Plainfield Park Board Set to Vote On New Executive Director

A public hearing is scheduled for Wednesday on the Plainfield Park District’s 2014-2015 budget, but the board also has big business to discuss when it comes to personnel.

The board is slated to vote on whether to appoint current Worth Park District Director Carlo Capalbo as the new executive director, nearly seven months after the resignation of Garrett Peck.

The agenda for the Aug. 13 meeting includes motions to appoint Capalbo as the new executive director and authorize board president Mary Kay Ludemann to execute an employment agreement for the new hire.

Capalbo was the subject of some argument among commissioners during a special board meeting last month. Board members Peter Steinys and Peter Hurtado reportedly left the meeting after becoming upset over discussion regarding another candidate for the job.

Steinys and Hurtado told The Herald-News that commissioners had agreed upon a different candidate during a previous closed-session board meeting. After that vote, Hurtado said, board attorney Matt Cambpell tried to dissuade board members from hiring that candidate.

After voicing their opposition to Campbell’s comments, both Steinys and Hurtado reportedly left the July 22 meeting, and learned that Capalbo was the new chosen candidate via email the next morning. Read the full Herald-News story.

Also read: Plainfield Park Board Member to Testify Before Grand Jury

Retired Elmhurst Park District Executive Director Richard Grodsky has served as interim executive director since April.

Also on the agenda

The board will also vote on a proposal to have its legal firm, Kavanagh, Grumley & Gorbold, appoint a new attorney for the park district, replacing Campbell.

The 2014-15 fiscal year budget is also on the agenda, and the board will consider a proposal to have Grodsky authorize a contract with the law firm of Foley and Lardner, LLP for union negotiations.

The budget hearing is set for 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Heritage Professional Center, 24023 W. Lockport St. The meeting will immediately follow the hearing. Click here to view the agenda.

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