Oswego Fire Protection Board Votes To Not Renew Chief's Contract

OSWEGO, IL — The Village of Oswego’s fire chief has not been fired but has been placed on administrative leave and will not have his contract renewed, officials announced Thursday.

The Fire Protection District’s Board of Trustees made the “difficult decision” not to renew the contract of Chief Mike Veseling after several “uncompromisable” issues arose between Veseling and the board, Fire Protection Board of Trustees President Dick Kuhn said in a news release.

Kuhn said that rumors that Veseling had been fired are not true and that the chief remains on administrative leave until April 30. Josh Flanders, an 18-year veteran of the department, has been appointed acting chief, Kuhn said.

Kuhn said that the decision regarding Veseling’s contract was made at the board’s recent meeting. He said that “over time” several issues came up between the chief and the board, which made the board feel it was necessary to not renew the chief’s contract.

An email send to Veseling seeking comment was not immediately returned on Thursday.

“We thank Chief Veseling for the many positive changes to the district under his leadership,” fire protection trustees wrote in a statement. “We also expect the district to continue to provide the excellent service it always has.”

Veseling was appointed as the fire protection district’s eighth chief in 2015 and had been with the department since 2012, according to his LinkedIn profile.