Joliet Fires City Hall Official Who Urged Dome Of Unity, Data Center, Park Near Sex Offender Apartments

JOLIET, IL — In less than three years on the job, Joliet City Manager Beth Beatty has now given two successive directors of community development their walking papers.

In March of 2024, Eva-Marie Tropper, an out of town hire by her predecessor Jim Capparelli, was one of three Joliet City Hall staff who received a separation agreement as part of Beatty's effort to bring a shakeup to the City Hall.

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Now, Joliet Patch has confirmed, Dustin Anderson, the former Munster, Indiana town manager hired by Beatty to replace Tropper back in the spring of 2024, was fired by the city of Joliet last month.

Joliet Patch was the first news outlet to reveal Anderson was out as Joliet's director of community development back in mid-August. At that time, however, Joliet City Hall officials declined to comment, citing personnel issues.

Thanks to the Freedom of Information Act, Joliet Patch is now able to confirm Anderson's departure was a firing.

Less than a month after Anderson was relieved of his work duties, Joliet's new director of human resources, Elizabeth Abrego-Coronado, furnished Anderson with a letter outlining his termination at the city of Joliet.

A copy of the termination letter is shared at the bottom of this article.

Meanwhile, Joliet Patch obtained Anderson's payroll records for August and September, and the documents show the last time he received a typical two-week, regular work paycheck, in the amount of $7,380, was on Aug. 14. His two-week paycheck issued on Aug. 28 paid him $6,642 in regular salary and another $738 for eight hours of administrative leave.

He also received his regular cellular phone and vehicle allowance stipends totaling about $250 in August. Then on Sept. 11, Anderson was issued another two-week paycheck, and the entire payment of $7,380 was for administrative leave from work.

According to the last city of Joliet payroll period, Sept. 25, Anderson did not receive any payments for administrative leave or regular salary. Instead, he was paid out $9,161 for his remaining 99.3 unused vacation hours, the city payroll data reflected.

Since his employment in Joliet began in April 2024, Anderson commuted to Joliet from his native Indiana. He lived around Munster and had served for several years as Munster town manager prior to being hired at Joliet, initially as a consultant, under a professional services agreement.

He then became the permanent director of community development in August 2024. When Beatty hired Anderson, she paid him $30,000 more than his predecessor Tropper made. In his position, Anderson oversaw planning & zoning, neighborhood services, building and inspections, as well as economic development.

Anderson was one of those high-ranking city officials allowed to fuel up his personal vehicle anytime he needed to during his employment at the Joliet City Hall. Anderson obtained free gasoline from Joliet's city-operated fuel pumps a total of 83 times between December 2024 and early August of this year.

Of the 83 fill-ups Anderson made on the Joliet taxpayers' dime, he obtained approximately 711.4 gallons of fuel. During the work week, Anderson drove from Munster to Joliet, a 40-mile drive, and as a result of those constant trips, his use of his Joliet taxpayer-funded fuel card added up considerably, Joliet Patch's analysis found.

Anderson Urged Support For Dome of Unity, Data Center

In time, Anderson might best be remembered for helping urge the Joliet City Council in March to approve the massive data center project that is being planned on 800 acres of farmland near the Chicagoland Speedway — land owned by the family of Anderson's co-worker, Joliet planning director Jayne Bernhard.

The final vote went 8 to 1 in favor of the data center construction. Anderson's Council memo read, "Staff concurs with the recommendation of the Plan Commission and recommends the Mayor and City Council adopt the following, subject to the same conditions approved by the Plan Commission: Resolution to Approve an Annexation Agreement for the Annexation of Approximately 795 Acres Surrounding S. Rowell Road and Bernhard Road."

Last fall, Anderson had a leading role in helping urge the Joliet City Council to move forward with the controversial Dome of Unity sculpture exhibit that now exists across from the Rialto in the new City Square plaza. Initially, last September, the Dome of Unity was yanked off the City Council agenda before Anderson, who recommended its support, returned at a follow up meeting urging its approval.

"Staff thought that due to the interest and excitement this item has generated, it would be nice to postpone this so that the arts commission could be here to present this with staff for the benefit of the Council and the public," Anderson said last year.

Anderson also had oversight for the construction of a new neighborhood park in the Cunningham Neighborhood that was built with the intention of driving out the convicted sex offenders who live together in the NewDay Apartments building at 1000 Cora Street. NewDay purchased the building in December 2021.

In October 2024, the Joliet City Council voted unanimously to spend about $100,000 to build the neighborhood park near the site of the two-story apartment building at 1000 Cora that is known by some as "the pedophile palace."

Back in 2022, the previous Joliet city administration of Jim Capparelli purchased the corner lot at 1000 North Center Street in hopes of building a playground there. City officials contended that opening a public park would drive away the out-of-town company that provided rental housing at 1000 Cora Street to several convicted sex offenders who had served out their prison terms.

In 2024, Anderson took the initiative to get the new Cunningham Neighborhood park built.

"My mission? The neighborhood wanted a park, and we're delivering on our promise," Anderson told Joliet Patch during a 2024 interview.

As far as whether construction of the new city park would force the cluster of sex offenders to vacate 1000 Cora St., Anderson said that was a question for Joliet's Legal Department.

"Again, that's not a Dustin decision. I'm not a law enforcement officer, and I'm not an attorney. Our police department is top-notch as is our legal department," Anderson told Joliet Patch at the time.

As of Oct. 5, the city of Joliet has posted no job openings for the director of community development vacancy.