Mudron 5 Removes Marty Shanahan As Interim City Manager

JOLIET, IL — The Joliet City Council can expect to be branded "stupid" and "an embarrassment" as a result of Tuesday night's vote to oust corporation counsel Marty Shanahan as interim city manager, councilwoman Jan Quillman warned her colleagues. The divisive, predetermined decision came in a 5-3 vote and effectively ensures that Shanahan will not be made the permanent city manager as recently re-elected Mayor Bob O'Dekirk desired.

Quillman warned her colleagues that they should expect ridicule and they should be prepared to accept the embarrassing consequences of Tuesday's vote. She talked about "The Mudron Five," which is what people in Joliet are calling the debacle.

She said getting rid of Shanahan "makes us look stupid, that we can't come to a consensus. In my opinion, our city is going to look like a disaster." Quillman said she did not want to see the current city council revert back to the days of political wars on the city council when the late Mayor Art Schultz was leading the city more than 25 years ago.

In any event, Tuesday's agenda item was spearheaded by Pat Mudron, a city councilman in his seventies, who had been working behind the scenes in recent weeks to get rid of Shanahan.

Sherri Reardon, who was elected to the city council on April 2 and took office in May, also voted to become part of the Mudron Five.

Mike Turk, who has been on the council for about 30 years, told his colleagues Tuesday night that he had aired his reasoning for wanting to remove Shanahan during Monday's 90-minute-long executive session and that he felt it was inappropriate to discuss personnel matters in an open meeting, such as Tuesday night's council meeting when the vote was taken.

Turk and Mudron are closely aligned.

Mayor Bob O'Dekirk also identified Don "Duck" Dickinson as one of the ringleaders, too. Bettye Gavin is the fifth member of the Mudron Five.

Before the vote, Gavin explained her logic for voting the way to fire Shanahan because she wanted "open government and transparency." However, she made comments a few minutes later, complimenting Shanahan.

"Marty has been amazing," she said. "There is no council war here."

Ultimately, Gavin said that when the council starts taking applications for filling the permanent city manager's position, "Marty can apply for this job."

Tuesday's vote to remove Shanahan featured the Mudron Five all voting together: Mudron, newly elected Sheri Reardon, Mike Turk, Don "Duck" Dickinson and Bettye Gavin.

Those in support of keeping Shanahan as interim city manager were Quillman, Larry Hug, Terry Morris and Mayor Bob O'Dekirk.

The mayor didn't have to vote at the meeting but he made several comments during the meeting offering strong praise for the job performance of Shanahan as interim city manager.

After the vote, it was explained that per statute, Joliet's economic development director Steve Jones, who also holds the title of assistant city manager, would now assume the duties of temporary city manager for the foreseeable future.

Jones told everyone he would be willing to serve in the role, but he wants it to be as short as possible. Shanahan was interim city manager since the city council negotiated a $89,000 buyout to break their three-year contract with David Hales after less than a year on the job.

Jones indicated there was no way he could see himself filling in as city manager for the next seven or eight months, for example.

"Please make it short," Jones begged the city council.

Before the meeting ended, Mudron announced that he had already lined up former city manager Jim Hock to become the next interim city manager of Joliet.

Hock retired from the city of Joliet in April 2017 after coming to Joliet in 2013 as he was winding down his local government municipal career.

When Mudron announced the idea of having a special meeting this Friday, some council members who are not part of the Mudron Five said it would not feasible for their schedule. Finally, everyone agreed to hold a special meeting to discuss the hiring of Hock next Monday, June 24. The meeting will be at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall.

Terry Morris said he could not make the meeting because he would be on vacation. However, he added, he wouldn't cancel his family vacation because "you all have your five votes," referring to the Mudron Five.

As for Shanahan, he told everyone at the meeting that he does not plan to quit his job with the city. He was hired by former Mayor Tom Giarrante as the city's corporation counsel in 2015.

"I'm not leaving," Shanahan said after the vote went as expected. "I'm going back to the legal department."

Shanahan also added that he still intends to apply once the council starts taking applications for the permanent post, whenever that happens.

"I look forward to becoming a candidate for city manager," he told everyone.