Maple Park seeks legal adviser

MAPLE PARK – The village has begun a search for its next legal adviser.

Next week, the village of Maple Park will close the period in which it will accept applications from attorneys and law firms seeking the chance to represent the village.

Early last month, the Maple Park Village Board launched a search for its next village attorney.

The village had been represented by the firm of Bond, Dickson & Associates of Wheaton. Most recently, the firm had worked with the village under a one-year contract, which has expired.

The village previously had awarded Bond a three-year contract, said Village President Kathy Curtis.

In April, however, voters in Maple Park selected a new village board of trustees and elected Curtis to replace former Village President Ross Dueringer.

And in June, the board decided that it would like to “explore its options” for legal representation, Curtis said.

Toward that goal, the board voted unanimously on June 2 to submit a request for proposal, essentially a Help Wanted advertisement asking for interested lawyers and firms to apply for the position of Maple Park’s village attorney.

The village will stop accepting such applications on July 10, according to the notice posted on the Maple Park village Web site.

Curtis said the move does not represent dissatisfaction with the work of the Bond firm.

Rather, she said, the board, after years with one law firm, merely wished to see who else might be interested in the job.

“We didn’t go to market last time the contract came up,” Curtis said. “And last time we did go to market, seven firms responded.

“So we thought it was time to put this out again.”

To date, the board has received two application packets, Curtis said, including one from Bond, Dickson & Associates and another firm, which Curtis declined to identify.

She said the village does not expect to receive many applications, as municipal law is a highly specialized field.

Curtis said the board intends to make a decision in August and have an attorney under contract no later than Sept. 1.