Joliet Needs Its 4th Interim City Manager Later This Week

JOLIET, IL — If it seems like the Joliet City Council is constantly holding meetings to discuss hiring a new interim city manager because Joliet can't hire a permanent city manager, that's because it's true.

In August, Steve Jones left the city after serving in the role as of interim city manager for 13 months. Replacing Jones was Jim Hock, who had been Joliet's permanent city manager for more than three years until retiring and returning to his native Michigan in April 2017.

Before Jones did his interim city manager stint, Marty Shanahan served in that capacity from October 2018 until late June 2019.

Now, after running Joliet's City Hall for more than four months, Hock finishes up this week. His last day on the job is Friday, Jan. 8.

The Joliet City Council is expected to meet in closed session this coming week to discuss a couple of candidates who could step in and replace Hock for the foreseeable future.

It's not clear, when, if ever, Joliet will find a permanent city manager.

The last one, David Hales, was forced to resign after less than 11 months on the job, after it became clear that the Joliet City Council had made the wrong choice in its decision to hire Hales.

After Jones announced he was leaving last summer, the city considered giving the position to interim corporation counsel Sabrina Spano, but she declined. Then, the city considered prominent Joliet real estate attorney Mike Hansen, but he also did not want to accept the job.

Finally, the Council turned to Hock, and he agreed to run the city on a limited basis.

What were some of the biggest events to occur during Hock's brief tenure as interim city manager in 2020?

• In November, Don "Duck" Dickinson abruptly resigned his seat on the City Council in the midst of a sex scandal. Dickinson claimed he had been the target of blackmail by Mayor Bob O'Dekirk over the past several months surrounding photos Dickinson said he took of his own genitals and sent to another Joliet elected official.

That elected official, Jennifer Jobe-Gavin of the Joliet Park Board, denied she ever had an intimate relationship with the city councilman and threatened a lawsuit.

"The libelous and malicious statements made by Councilman Dickinson ... have defamed Jobe-Gavin and caused her intentional infliction of emotional distress personally, in her community, professionally as a woman and an elected public official," Jobe-Gavin told Joliet Patch.

• In early December, the Joliet City Council voted to appoint Herb Lande to fill Dickinson's at large seat until after the April 6 elections. Lande, who turned 74 in November, has run the Imperial Construction Company in Joliet since 1979 and he has served as chairman of the Joliet police and fire board since 2015.
• Hock was also responsible for reaching a settlement with ousted corporation counsel Shanahan, who was fired by Steve Jones last May. The proposed settlement called for paying Shanahan nearly $123,000, but then-Councilman Dickinson voted against the settlement after previously telling the rest of the Council he would support the settlement.

The Council vote left Shanahan and his lawyer outraged and publicly humiliated. Two days later, the Naperville law firm of Shawn Collins filed a lengthy wrongful termination lawsuit against the city of Joliet as well as Steve Jones, the former interim city manager.

Then, Dec. 18, Joliet Patch broke the news that the new City Council with Lande on board agreed to resolve Shanahan's wrongful termination, but at a cost to Joliet taxpayers of $200,000.

A portion of the out of court settlement will go to Shanahan's lawyer, who amassed several billable hours preparing and writing the 37-page wrongful termination lawsuit that got filed Nov. 4 at the Will County Courthouse.

"At the time Jones terminated Shanahan, Shanahan's personnel file did not include any information evidencing inadequate job performance," outlined Naperville attorney Shawn Collins of the Collins Law Firm in his 37-page lawsuit against Jones and Joliet.

"Jones intentionally and unjustifiably interfered with Shanahan's relationship with Joliet when he ignored the mandatory sections of the Code relating to the discharge of a public employee and proceeded with the discharge of Shanahan anyways," the lawsuit alleged.

• On other fronts, Hock was in charge of Joliet as West Jefferson Street received a major shot in the arm with the announcement that the Kmart property had found a new buyer. The real estate agent who brokered the major redevelopment deal was Ron Swacker of Caton Commercial.

On Dec. 4, Joliet Patch broke the news that Tony's Finer Foods intends to occupy the empty Kmart property. Tony's plans to hire at least 100 full-time workers and another 150 part-time workers for its new grocery store at 1801 W. Jefferson St.

• Then, Dec. 16, Hock dealt with his most controversial project during his tenure, as the Joliet City Council voted 6-2 to approve plans for the NorthPoint Development business park that will be built near Elwood and Manhattan.

"We want to thank Joliet city staff, council members and the mayor for taking the time to consider the facts and underlying causes of the issues raised through the proceeding," said Patrick Robinson, Vice President of NorthPoint, in a statement after the vote.

If you're wondering whether perhaps Marty Shanahan would return to Joliet as interim city manager, a post he held from May 2017 through November 2017 and again from October 2018 until June 2019, the answer is no.

The recent $200,000 lawsuit settlement includes a provision that Shanahan cannot and will not work for the city of Joliet for at least two more years.

And although Shanahan had taken out petitions to run for Joliet City Council, he, like Mayor Bob O'Dekirk's former-friend-turned-adversary, retired Joliet Police Sgt. Lindsey Heavener, did not submit their nominating papers in December before the deadline. Therefore, Shanahan and Heavener will not be on the April 6 election ballot.