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Few typical days for Glencoe official
William "Will" H. Jones, Jr., Glencoe assistant village manager, spent his early childhood in Northbrook and moved to Glencoe. He now lives in Winnetka. | Karie Angell Luc~for Sun-Times Media
Updated: December 12, 2012 9:20AM
Glencoe Assistant Village Manager William H. Jones, Jr. is known as Will to pals and associates. He spent his early years in Northbrook until his family moved to Glencoe (when he was in the first grade). He now lives on the northern edge of Winnetka. “Our backyard looks into Glencoe,” Jones says, proudly. His wife Kathy was also raised in Glencoe. They have four children, Hugh, 13, a Carleton Washburne School eighth-grader, Gretchen, 11, a Skokie Middle School sixth-grader, Mary Bridget, 8, a Hubbard Woods Elementary School third-grader and Doug, 3, a Winnetka Public Nursery School preschooler.
Q. Where did you go to school?
A. I attended New Trier High School as a member of the first class (1985) to attend all four years as Trevians, following the merger of New Trier East and West in 1981. (I attended) Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Mass., Bachelor of Arts (History and Political Science) and Indiana University, Bloomington, Ind., Master of Public Affairs.
Q. How long have you been with the Village of Glencoe?
A. I’m approaching my two-year anniversary with the village in January. Prior to coming to work for Glencoe, I was employed with the City of Highland Park in a variety of management positions for nearly 15 years.
Q. Why is Glencoe such a unique place?
Glencoe has so many special attributes. What immediately comes to mind are Lakefront Park and Glencoe Beach, the Chicago Botanic Garden, Writers’ Theatre, District 35’s top-notch schools, the best small-town library in America, a neatly-appointed downtown and its service-oriented merchants, spectacular golf courses, Watts Ice Center (a hidden gem) and a distinct sense of community that has been fostered by Glencoe’s greatest asset, its residents, through the years.
Q. What are your hobbies?
A. In my spare time, I enjoy reading, exercising, coaching sports and playing softball and hockey. I wish I had more time to play golf, but with four active kids, that’ll have to wait.
Q. On your reading list?
A. I just started reading “The End of Illness” by Dr. David Agus.
Q. What’s a typical day like for you?
A. Given the wide-range of services that village government provides, be it law enforcement, water production, refuse collection, tree trimming, building inspections, snow plowing, payroll & accounting, street sweeping, emergency medical services, leaf collection, parking, sewer cleaning, etc., there are few, if any typical days. As assistant village manager, it is my job is to help provide the requisite level of administrative and managerial support to each of the village’s operating departments, so that they can continue to provide high-quality services to the community in a manner that is both responsive and efficient.
Q. What are some special stories from your time in Glencoe?
A. When I turned 16, I began working for the park district here in Glencoe as a lifeguard at Glencoe Beach. It was a lot of responsibility at a relatively young age. I continued to work with the park district in a variety of positions through high school, college and graduate school, and this early exposure to working on behalf of the community, combined with my academic interests in history and government, profoundly influenced my decision to pursue a career in public service.
Q. How does Will Jones count his daily blessings?
A. Pretty simply. Life is a gift, and it does move fast. I try to make each day count, and to give my best to others - be it family, friends, co-workers, the community and those who are less fortunate.
