Lisle board appoints new village attorney, police chief and village manager; new economic development role created

The Village of Lisle on May 5 approved several senior appointments, voting to appoint a new village attorney firm, to swear in Michael A. Rodriguez as chief of police and to appoint Jeffrey Cook as village manager while creating an economic development and strategic initiatives director role for Eric Erpmode.

The board voted to appoint the law firm Anselglenk as village attorney with Carrie Lynn Kraftefer designated as lead village attorney. Trustee Lesniak read language from the firm's materials highlighting independence from individual leaders; Kraftefer told the board the firm tailors its presence to client needs and aims to "empower your staff" and reduce unnecessary legal fees.

Michael A. Rodriguez, appointed and sworn in as chief of the Lisle Police Department, told the board he has 29 years of law-enforcement experience with the Buffalo Grove Police Department and promised to provide "high quality police services" and to "treat people with dignity and respect." The board approved both his appointment and his employment agreement by roll call votes.

Jeffrey Cook was appointed village manager with his official start date set for May 12. The board also approved his employment agreement. Cook told the board he looked forward to working with staff and said, "I'm looking forward to getting started and I'm very excited to get started and, can't wait to see the work we accomplish together."

Separately, the board approved a motion appointing Eric Erpmode to the newly created economic development and strategic initiatives director position and amended the FY25-26 budget accordingly. Trustee Lesniak said he preferred an initial six-month contract for the new position to allow the incoming village manager to evaluate staffing needs and raised concerns about incentive pay tied to development milestones, saying the metrics were not yet defined and such incentives could "run the risk of reducing staff objectivity." The board discussed that the contract is at-will and includes provisions for defining measurable objectives with the manager; the appointment passed with one board member voting no.

Action vs. discussion: Each appointment and the related employment agreements were voted on and passed at the meeting. Comments from Trustees focused on the duration of the economic development director contract, the need for clearly defined performance measures, and concerns about incentive pay tied to development projects. Trustee Lesniak cast the lone "no" on the economic development director appointment; the other votes passed by roll call.

Ending: Newly appointed officials and the returning village attorney were welcomed by trustees. The board instructed staff to begin transition work and to finalize objective measures for the new economic development position in coordination with the village manager and legal counsel.