Oak Forest City Clerk Scott Burkhardt to Retire July 1

OAK FOREST, IL – After 19 years of service to the City of Oak Forest, City Clerk Scott Burkhardt is retiring on July 1.

“I will miss working with Scott to improve Oak Forest,” said Mayor Hank Kuspa. “I will miss his good judgement, his willingness to work 60 hours a week to get the job done, and his professionalism. I wish him all the best in retirement.”

Burkhardt was elected city clerk in 1997 and became a certified municipal clerk in 2006. In this role, Burkhardt expanded the work of the City Clerk’s Office and professionalized it by his willingness to work with and develop an excellent staff. In addition to his duties maintaining the records of the City Council, coordinating procedures for the elections held in Oak Forest, administering passports and writing ordinances, Burkhardt also handled all insurance related issues, including employee health, property, liability, and workmen’s compensation.

In 2005, former Mayor JoAnn Kelly appointed Burkhardt collector – a position that can only be held by the city clerk, but one that enables the incumbent to become a full-time employee. After becoming collector, Burkhardt took on significantly more duties that helped reduce the workload of the city administrator, the finance director and others. In fact, he became the Human Resources director for the city — handling a myriad of highly confidential responsibilities relating to hiring, firing and promotion of city personnel. He also took on the role of Freedom of Information officer, overseeing the process by which requests for information about city government is carried out.

In retirement, Burkhardt plans to enjoy more time with family, including his wife Maggi Leonard Burkhardt and their four grown children: Scott, Jr., Brian, Lauren, and Matthew.