Arlington Heights Director of Health and Human Services James McCalister is retiring at the end of May after 37 years with the village government.
Courtesy of Village of Arlington Heights
Arlington Heights Director of Health and Human Services James McCalister is retiring at the end of May, wrapping up a 38-year career almost entirely spent in the Northwest suburb.
McCalister’s departure is the latest administrative turnover at village hall, where three other department heads have also retired recently.
McCalister began his career in 1987 as one of the first sanitarians hired by the newly formed Kankakee County Health Department, and the following year joined Arlington Heights as a registered environmental health practitioner. He worked his way up the ranks as director of health services, director of building and health services, and director of health and human services — a role he has held since 2016.
He helped launch curbside recycling, led efforts to end smoking in restaurants and other public buildings, participated in emergency responses to the H1N1 outbreak and COVID-19 pandemic and assisted in expanding social service programs.
“Throughout my 37 years of service, it has been an incredible honor to work alongside dedicated staff in both the building and health services departments,” McCalister said. “I have witnessed firsthand the positive impact our team has had on the lives of so many, and I am proud of the creativity and commitment displayed by our public servants.”
Village Manager Randy Recklaus is leading the search for McCalister’s successor, who will be tasked with managing a 14-member staff and annual budget of $2.6 million. The department conducts restaurant inspections, investigates public health complaints, manages the solid waste contract and runs social service programs, among other items.
Recklaus led similar searches in other departments, following the retirement of Tom Kuehne in February after 21 years as finance director, Charles Witherington-Perkins in November after 35 years as director of planning and community development, and Jorge Torres in August after four years as director of building and life safety. Village Engineer Mike Pagones also retired in January after 34 years with the village.
Mayor Tom Hayes — who isn’t seeking reelection after 12 years as mayor and the previous 22 years as a village trustee — acknowledged the leadership changes during his final State of the Village address Thursday.
“We’re losing a lot of institutional knowledge, a lot of long-term employees, a lot of change at the top. But Randy’s done a great job in identifying and hiring new people to fill those roles,” Hayes said.
The newly-hired directors are: Melissa Gallagher (finance), Emily Rodman (planning and community development) and Ron Weber (building and life safety).
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
