Trouble In Clarendon Hills Village Hall?

CLARENDON HILLS, IL — For at least a week, Clarendon Hills Village Manager Kevin Barr has been on personal leave, doing some work from home, the village's assistant manager said last week.

In an interview with Patch, Assistant Manager Zach Creer revealed nothing else about Barr's situation. Creer has been acting as manager over the last week.

In his weekly report Friday, Creer said he had met with the managers of Hinsdale and Oak Brook to discuss regional approaches to public safety and public infrastructure.

Barr's absence follows tensions with the fire department. Earlier this month, Patch reported that Barr prohibited longtime Fire Chief Brian Leahy from speaking with the media about the ongoing controversy over whether to buy a new ladder truck.

Barr has questioned whether the village should buy a truck, which has angered firefighters and residents, some of whom have called for the manager's ouster.

On Monday, the village announced it would hold a closed meeting to discuss employment matters on Wednesday. Afterward, it plans to take action on personnel. The agenda did not give the nature of the action.

Creer did not return a later message about how the village defines "personal leave."

Village President Len Austin has not returned a half dozen messages since last week about Barr's status. Of the six members of the Village Board, Patch has only been able to reach Trustee Greg Jordan, a lawyer. He said he was unable to provide any information on Barr's situation, saying he was focused on two upcoming trials.

Barr did not return a message for comment left through his Facebook account.

Barr was hired as Clarendon Hills manager in 2015. Before that, he was Schiller Park's village manager for 15 years.