Highland City Council approves familiar face, former police chief as new city manager
The council chamber applauded as the Highland City Council unanimously approved hiring former Police Chief Chris Conrad as the new city manager last Monday.
Conrad, 44, stepped in as interim city manager after the retirement of longtime city manager Mark Latham after 44 years of service. He has been the active city manager throughout much of the pandemic, including management of the city after the unexpected death of Mayor Joe Michaelis.
Conrad said he is very thankful for his time as a police officer in Highland.
“I’ve been able to meet people, build relationships and establish friendships I probably wouldn’t have in any other career,” he said. “I’m very excited to be able to continue to serve Highland as the city manager and appreciative of the faith the mayor and council have placed in me. It is my intent to work very hard to make sure that faith is not misplaced.”
Conrad attended the University of Illinois for one year before joining the Army Corps of Engineer Combat, serving until 2010. During his military service, Conrad also worked as a deputy in the late 1990s.
Conrad joined the Highland Police Department as an officer in January 2000. In 2009, he earned his bachelor’s degree from St. Louis University. While continuing to work as a police officer, he then enrolled in SLU’s law school and passed the bar exam in 2014. He also graduated from the Southern Police Institute in Louisville, Kentucky.
In 2018, former police chief Terry Bell died of cancer, and Conrad was asked to take over the department. He served as chief until Latham’s retirement, when he accepted the interim position of city manager.
The council voted May 3 to approved Conrad as Latham’s permanent replacement. His contract includes an annual salary of $140,004 with miscellaneous other compensations such as health insurance, for a total of $167,693. His contract runs until May 2025.
“I have the good fortune of being surrounded by very professional staff and city employees who take great pride in their service to the community,” Conrad said. “I’m looking forward to the challenges of this new position.”
Search for a new police chief
The next step will be to find a permanent replacement for Conrad as police chief. While he has served as interim city manager, the police department has been under the command of Charles Becherer, who retired in 2018 after 28 years in law enforcement, finishing at the Clinton County Sheriff’s Department.
Conrad said the city will be advertising for a new police chief later this month.
“Chief Becherer has been very gracious in serving as our interim chief and is doing a great job, but because of pension laws, he is limited in how long he can remain with us,” Conrad said.
Conrad said the city hopes to have a permanent police chief appointed by late summer or early fall.
This story was originally published May 10, 2021 at 10:00 AM.