During his time as Palos Park’s village manager, Rick Boehm would cook up hot dogs as the community celebrated National Hot Dog Day.
During the village’s Autumn in the Park Festivals, Orland Park resident Jeannine Smith sold drinks in the beer tent.
The two believe in volunteering their time for the community and that’s not their only connection.
Smith is taking over for Boehm, who spent the past 16 years as the village manager.
Boehm’s last meeting in an official capacity was April 27 and Smith was approved by the board at the same meeting. She will start on May 4.
“I want to extend my sincere thanks and gratitude to Mayor (Nicole) Milovich-Walters and the village council and those people who preceded them in hiring me and retaining me all these years,” Boehm said. “I’ve been truly blessed in my career.
“It’s been an honor to serve here. This one’s hard to leave. But there comes a point in one’s career where you have to make a decision and it’s time for me to head on.”
Commissioner G. Darryl Reed, who also announced at the meeting that he is resigning because of health reasons, said he enjoyed working with Boehm. Reed said he liked to coax Boehm into having conversations that put politics aside.
“Rick and I have a very respectful relationship – kind of like cousins,” Reed said. “I always tell Boehm to come out of the barnyard, my friend, and have a conversation without the excrement because Rick always liked to talk to me as if I was a politician.
“But I told him he had to come out of the barnyard and he got it. He gets where I’m coming from. It’s been an honor, pleasure and privilege to work with you and learn from you.”
Milovich-Walters also said it was an honor to work with Boehm.
“We hired you 16 years ago and I was a part of that group,” she said to Boehm. “Three years ago when I became mayor I spent a lot more time with you.
“You’ve been an excellent village manager and you’ve been a really great friend to me. I appreciate your guidance, your experience and your integrity. You make sure that we are going in the right direction.”
Smith figures to take over the job without too much trouble. She has been the city administrator in Wilmington since 2022 and before that was the chief administrative officer and finance director in Lakewood in McHenry County from 2017-2021.
She also was a village administrator in Prairie Grove and Economic Development Coordinator in West Dundee.
Smith is also familiar with Palos Park with her volunteer work.
“I know the staff and I know the council,” she said after the April 27 meeting. “The community itself is an amazing community. I saw the opportunity and thought that since it’s 15 minutes away from my home, let’s give it a try.”
Milovich-Walters said a committee went through “lots” of resumes and selected six finalists for a round of interviews and three for a second round before choosing Smith.
“She has extensive municipal experience,” Milovich-Walters said of Smith.