Joliet City Council Approves Search For Permanent City Manager

JOLIET, IL – The city of Joliet will pay a Georgia-based consulting firm nearly $24,000 to search for a new city manager despite objections of Mayor Bob O’Dekirk, who would rather the council consider a local candidate.

During a special meeting Tuesday night, the council voted 5-3 to hire Slavin Management Consultants to lead a search that could take up to three months. The firm was hired after council members have been unable to agree on a candidate that was part of an in-house search.

O’Dekirk, who has been embroiled in calls for his resignation, told council members during Tuesday’s meeting that he was urging the council not to “redo” the search.

“I don’t know why we’re doing this again,” O’Dekirk said, adding, “Ultimately, you’re going to be guessing on someone probably out of state.”

The state's third largest city has been without a permanent city manager since October 2018 when David Hales was relieved of his duties after less than a year in the position. Marty Shanahan, the former city attorney, had been named interim city manager but was not included in three finalists, including candidates from Rhode Island and suburban Milwaukee along with city planning commission member Jim Capparelli.

Capparelli took himself out of the running and council members could not settle on either of the other two candidates. Now, the search will start over at a cost of $23,901 with the hopes of locating a candidate that council members could approve on despite their difficulties to do so in past searches.

“If someone in this group won’t work with (the city manager), I won’t vote for him,” Councilman Pat Mudron said Tuesday after O’Dekirk brought up Shanahan’s candidacy for the permanent role.

Kathy Franson, the city’s director of human resources, told council members Tuesday that Robert Slavin, the president of the consulting firm, told her there will be challenges in conducting the search. But Franson said Slavin believes he will be able to locate a qualified candidate.

The search firm has given the city a timetable of 60-90 days despite the objections of O’Dekirk, who said during Tuesday’s meeting he has “several” local candidates that he would consider.