Mundelein finance director to retire after lengthy tenure

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Updated: March 10, 2012 8:09AM

Mundelein’s long-time finance director, Mary K. Hatton, is retiring after nearly 30 years in the job.

Hatton -- who has been finance director and village treasurer for Mundelein since August 1982 -- will officially step down from the position on April 27. She will be replaced by Douglas Haywood, assistant finance director for the village of Downers Grove, whose appointment was approved by the Mundelein Village Board last month.

“I’ve life here my whole life (in Mundelein), and I’ll continue to live here,” said Hatton. “What I’ll probably miss the most about the job is the people I have worked with.”

Hatton started working for Mundelein in the finance department in the summer of 1977 while she was working toward getting her bachelor’s degree at St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wis. Upon graduation from college, she began working full-time as an assistant to the finance director/treasurer in 1979 and then took over that position after the department head left in 1982.

During her tenure, Hatton has worked for three mayors and numerous different village board members.

“I’ve certainly worked with dozens of village officials over the years and all have had the desire to move the village forward, and we seem to have been able to mesh everyone’s desires together to move the village forward,” she said.

Getting water

Over her many years as finance director, Hatton worked closely with village officials to come up with financing plans for a number of a major projects, such as bringing Lake Michigan water to Mundelein, expanding the village’s wastewater treatment plant and constructing the village’s police station and two fire stations.

Hatton was a 1975 graduate of Carmel High School in Mundelein and has a bachelor’s degree in finance from St. Norbert College and an MBA from Lake Forest College.

Mayor Ken Kessler said Hatton has been a very valuable employee for the village and her experience will be missed. He credits her knowledge of finance and conservative approach to budgeting to keeping the village in sound financial footing.

“Mary has done a very good job for many years,” said Kessler. “She’s helped keep the village in a very good financial state. We’ve weathered a lot of financial storms, including the present one due to the economy, and she has always made sure our financial situation has been sound.”

Regarding Hatton’s replacement, Kessler said Haywood was chosen after an extensive search conducted by a village search team that included himself, Hatton, Village Administrator John Lobaito, Village Trustee Ed Sullivan and the village’s human resource coordinator Lynne Maley. He said numerous candidates applied for the job and three finalists were interviewed for the job including Haywood.

“He was far and away the best candidate we had as far as we were concerned,” said Kessler.

Haywood, a resident of Schaumburg, said he looks forward to his new position in Mundelein. Haywood has worked the last four-and-a-half years as assistant finance director for Downer’s Grove and has more than 17 years of government finance experience.

“I’m definitely excited to join the village’s team to ensure a financially sustainable community,” he said.

Haywood is scheduled to start with the village on Feb. 6.

Hatton said after her retirement from the village in late April, she plans to take a world-wide cruise.