Mudron 5: Jones OK To Double Dip, Mayor Outraged

JOLIET, IL — Joliet City Councilman Pat Mudron and the Mudron 5 approved a controversial employment contract at Tuesday's meeting that will allow interim city manager Steve Jones to retire in March, start collecting his Illinois municipal government pension, but then continue to work for Joliet as interim city manager on a month to month basis as an independent contractor.

It's a one-of-a-kind agreement for a city of Joliet department head. No other city official has any such arrangement.

Besides Mudron, the measure had support from Sherri Reardon, Don "Duck" Dickinson, Mike Turk and Bettye Gavin.

The four opponents on the losing end were: Jan Quillman, Larry Hug, Terry Morris and Mayor Bob O'Dekirk.

After the vote, Joliet's mayor indicated he was so disgusted by the Mudron 5's vote involving the Jones contract that he promised to refuse to sign the resolution that got adopted Tuesday night.

"This is on you," O'Dekirk declared, directing his frustrations at the Mudron 5.

During the meeting, O'Dekirk remarked, "The question I have is still out there. If you want to contract with Steve Jones directly, for a month to month basis, that's one thing, but the idea we're paying GovTemps for an employee that's already here, it's ludicrous."

The mayor wanted the Mudron 5 to explain why they were justified to spend Joliet taxpayers' money to pay GovTempsUSA, a Northbrook-based government consulting firm.

The private contractor plans to bill Joliet at an hourly rate of $135.10 — as part of its market up — to place Jones back to work with Joliet as an independent contractor, starting in March.

Jones will remain on a month-to-month basis as interim city manager, a role he has held since August.

"It's less money than we're paying today," Mudron told O'Dekirk. "The man has a right to retire. He has a pension. He has paid into his pension, and he's in a unique position that he understands where we're at in our hiring process, our employees, and moving forward.

"I think he's our best bet to get this handled within a very short period of time here and that's why I would vote for him."

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O'Dekirk told Mudron that the notion that making Jones an independent contractor would save the city money in the long run was not accurate.

"Well, it certainly isn't less money," the mayor said, "because you're paying a 40-percent surcharge to GovTemps(USA). What would be less money is if you dealt directly with him," the mayor said pointing to Jones.

"That would be less money," Mudron agreed.

"I mean, if we dealt directly with him, he would still have to go out and purchase his own workman's compensation insurance," Mudron said. "His own liability insurance. He would have to pay into his FICA ... and in this case, GovTemps pays in. It's not like GovTemps gets 40 percent profit."

At that point, the mayor spoke up.

"Yeah, but Joliet's paying for it, and we have a fiduciary duty to the people of Joliet, not to Steve. Steve, I think you did a great job as an economic development director, and if you were to return, not to retire, but return to that role, I would support it. But, this is not looking out for the people of Joliet. This is looking out for one person."

Then the mayor looked out to the audience and addressed Audrey Secko, a Joliet taxpayer who spoke up earlier in the meeting.

"I agree with you ... I think a lot of people are reading between the lines of what's really happening up here. So that's all I have to say up here."

Councilman Larry Hug agreed that Jones has the right to retire whenever he deems fit.

"Let's be clear and clear out the smoke here," Hug said. "We're saving money but turning a full-time position into a part-time position for the third largest city in the state. So, that's kind of amateur hour. And, you are right, Councilman Mudron, that he has every right to retire at any point he wants. We don't, in my lowly opinion, have the moral or ethical right to pump his double-dipping pension full of steroids, on the backs of the taxpayers."

After the vote passed 5-4, O'Dekirk told the city clerk to make sure she removes the resolution from getting his official signature.

"I'm not signing this document," the mayor vowed.

Tuesday night was only a partial victory for Steve Jones, however.

Although it was not on the agenda, Councilwoman Reardon made a last-minute request during Tuesday's meeting to approve an additional consultant contract for Jones. The second contract would have let Jones return to City Hall as a long-term economic development consultant once he finishes up as interim city manager, whenever that is.

But at the time of the vote, Turk broke ranks with the Mudron 5.

Instead, Turk joined forces with the Council's Fiscal 4 coalition, agreeing that the next permanent city manager should decide whether to keep Jones around as an independent contractor in the economic development office, where Jones has worked since his hiring in 2015.