The village of Skokie announced on Tuesday that Patrick Hastings has been appointed as the next Public Works director. Hastings is set to begin the position on Feb. 23.
Hastings, who has served as the director for public works for the village of Schiller Park since 2024, will oversee all village operations, including essential municipal services, maintaining community infrastructure and assisting the engineering division to plan long-term capital projects.
“I’ve always prided myself in understanding all aspects of [Skokie’s] infrastructure and operations like the back of my hand,” Hastings told the Pioneer Press.
“I know I’ve jumped around a few municipalities, but I’ve developed longstanding relationships with people from all those municipalities, and I have great contacts and can rely on a regional basis of information at this point,” he added. “Hopefully I can help bring that to Skokie and work collaboratively with everyone there to provide the best service we can.”
Hastings has over 18 years of experience in public works, beginning his career as a seasonal worker for the village of Skokie in 2006. He went on to serve as a management analyst in the engineering office at the village of Libertyville in 2017 and assistant public works director for the City of Wood Dale in 2020 for a little over four years.
During his time overseeing public works at Schiller Park, Hastings was responsible for developing the village’s first 10-year capital improvement plan and overseeing the lead service line replacement program. In this position, Hastings also managed the department’s utilities, streets and vehicle maintenance.
“When I first started, there were a lot of very large-scale projects for a little community and [we] saw a lot of those projects to completion,” Hastings said.
Hastings said he plans to spend the first couple months on the job assessing where Skokie’s biggest infrastructure gaps are and what areas of development will best propel the village’s movement forward.
“Patrick’s deep roots in Skokie, combined with his proven leadership both in the field and as an administrator, make him exceptionally well suited for this important role,” said Village Manager John Lockerby in a village news release.
“His experience managing complex infrastructure projects and long-term planning initiatives will be a tremendous asset as we continue delivering high-quality services now and into the future.”
Hastings is a lifelong resident of Skokie and a graduate of Niles West High School. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Northeastern Illinois University and a master of public administration degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago.
“I’ve grown up in Skokie, I’ve been there my entire life. I still currently live there and am raising a family there,” Hastings said. “Just taking that extra sense of pride in the work being there, it’s really what brought me to seeking [this position] out.”