Retired Minooka police chief named interim chief in Oglesby

Unable to search for a full-time police chief while the novel coronavirus rages, Oglesby instead has hired an interim chief.

Wednesday, the Oglesby City Council emerged from a 52-minute closed session and hired Doug Hayse as interim police chief. Hayse is a 25-year veteran of the Morris Police Department who retired in 2010 as chief in Minooka.

Hayse, who also ran unsuccessfully for statehouse on the Republican ticket in 2004, was identified through the “Linebacker” program, a service offered by the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police to pair communities in need with experienced fill-ins. In this case, Hayse will step in for retiring chief Jim Knoblauch and remain until the search for a permanent replacement can resume.

The vote was 3-1 with one abstention. Commissioner Tom Argubright was opposed to bringing in an outsider, saying the city would be better served promoting from within. Commissioner Jim Cullinan also voiced numerous concerns with tabbing an outside officer ahead of Oglesby officers, but abstained.

Commissioner Jason Curran disagreed, saying Hayse comes with experience and “a fresh set of eyes.”

Commissioner Carrie Lijewski said an interim was needed due to sudden difficulty in hiring a chief.

As previously reported, Lake Zurich Sgt. Scott Pavlock withdrew his application soon after a divided council voted to install him last month as chief of police. In an explanatory letter, Pavlock cited difficulty finding suitable housing but also expressed dismay with the politicking he witnessed. A second candidate who scored well with the screening panel turned it down, too.

“Now, we get hit in the face with coronavirus, so I felt at this time we should just take a step back and breathe,” Lijewski said, emphasizing Hayse will not permanently replace Knoblauch.

Separately, Oglesby is closing its parks effective Thursday morning and until further notice. All city parks and the canoe landing will be closed.

“It’s a precaution we have to take to protect everyone,” Cullinan said.

Finally, the City Council extended the start-date on water and sewer rate increases to May 1, recognizing current economic hardships. Curran, however, warned the council against postponing it again to June 1.

“Every month we delay this costs $60,000 to $80,000 by not putting this [in] effect yet,” Curran said.