'Self-Serving'? Argument At Clarendon Hills Meeting

CLARENDON HILLS, IL – Clarendon Hills' village manager went back and forth with an out-of-town lawyer Monday over an allegation that the manager was "self-serving" with a new policy.

During public comments at a Village Board meeting, Chicago-based attorney Jim McCarthy argued against setting a mandatory retirement age of 65 for firefighters, a measure that village trustees later approved.

And he said Village Manager Zach Creer had changed his statements on whether such a policy is a legal requirement.

In November, Creer wrote in a memo to the Village Board that said state law "provides" that all firefighters in towns with police and fire commissions retire by 65.

At Monday's meeting, Creer said there was no legal requirement to set a retirement age. He apologized if the information came across differently last month.

He also acknowledged many paid-on-call fire departments, which include Clarendon Hills, have no mandatory retirement ages. He provided a survey of nearby towns last month, with only two of the nine departments, both paid-on-call, having no mandatory retirement ages.

McCarthy acknowledged he sent village officials a link to a spreadsheet for nearly two dozen towns, most of which have a majority of paid-on-call or volunteer firefighters. Only one, La Grange Park, has a retirement age.

McCarthy advised the board not to follow Creer's recommendation.

"You don't have to vote yes because your village manager or your village attorney seems to think it's a good idea," McCarthy said.

In an email to Village President Eric Tech earlier Monday, McCarthy said the spreadsheet he sent was honest, while Creer's analysis was "self-serving."

At the meeting, Creer asked McCarthy, "Are you the one who accused me of engaging in self-serving practices? Can you explain that to me?"

McCarthy said he said so because Creer misstated the law. That prompted Creer to ask how that meant he was self-serving, which Creer said implied that he engaged in corruption or unethical practices.

McCarthy responded, "Because I think you have an agenda beyond what you are stating here... I think you are trying to push forward your agenda."

"My agenda? That serves myself?" Creer said.

Creer also disagreed with McCarthy's choice of comparison towns, including Swansea, Rock Island and Zion.

McCarthy said the spreadsheet focused on towns with paid-on-call departments, while Creer said his analysis listed nearby towns, the village's practice for comparisons.

McCarthy, who said his daughter and mother-in-law live in Clarendon Hills, warned the village would be unable to keep a paid-on-call department with policies such as mandatory retirements.

"That's not true," Creer replied. "Who are you to say that we can't keep our department this way? Some attorney from out of town? I have a chief over here who says we can. I talk to our firefighters every day."

Creer concluded with sarcasm.

"I'll be sure to use Swansea and Zion next time because that's really important," he said.

The board unanimously approved the mandatory retirement policy.