O'Dekirk Names Replacement For Councilman Dickinson

JOLIET, IL —Joliet Mayor Bob O'Dekirk told Joliet Patch he is recommending a member of the city's police and fire board to fill the Joliet City Council vacancy created by the sudden resignation of Don "Duck" Dickinson.

Todd Wooten, who retired as a high-ranking member of the Joliet Fire Department and is an African-American, has served on the city's police and fire commission since O'Dekirk appointed him in 2015. At next week's City Council meeting, O'Dekirk said he will ask the remaining Joliet City Council members to approve his recommendation.

By selecting Wooten, O'Dekirk is nominating someone who is not planning to run for one of the three open seats on the City Council in the April 6 elections. So far, nearly 20 people have taken out nominating petitions, and the petitions are due during the month of December.

"Todd definitely has a strong personality, but he's an independent thinker and I think he's more of a straight shooter," O'Dekirk told Joliet Patch on Wednesday.

"He's not running for the position (in April) but he'll be a strong voice for the people of Joliet over the next few months."

If his recommendation is approved, Joliet's mayor said Wooten will be involved in several major decisions facing the city in the coming months.

Joliet is considering an agreement with the city of Chicago to obtain Lake Michigan water for its long-term water supply.

Wooten would also be involved in the voting on Joliet's 2021 operating budget in December. Third, Wooten would have an important role in hiring a permanent city manager for Joliet. Astonishingly, Joliet has gone without a permanent city manager since October 2018 when the Council approved a settlement to get rid of David Hales after 11 months on the job.

Dickinson was instrumental in getting rid of Hales' replacement for the job, Marty Shanahan. After Shanahan's ouster in June 2019, city economic development director Steve Jones served in the role until early August when he left Joliet.

Since then, Joliet has brought Michigan resident Jim Hock out of retirement and Hock is expected to stay with Joliet's City Hall through the end of December, if not longer.

The events leading up to Dickinson's departure from the council began earlier this month.

Dickinson went to the Joliet Police Department and filed a police report that was subsequently leaked to an area news outlet the same day. That same night, Dickinson read a prepared statement at his council meeting suggesting he had been the victim of blackmail.

After the meeting, Mayor Bob O'Dekirk denied he had ever been involved in blackmailing Dickinson, and the mayor said he had never seen any naked photos of Dickinson nor did he ever want to. Days later, Joliet Park Board member Jennifer Jobe-Gavin announced that she never had a intimate relationship with Dickinson and that she is pursuing litigation against Dickinson for "the libelous and malicious statements made by Councilman Dickinson."

Last week, Dickinson skipped both of the Joliet City Council meetings and WJOL news radio station reported that Dickinson went to the hospital on Monday, Nov. 16.

On Wednesday, Joliet's mayor told Patch that "I can't say I'm surprised" Dickinson opted to resign from public office rather than serve out his full four-year term.

Dickinson was first elected to the City Council in April 2017. He works in the maintenance department at the Joliet Park District and previously served on the Joliet Township High School Board before running for City Council.

At the Nov. 2 meeting, Dickinson read the following prepared marks:

"Over the last six months, I have been put in a position that has been very uncomfortable for me with my role on the Council. This has affected all the decisions that I need to make to help the city of Joliet move forward.

"I feel I have been harassed, badgered, tormented and now blackmailed unfairly. This is over a personal relationship that I had a few years ago with another consenting adult. Photos were sent between us, for us and for us only. This issue is being held over my head ... "

As far as the blackmail allegations go, "I know what he said about me was a complete lie and apparently Jennifer Jobe-Gavin is saying the same thing, so whatever his scheme was, or whoever convinced him to do this, the whole thing blew up in his face," O'Dekirk said Wednesday.