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Woodstock public works director to retire
Woodstock’s longtime public works director, John Isbell, will retire in March after 28 years working for the city.
“It’s been my distinct pleasure and honor to work with John Isbell,” said Mayor Brian Sager, who commended Isbell for his unequalled depth and breadth of knowledge regarding Woodstock’s infrastructure. “He’s been incredibly strong and a consummate professional.”
Sager said Isbell is not one to boast or exaggerate but has always completed the job with the utmost care.
“He truly has the best interests of the residents of Woodstock in mind every single day he goes to work,” Sager said. “It will be difficult to replace John, and we will be saddened to see him retire from municipal service.”
The city administration is now charged with finding a replacement for Isbell.
In recent months, Derik Morefield, the former deputy city manager, resigned from his job to become city administrator in McHenry. Mary Petro, former executive director at the Woodstock Public Library, stepped down from her duties last week after taking the head position at the North Suburban Library System. Finally, City Manager Tim Clifton announced he would retire in April. The council was scheduled to discuss a search process for a new city manager at its Sept. 4 meeting.
“Let there be no doubt, we in the city talk routinely about succession plans,” Sager said, noting the city is consistently bringing in “good solid professionals” who could potentially take on further leadership roles. He said while each retirement or resignation brings some level of surprise, most are not completely unexpected given age and career aspirations.
