'Sloppy' Joliet Manager Blasted For Police Chief's Firing: Letter

JOLIET, IL — As Jim Capparelli sat nearby, Joliet City Councilwoman Sherri Reardon read a letter at Tuesday night's meeting from one of her constituents. The letter blasted Joliet's first-year city manager for mishandling last month's firing of police chief Dawn Malec.

At the time of Malec's dismissal, Capparelli was apparently unaware that Malec, per city ordinance, could return to her previous rank and position at the Joliet Police Department, which was a lieutenant.

Since being reinstated as a city employee, Malec has been working out of the city clerk's office.

Here are the key excerpts from Joliet resident Margie Cepon's letter that Reardon read:

"Dear mayor and council members, I am unable to attend tonight's Joliet City Council meeting, but feel compelled to express my dismay and disbelief of the treatment of chief of police Dawn Malec. Through the lens of public perception, it seems to be a humiliation effort of a person. This is what bothers me to the core.

"Throughout the last few weeks in reading the newspapers, both the Joliet Patch and Joliet Herald-News, I'm quite surprised that women's groups are not protesting outside of City Hall.

"However, this is not a gender issue for me. It's a matter of showing basic respect and civility for the dignity of any person including the former chief ... I find the behavior coming out of City Hall to be unacceptable. The comments allegedly made by the city manager and reported in the Patch were coarse and derogatory to and of a person and those words will live eternally on the Internet."

Cepon's letter went on to state, "In addition, the manner in which Malec was relieved from leadership duties was amateur, sloppy and uninformed. How it is possible that top tier of Joliet city government was unaware of the specific Joliet ordinance governing the process of dismissing the chief of police who was promoted from within, and today the Joliet Herald-News reported that Malec was not permitted to provide a statement to Council during closed session (Monday) night. She is being utterly dismissed."

Malec joined the Joliet Police Department in 1994. She became chief of police during Capparelli's first week on the job at City Hall in mid-January. He announced her termination during the first week of October.

Robert Brown has been appointed as the temporary chief of police.

"I have never met officer Malec," Cepon wrote in her letter. "I do not know her. However, I do feel that somebody has to say something because looking at this situation in totality, it is not right. What in the world could Malec have done to warrant this extreme treatment? No employee, no resident, no person deserved this."

After Reardon finished reading the letter, Cappareli did not make any rebuttal comments. The City Council did convene in closed session after the regular meeting to discuss issues of personnel.

Related Joliet Patch coverage:

Malec Made Egizio Deputy Chief Without City Hall's OK: Records

Dawn Malec Fired As Joliet Police Chief, Replaced By Robert Brown

Retired Army Colonel Joliet's Next City Manager?