Kenilworth trustees appointed Patrick M. Brennan as the new village manager during a board meeting Monday. 

“Patrick has got a tremendous background,” said Kenilworth Village President Fred G. Steingraber. “He’s got all sorts of qualities that the village needs right now.” 

Steingraber cited the 45-year-old’s experience working on capital-intensive projects including infrastructure, intergovernmental contracting partnerships, expense reduction projects, improvement of revenue, attracting federal aid funds and managing budgets and cost control among others. 

Kenilworth's former village manager Brad Burke's last day was Aug. 10. After working in the village for six years, Burke accepted a new position in Lincolnshire.

Check back on Patch Friday for a Q&A with Brennan. 

Prior to accepting a position with the Village of Kenilworth, Brennan spent 11 years working his way up in the Village of Highland Park from assistant to the city manager, assistant city manager and deputy city manager. Brennan resigned from his deputy city manager position in May. 

“This is a great time to be involved because many of the projects (the board) talked about tonight, I have some experience in. So I think it’s a good way to interweave both my background with the way the board works together,” Brennan said after the meeting. “I think we can make some good things happen.” 

Among the topics Kenilworth trustees discussed Monday, Brennan says he has worked on similar projects, such as helping communities make capital improvements and improving a village’s recycling rate. 

“I have a lot of experience dealing with storm water and the problems we’ve had in Highland Park, so this is a good back drop for that,” Brennan said. 

Steingraber also cited Brennan’s track record of working with other communities on joint projects as one of the reasons he was selected among the 70 candidates who applied for the position. 

“Patrick has a strong network and track record working with other communities on joint projects which align him very well with a key priority of Kenilworth,” Steingraber said. “In addition, our residents will greatly appreciate his strong customer service orientation and communication skills."

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