Michael Jenny to be sworn in as Glenview village president, notes need for collaboration, outreach

After sitting on the Glenview Board of Trustees for the last decade and running in an uncontested election this spring, Michael Jenny is now preparing to shift into the role of village president.

While he does so, he’s looking to focus on maintaining fiscal responsibility, increasing outreach and engagement with the community and filling the vacant trustee seat he will be leaving behind.

“I’m excited about working with our new trustees and our two incumbents to really inject new ideas and perspectives into how we do things as a board and tackle the projects and take advantage of the opportunities that will come before us,” he said.

Jenny will be sworn in May 4 along with the three trustees elected to the board. Since his current trustee term does not end until 2023, he will appoint someone to fill that seat for the next two years.

He said he will choose someone through an open selection process, meaning anyone can apply if they meet eligibility requirements, including being a registered voter in Glenview and living in town for at least a year, and if they can commit to the schedule of meetings and other events, according to village officials.

Those interested are asked to submit a resume and statement of interest explaining why they should be considered and what knowledge and skills they would bring to the board. The deadline to apply is May 17, and applications can be submitted by mail to the Village Manager’s office, via email to lisag@glenview.il.us or on the village’s website.

“We’d like to find somebody who is motivated to serve the community and work with us to push forward our goals and objectives for the next two years,” Jenny said. “I’m looking for people who raise their hand to get involved to show me a little bit of why they think that they are qualified to serve.”

Village President Jim Patterson swears in Michael Jenny after he was reelected as a trustee in 2019. Jenny was elected to lead the village after running uncontested in the spring municipal election, and he will be sworn in as president on May 4, 2021. (Kevin Tanaka / Pioneer Press)

Jenny, who works in investment banking, has lived in Glenview for almost 17 years. He was first elected a village trustee in 2011, and he decided to run then as a way of becoming more involved in the community and building connections in a town he didn’t grow up in.

Now, after hearing Patterson would step down following his second term — as is tradition in town — Jenny thought about the 10 years under his belt and said he felt ready to take that next step. He thought it was the “perfect opportunity” to continue serving the community in an expanded role.

Mary Cooper, a trustee currently serving her first term, said Jenny is a thoughtful thinker and that he’ll be able to lead by listening to people. In the two years they’ve worked together, she said he’s shown that he’s receptive to her input, and she’s looking forward to working with him in the new capacity.

“There’s a significant delta or increase in responsibility when elevating from the trustee to the president position, and I think he’s up for the challenge,” she said.

Moving into this new role, Jenny said one of his top priorities is to improve communications and outreach with his constituents — something many residents have raised concerns about in recent years — in an effort to show them “their voice matters and their opinions will be heard.”

The village is transparent in the sense that information is readily available online or by phone, Jenny said. But he said they need to utilize more methods of communication to reach more people. They also need to “be where the residents are,” he said, to make it easier for residents to communicate with their elected officials and become more involved in village processes.

One of those possible ideas is to implement a “coffee with the council” program in which residents could sit down and talk to a couple trustees about various issues. Another is to create neighborhood-specific workshops in an effort to engage more residents, especially those who can’t make it to regularly scheduled village meetings.

“If we can work to improve the transparency and the communication and engagement, I think that our hope is that a rebuilding of trust follows,” Jenny said. “But the emphasis is on us. The responsibility is on us to do that work, and we’ve committed to doing it.”

Other priorities of his include maintaining a balanced budget and continuing to “deliver core services as effectively and efficiently as possible.” He also wants to focus on coming up with a plan to better “attract and retain” retail businesses that residents want in the community.

Glenview Trustee Michael Jenny signs an oath of office in 2019. Jenny was elected to lead the village after running uncontested in the spring municipal election, and he will be sworn in as president on May 4, 2021. (Kevin Tanaka / Pioneer Press)

When asked about affordable housing, Jenny said he’s willing to have the discussion so long as all stakeholders — not only residents but also jurisdictions like the school districts, library and Park District that could be affected — are involved in the dialogue.

“We are certainly ready, willing and able to have those discussions, and have said so consistently throughout the campaign, as long as all the stakeholders are at the table,” he said.

Outgoing Village President Jim Patterson, who served eight years as a trustee and eight years as president, said it’s important for the president to respect and listen to the rest of the board’s voices, since they’re all elected by the public. He also noted the importance of being patient with residents.

“I have complete confidence in his ability to succeed me and have continuity and depth and background,” he said of Jenny. “I believe he’s well suited for it.”

Regarding the turnover of trustees, Patterson said the biggest challenge starting out will be the learning curve because of all the “institutional knowledge” leaving the board. He urged them to ask many questions to gain better understanding of the background on village issues.

“Staff has the most depth on how and why things are the way they are,” he said.

According to Jenny, one of the biggest lessons he’s learned during his previous 10 years of service was that collaboration and listening to others’ viewpoints is vital to making good decisions. That’s how he intends to lead over the next four years, too, he said.

“I’ve never been someone who has needed the spotlight or has needed to talk just to hear the sound of my own voice,” he said. “I’m much more comfortable working collaboratively in groups and making sure when good things happen the right people get the credit for it. I think this collaborative style is what we need in Glenview right now.”

kedquist@chicagotribune.com