$215,000: Jim Hock Returns As Joliet's City Manager

JOLIET, IL — The Joliet City Council voted unanimously Thursday afternoon to hire Jim Hock, the city's manager from October 2013 until April 2017, as its next interim city manager. The vote took place one day before Steve Jones steps down and leaves the city of Joliet. Jones had served as interim city manager since June 2019. Before that, he was the city's economic development since 2015.

Hock will make an annual salary of $215,000, but he will not receive city health care benefits. He will get a monthly fuel allowance and the city will cover his housing costs. Hock will find an apartment to rent in Joliet since he is moving back from Michigan.

His contract mandates that he will work for Joliet for at least 90 days. After that, the contract goes month to month. He will start next week.

During Thursday's meeting, councilman Larry Hug announced that Hock would be forgoing his retirement pension while he comes out of retirement to work for Joliet again. Hock has been retired for the past three years and he has been living in Michigan.

He was not in attendance at Thursday's meeting to approve his employment contract.

"He will not be double-dipping," Hug informed his colleagues.

Councilwoman Jan Quillman said that she was voting in favor of Hock because "I felt since we are going through rough waters at this time, that Jim Hock could right the ship, and he knows everybody and I vote aye because he's the right fit for now."

Mayor Bob O'Dekirk only votes in cases of a tie. O'Dekirk made it known that he too was in favor of hiring Hock. O'Dekirk did not see eye to eye with Steve Jones as numerous occasions and O'Dekirk criticized Jones on several occasions during Joliet City Council meetings during this year.

O'Dekirk told an audience member at Thursday's meeting that Hock previously spent three years on the job with Joliet as city manager and O'Dekirk worked with Hock during his first two years as mayor.

"Never did I have the feeling that he was being dishonest or lying to me," O'Dekirk remarked at Thursday's meeting. "He'll be welcome. It will be good to have him back here."

Prior to becoming Joliet's city manager job in October 2013, Hock was the assistant city manager for two towns in Michigan, Sterling Heights and Oak Park.