by the Open Meetings Act.

Four days later, the village named Jackson the sole finalist for the post. He signed a contract the same day, and its consummation is pending board approval.

`The Best Mix of Experience and Vision’

“Kevin offered the best mix of experience and vision to help my fellow Board members and I lead our community toward a more equitable, inclusive and sustainable future,” Scaman was quoted as stating in a news release.

On Wednesday, Jackson described “a solid match” between “the village’s values and the village’s goals that they recently declared and my professional values and goals.”

His four-day trip to Oak Park with his wife and the younger two of his three daughters reinforced the community’s appeal to Jackson, he said.

“Oak Park is a really nice community—it’s a diverse, multicultural community…the schools are real good quality,” he added. “Being a family man, this is a really good opportunity to address both areas of my life that are important to me.”

If Jackson’s hiring is approved by the Village Board, the 50-year-old would be the first Black village manager in the community’s history. Included in the contract’s terms is a base salary of $222,500—a slight increase over his $216,468 base salary in Long Beach—and the availability of an interest-free $100,000 loan to purchase a home.

Though there is no residency requirement, Jackson said that if he gets the job, he would reside in Oak Park.

`A Different Direction’ From Long Beach

Long Beach is a city of some 466,000 residents—nearly nine times more than Oak Park’s 55,000-odd population. As one of two deputy managers, Jackson reported to the assistant city manager, said Long Beach Human Resources Director Joe Ambrosini.

Neither Jackson nor city officials would discuss the nature of his separation.

“I just wanted to go in a different direction,” Jackson said. “I wanted to move in a direction to find an opportunity that was more aligned with my professional values and goals.”

He declined to specify whether he resigned or was terminated from his post, adding, “You should talk to the city if you want to get more information.”

In a statement, the city indicated January 3rd was Jackson’s last day and “we wish Mr. Jackson well on his new opportunity. Questions as to his departure from Long Beach would be best answered by Mr. Jackson.”

Colin Baenziger, owner and principal of Colin Baenziger & Associates, a Florida-based local government search firm, said that he could not comment on the specifics of Jackson’s situation or Oak Park’s search process as he has not been involved in any way.

However, in instances where both parties refrain from commenting, it often means that there is a “non-disparagement agreement,” said Baenziger, which “may or may not say something in and of itself.”

“When we are confronted with similar situations, we talk to people in the community and other nearby city managers,” he continued. “As a national firm, we know people all over the country, and we would want to reach out to people nearby to get their feel for the situation.”

`Always Three Sides to Any Story’

When asked if the village looked into the circumstances around Jackson’s departure from Long Beach, Scaman said the Village Board has relied on GovHR USA’s review, which included gathering positive references from colleagues.

“I am satisfied with the level of vetting of Mr. Jackson,” said Scaman.

“There’s always three sides to any story,” she added. “Having spoken to him and getting a sense of his integrity…I didn’t need to know much more than what the firm vetted on our behalf.”

Katy Rush, a Vice President with GovHR USA, deferred comment to village officials.

Jackson has been looking to move on from Long Beach over the past few years. The city manager who hired him, Patrick West, left for the private sector in September 2019, a little over two years after he appointed Jackson.

When West brought Jackson aboard in Long Beach, he described Jackson as having “a proven history of providing exemplary leadership during his 21-year public service career. His strong community development, organizational management, and service innovation skills will be a great addition to our Senior Management Team and help us make Long Beach an even better city.”

West’s successor was a longtime Long Beach staffer, Tom Modica, who initially was named Interim City Manager before being named City Manager in April 2020.

Within four months, Jackson was a finalist for the city manager post in Kansas City, Missouri. Then, several months later in February 2021, he was one of two finalists for the city manager position in Boulder, Colorado.

A native of Phoenix, Jackson’s prior work in municipal government has taken him from two communities in Arizona over a 11-year span to Champaign, Ill., where he served as the Neighborhood Services Director for nine years.

`Very High Stakes’ Work in Long Beach

The Oak Park opening occurred six months ago, when Village Manager Cara Pavlicek departed after more than nine years in the position. She moved on to the same role in Northbrook. Shortly thereafter, the Village Board began a search that incorporated community input at various stages.

The vacancy came to Jackson’s attention last fall—he “saw the match right away,” he noted—but he was busily engaged in a variety of initiatives that demanded his attention and are “very high stakes for the (Long Beach) community.”

“I wanted to make sure I fulfilled that for the community,” said Jackson.

His duties included oversight of a comprehensive review of and changes to the Citizen Police Complaint Commission as well as working with the Independent Redistricting Commission. Both have an emphasis on improving equity for all residents—a high priority for Oak Park leaders.

Among his achievements in Long Beach, Jackson pointed to his role in the creation of cultural centers honoring the African American and Latino communities, as well as one that is in development honoring Cambodian Americans. His duties also encompassed Long Beach’s Cannabis Social Equity Program, he said.

Ryan Giffen, a member of the Independent Redistricting Commission, had words of praise for Jackson.

“When Kevin was tasked by the commission to complete an important task, he returned back to the commission with a well thought-out response well within the deadline,” Giffen stated by e-mail. “I personally appreciated this from Kevin as it helped me to make timely and well-informed decisions."

The Village of Oak Park’s Village Manager Search page is here.