Jane Tompkins Resigns as Community Development Director

Jane Tompkins, who since 2007 has served as ’s community development director, is moving on.

Tompkins has accepted a job as development services director in Coral Gables, Florida—a job she said is similar to the one she has performed in Montgomery for the past four years, with one exception: the population of Coral Gables tops 45,000 people. Her last day in Montgomery will be Sept. 16.

Tompkins was hired in May 2007, when construction was booming—in 2006, she said, the village saw about 400 new homes built. (These days, the number hovers around 50 a year.) When she first arrived, there were several major projects in progress, including the on Orchard Road and the store on Ogden Avenue.

But as the economy started its tumble in 2008, the community development department’s focus changed to preserving the quality of life, Tompkins said. And some of her proudest moments in the job grew from this change. Topping her list is the Transit-Oriented Development Plan and Park-and-Ride Study, adopted by the Village Board in August 2009.

“It was the scope of the project, the collaboration that went into putting the document together,” she said of the plan, which develops steps to prepare for train service and other transit opportunities in and around Montgomery.

Tompkins is also proud of her work to simplify the development codes in the village. Before her department began this work, she said, rules for development and zoning were scattered throughout the municipal code book. 

Her department has also had to deal with another effect of the economy—the high number of vacant and foreclosed homes in Montgomery, some of which the village now maintains. She said this process was “a real learning curve.”

“In my career, no one had seen this problem before,” she said. “It was a lot to learn, how to identify homes in trouble, and what actions we can do as a village to work with those properties.”

Village President Marilyn Michelini said Tompkins has done “a fantastic job,” particularly during a time when development has slowed.

“I can’t say enough good things about her,” Michelini said. “She’s done a great job.”

Village Manager Anne Marie Gaura said Tompkins brought a unique educational background to her work—she has a law degree, and a Master’s in urban and regional planning. Gaura praised Tompkins’ ability to shift priorities along with the economy, and called her a “consummate professional.”

Gaura added a couple projects to Tompkins’ list of accomplishments as well, including a 20-year boundary agreement with Yorkville that she spearheaded, and the expanded plans for the Fox Valley Park District’s .

"She’s going to a larger community with more staff, a higher-profile community,” Gaura said. “That speaks positively of the village of Montgomery, that our community development director is going to a larger community of that caliber."

“She will be sorely missed,” Gaura said. “It’s a sad day for Montgomery, but a good opportunity for her.”

Charlene Coulombe-Fiore, executive director of the , said she and Tompkins occasionally butted heads early on, but developed a strong partnership over time. She said she was sad to see Tompkins go.

“I think part of her legacy is the partnership between the MEDC and the Community Development Department,” she said. “She leaves behind a partnership that has taken quite some time to develop.”

Trustee Matt Brolley, who worked closely with Tompkins when he served on the village’s plan commission, said she will be missed. But, he pointed out, Tompkins’ final village meeting—the plan commission, on Sept. 15—will fittingly be dedicated to the Stuart Sports Complex expansion, a project she worked on extensively.

I was very impressed when I learned that she was moving to a top notch community elsewhere,” Brolley said. “These are the types of leaders we have been able to attracted in the past, and I hope to continue that success.”

It is unknown how Tompkins’ replacement will be chosen. On Tuesday, the Village Board to remove hiring and firing power from the village manager and retain it for themselves, but no procedure has yet been determined for bringing on new people.

Tompkins said her decision has been percolating for some time, and has nothing to do with the recent changes in village government. Her husband, she said, is retired, and moving to Florida gets him closer to scuba diving, which he enjoys.

“I’ve enjoyed working here,” she said. “We have a great staff, hardworking and professional, and dedicated to the betterment of the community.”