5 Months Pay For City Manager David Hales To Leave Joliet

JOLIET, IL - The Joliet City Council voted 6-2 at Tuesday night's meeting to part ways with city manager David Hales after less than one year on the job. The proposed agreement before the council called for Hales to receive a separation payment of five months of salary, which amounts to $89,584.

The city council's action means that Hales is gone from the city of Joliet effective tomorrow, Wednesday, Oct. 17.

Hales will also get another $5,375 for cashing out 52 hours of unused vacation time. Two council members voted against the separation agreement, Larry Hug and Jan Quillman.

Hales has been working under a three-year contract that was approved by the city council in 2017. As part of the separation agreement, Hales would also remain on Joliet's insurance plan for the next three months.

Hales, who is in his mid-sixties, started his new job as the manager of the third largest city in Illinois late last November, but he seemed unprepared for the task.

At the time of the hiring, the city council made Hales the highest paid city official, giving him a $215,000 annual salary, plus another $250 in a monthly car allowance.

But over the past several months, there has been strong sentiment around City Hall that Hales has not been up to the job. Hales seemed unable to make important decisions. Among the many notables, Hales was unable to reduce the costly overtime expenses in public safety, particularly at Joliet's Fire Department. He also went behind the city council's back in August and hired a consulting firm to oversee the search for a new police chief, rather than spearhead the hiring process himself as the city expected.

Hales came to Joliet after spending the past eight years in Bloomington as its city manager. Hales was in the market for a new job last year after the Bloomington City Council notified him it was not extending his multi-year contract once his current city manager's contract at Bloomington expired.

Twice this year, including last week, the Joliet Patch published an opinion column suggesting Hales appeared to be a terrible fit for the city of Joliet.

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Image of David Hales at the Monday, October 15 pre-council meeting via city of Joliet