New faces at Village Hall

In a single meeting that touched both Village Hall and public safety, Barrington Hills swore in a new at-large trustee and a new police officer on October 27, 2025. Marsha McClary took the oath to fill the unexpired term of Trustee Darby Hills, while Officer Kevin Del Re was ceremonially sworn into the Barrington Hills Police Department, according to the Board of Trustees meeting report — Village of Barrington Hills.

The moment comes as the village, known for its low-density, equestrian character and large-lot zoning, continues to balance rural preservation with responsive local governance. Barrington Hills spans roughly 29 square miles and operates under a council–manager form of government, notes the GovHRUSA — Barrington Hills profile / police chief recruitment packet and the village’s own overview on Village of Barrington Hills — About / News.

What McClary brings to the board

McClary’s appointment restores the board to full strength and runs through 2027, filling the seat vacated by Hills’ resignation, according to the Board of Trustees meeting report — Village of Barrington Hills. The village report notes McClary grew up locally, attending St. Anne’s School and Barrington High School, and has lived in Barrington Hills with her family for the past decade. She holds an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and a bachelor’s in Accounting and Computer Information Systems from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business. Professionally, she has two decades with a Fortune Global 500 pharmaceutical corporation and has held executive roles spanning strategy, operations, finance, and stakeholder engagement. The village materials also highlight her civic and charitable involvement, including board service and youth mentoring, underscoring a profile rooted in community engagement, according to the Board of Trustees meeting report — Village of Barrington Hills.

That background aligns with the trustee’s portfolio in Illinois villages. Trustees in a council–manager system handle legislative votes, budget oversight, policy direction for municipal services, and land-use and zoning input, while representing residents villagewide, according to guidance from the Illinois Municipal League. In Barrington Hills—where minimum lot sizes are designed to preserve a rural, equestrian landscape—those duties often intersect with detailed land-use review and long-range fiscal stewardship, per the Housing Studies Data Portal — Barrington Hills and GovHRUSA — Barrington Hills profile / police chief recruitment packet.

A moment for the department

At the same meeting, Police Chief Kyle Murphy introduced Officer Kevin Del Re, who joined the department on October 1 and is currently in field training, according to the Board of Trustees meeting report — Village of Barrington Hills. Del Re brings 13 years of sworn experience from the Village of Johnsburg and a reputation in community policing. The village report described a family moment during the ceremony, with Del Re’s youngest son pinning on his father’s badge as colleagues filled the MacArthur Room in support.

Community-focused policing is a natural fit for a village where long driveways, forest preserves, and bridle trails knit together a dispersed landscape. Barrington Hills emphasizes its equestrian heritage and large-lot character—features that shape patrol patterns, resident interactions, and public-safety priorities, according to GovHRUSA — Barrington Hills profile / police chief recruitment packet and the village overview on Village of Barrington Hills — About / News. Housing and land-use norms—including minimum lot sizes that protect open space—further define how officers and residents work together, data from the Housing Studies Data Portal — Barrington Hills shows.

The trustee role, in practice

For residents, a trustee’s work may look technical, but it touches daily life—roads and bridges priorities, public-safety budgets, conservation-minded land-use decisions, and the oversight that keeps a small staff focused on community goals. Under Illinois best practices, trustees set policy, vote on ordinances and spending, and coordinate with the Village President and appointed Village Manager to ensure delivery of services, according to the Illinois Municipal League. McClary’s executive experience in strategy, operations, and finance dovetails with those responsibilities, the village report indicated, pointing to her grounding in governance and collaborative leadership, as described by the Board of Trustees meeting report — Village of Barrington Hills.

Getting them off to a strong start

Based on the village’s governance materials and community profile, several practical steps could accelerate the early impact of both the new trustee and the newest officer, according to the context provided by Village of Barrington Hills — About / News and GovHRUSA — Barrington Hills profile / police chief recruitment packet:

  • Provide concise orientation packets: current budgets, pending projects, land-use matters, and key contacts.
  • Pairings and mentorship: an experienced trustee or the Village Manager for McClary; a field training officer and community-policing liaison for Del Re.
  • Early priority-setting: a session in the first 60 days to identify top policy and community-policing goals.
  • Community introductions: riding and trail leaders, neighborhood associations, school partners, and key nonprofits.
  • Clear early metrics: responsiveness and committee participation for the trustee; training milestones and community-contact measures for the officer.

How residents can plug in

Barrington Hills’ civic culture runs on engagement as much as policy. Village materials and community profiles suggest residents can help welcome and inform new leaders by, as outlined in Village of Barrington Hills — About / News and GovHRUSA — Barrington Hills profile / police chief recruitment packet:

  • Attending Board of Trustees meetings and using public comment to flag priorities.
  • Volunteering on advisory committees or partnering through conservation and equestrian groups.
  • Participating in community-police meetings and neighborhood initiatives to build relationships.
  • Sharing local knowledge about property-use patterns, trail etiquette, and recurring safety concerns.

Barrington Hills’ mix of open land, trail networks, and village-wide representation means both governance and policing hinge on trust and familiarity. With McClary’s boardroom experience and community service record, and Del Re’s community-policing background, the oaths taken this week point toward the kind of steady, face-to-face leadership that fits the village’s rural character—one that residents can expect to see reflected in budget debates, land-use deliberations, and the everyday conversations between officers and neighbors in the months ahead, according to the Board of Trustees meeting report — Village of Barrington Hills and the community profile in GovHRUSA — Barrington Hills profile / police chief recruitment packet.