Marty Shanahan Out Of Job As Joliet's Corporation Counsel

JOLIET, IL — Interim city manager Steve Jones informed Marty Shanahan Tuesday night that he would be out of a job as the city's corporation counsel starting next week, Joliet Patch has learned.

Shanahan was in attendance at Tuesday night's regular meeting of the Joliet City Council, and he was called upon on several occasions to offer his legal opinion on various topics. However, when the regular meeting ended, the council reconvened in a closed door session to discuss personnel matters.

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On Wednesday morning, Shanahan told Joliet Patch's editor that he was not invited to attend the closed door meeting.

He also said that Jones requested his city of Joliet ID badge afterward. Unlike most of the city's employees, Shanahan was not part of a collective bargaining unit. Shanahan was considered an at-will employee, meaning he could be removed from his job at any time.

"As of Friday, May 22, Joliet's interim city manager has decided my services as corporation counsel are no longer needed," Shanahan told Patch on Wednesday morning in a statement he read. "I thus find myself looking for a job. Any assistance you can provide would be helpful. My resume is current and if you provide an email address I can send it to you. I am willing to move, so please pass along any potential opportunity. Thank you."

Shanahan urged prospective employers to contact him at mjshanahan01@gmail.com.

"I am thankful for the opportunity provided to me by the city of Joliet," Shanahan told Patch. "It has been an honor to serve the residents of this great city for the last five-plus years. As a resident of Joliet for more than 20 years, I have embodied what it means to be a public servant in my own community.

"In my tenure at the city, I have helped save countless millions, engaged numerous businesses, drafted many ordinances to help progress the city forward and, most recently, set up rules and procedures for public participation at city meetings during the COVID pandemic. It has been a pleasure serving the taxpayers of Joliet," Shanahan's statement concluded.

Shanahan was not at the Joliet's City Hall on Wednesday.

"I turned in my employment badge. He (Jones) asked for it," Shanahan said.

Jones told Joliet Patch he is now working with Joliet's two remaining full-time lawyers, Chris Regis and Sabrina Spano, in light of Shanahan's departure from the city.

"I met with the two assistant corporation counsel today to begin fine-tuning a short-term plan," Jones said. "Both are very able and willing to do what we need to be able to do to ensure the city i well served."

Shanahan said he is married and has two children under the age of 5 and a daughter going to college.

After several years as a lawyer in private practice, Shanahan went to work for the City of Joliet in January 2015. He served two stints as interim city manager, once after Jim Hock retired in May 2017 and the second time came after the city council approved a separation agreement with David Hales in October 2018 after only 11 months on the job into a three-year contract.

Last June, the Joliet City Council, led by Pat Mudron, voted to remove Shanahan as interim city manager and send him back to the city's legal department.

Related Joliet Patch coverage:

• Mudron 5 Removes Marty Shanahan As Interim City Manager
• Big City Hall Crowd Supports Marty Shanahan As City Manager
• Mudron 5 Sent Identical Emails To Oust Shanahan As Manager