The Village Board employs a professional village manager to serve as the chief administrative officer responsible for day-to-day operations of Village services, leadership of the several departments, and execution of policies set by the Board. The village manager is appointed by the village president with the advice and consent of the Board. Read more about the village manager's duties here.
Biography
Jay Hedges comes to the Village with a vast amount of business development experience in both the public and private sectors. Jay started his career in city management in Hoffman Estates, Skokie, and Mt Prospect, where he met Gov. Thompson during a meeting with members of the Illinois Municipal League in Springfield. Knowing his desire to eventually return to city management, Gov. Thompson created a post for Hedges as Assistant to the Governor for Local Government Affairs where he worked as a liaison from the Governor's office to the Dept. of Commerce and Community Affairs (DCCA) (now known as the Dept. of Commerce and Economic Opportunity) and several other state agencies.
In 1986 Gov. Thompson appointed Jay as Director of DCCA where he directed the State's economic development efforts throughout the late 1980s. In that role, he directed the State's efforts to retain Sears' headquarters in Illinois, moving from Chicago to their Hoffman Estates campus, keeping the then top retailer in the State of Illinois. Hedges also coordinated the State's efforts to locate Diamond Star Motors in Bloomington, Illinois and dozens of automotive suppliers and other small businesses to the State.
Hedges has also worked extensively in the private sector serving as president of several companies over the 30 years following his time with the State. "When I left government to join the private sector, I knew I would return to public service, but I didn't expect it to be 30 years later. Business development, growth, and delivering municipal services to residents economically and efficiently, are high priorities for the Hampshire Village Board; making it easy and affordable to live, build and do business in the Village."
Contact Information
Jay Hedges
Village Manager
Office: (847) 683-2181 ext. 26
Cell: (312) 550-9641
jhedges@hampshireil.org