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Skokie to review hiring options for corporation counsel; board approves closed-session meeting
Summary
Village corporation counsel proposed simultaneously pursuing two tracks to fill the corporation counsel role: appointing an individual or contracting a firm under a hybrid model. The board approved a motion to enter closed session under the Illinois Open Meetings Act; trustees voted unanimously to adjourn to closed session.
Village corporation counsel Barbara Mangler told the Village of Skokie board that the village will pursue two parallel tracks to fill the corporation counsel role: evaluate individual internal candidates and solicit firms for a contracted, hybrid model that would supplement in-house assistant corporation counsel.
Mangler recommended a review panel that will include the village manager, two department directors chosen by the manager, two attorneys from the community and an outside municipal attorney; the panel will screen resumes, conduct initial interviews and recommend finalists for trustee consideration, with final interviews conducted in closed session as permitted by state law.
The board discussed the hybrid model and reviewed a chart comparing options used by other municipalities. Trustees said contracting plus retained in-house attorneys is common among peer villages and noted examples such as Oak Park and Hoffman Estates in the packet. The mayor and multiple trustees expressed support for exploring both tracks.
Mangler said the goal is to complete the selection and put either a new corporation counsel or a contracted firm in place by the end of calendar year 2025. She described the process as not quick and warned it will require multiple steps, including panels and closed-session finalist interviews.
Separately, the board approved a motion to adjourn into closed session under the Illinois Open Meetings Act, citing section 2(c)(5) and 2(c)(6). The motion to go into closed session was moved by Trustee Lisonbee Levy and seconded by Trustee Kamana Kamani Levy. The clerk called the roll and the motion passed with all trustees voting aye.
Also reported earlier in the meeting: Mangler said Ordinance C, a first-reading item to establish compensation adjustments including cost-of-living and equity adjustments for nonunion village employees, was up for first reading and scheduled for second reading on June 16, 2025.
No final hiring decision was made at the meeting; trustees directed staff to proceed with the dual-track evaluation and return recommended finalists for closed-session interviews.
