DeKalb City Attorney Margo Ely has accepted an offer to work for the city of Naperville.

She will assume duties as Naperville city attorney June 7. She began her work in DeKalb in July 1996.

As the DeKalb city attorney, Ely and her assistant, Dawn Didier, handle all of the city’s legal work, Ely said.

Didier will serve as the interim city attorney until the position is filled, DeKalb City Manager Biernacki said.

Ely was chosen from a batch of seven finalists, said Gary Karafiat, community relations manager for the city of Naperville. She will serve a sort of dual role in Naperville because she will serve as the city’s legal director and the city attorney, he said.

Naperville contacted Ely for an interview in January, Ely said. She said she initially declined the offer, but when the Naperville city manager, Peter Burchard, contacted her in March, she agreed to an interview.

Ely interviewed three times and was notified Tuesday she was being offered the position, said Julia Carroll, Naperville’s assistant city manager.

Ely’s new yearly salary will be $110,000; she makes $88,900 in DeKalb. In Naperville, she will lead a staff of one part-time and four full-time attorneys, Carroll said.

DeKalb Mayor Greg Sparrow said he heard about Ely’s decision Wednesday morning.

“Based on what the city manager [Biernacki] told me, it’s a great opportunity for her,” Sparrow said. “It speaks well for DeKalb and Naperville. It’s one of those opportunities you can’t pass up.”

Biernacki will hire the next DeKalb city attorney with input from the city council, Sparrow said. The search usually takes about two to three months.