September 16, 2024
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Joliet council in split vote opts for outside attorney

Interim city attorney will get $6,000 a week and work 25-hour schedule

By Bob Okon
Mayor Terry D’Arcy sits in the Joliet City Council meeting on Tuesday, July 18th, 2023.

Joliet Mayor Terry D’Arcy at a July meeting of the City Council. (Gary Middendorf – gmiddendorf@shawmedia/Gary Middendorf)

Mayor Terry D’Arcy won a narrow victory Tuesday when the Joliet City Council approved hiring an outside attorney that the mayor wanted but several council members said was not needed.

D’Arcy broke a tie with his vote as the council by a 5-4 margin approved a contract with the firm Ancel Glink to bring in Todd Greenburg as interim city attorney at a pay rate of $6,000 a week.

The mayor made clear he wanted outside legal help, expressing some dissatisfaction with the service provided by city staff.

“Every time I have a question of our current counsel, if I ask on Monday I might get an answer by Friday,” D’Arcy said.

He also suggested the two-person legal staff may not be enough for the legal issues facing Joliet as it seeks a replacement for former City Attorney Sabrina Spano, who left in July for another job.

“At this point, I don’t think we can afford to have one attorney and one junior attorney putting out all the fires that we have,” said D’Arcy, who took office in May.

Newly hired interim City Attorney Todd Greenburg talks with Joliet Councilwoman Sherri Reardon before the Tuesday meeting where the council voted 5-4 to hire Greenburg. Aug. 1, 2023.

Newly hired interim City Attorney Todd Greenburg talks with Joliet City Council member Sherri Reardon before the Tuesday meeting where the council voted 5-4 to hire Greenburg. (Bob Okon)

Several council members, however, said the $6,000 Greenburg will get for 25 hours of work a week is too much.

Council member Larry Hug said Greenburg’s pay on an annualized basis amounts to $312,000 for a job that otherwise pays a salary of $166,000.

Hug said that Deputy City Attorney Chris Regis’s job description calls for him to fill in as city attorney when needed.

“We can certainly at least in the interim stay with the two [attorneys] we have now,” Hug said.

Council member Larry Hug asks fellow council member Pat Mudron about a meeting he had with other individuals regarding allegations against Joliet Mayor Bob O’DeKirk at the City Council Meeting at City Hall in Joliet on Monday, March 13th, 2023.

Joliet City Council member Larry Hug (Gary Middendorf – gmiddendorf@shawmedia/Gary Middendorf)

Council member Joe Clement said he consulted with other attorneys who said “$6,000 a week is a little excessive.”

Clement, Hug, Jan Quillman and Cesar Guerrero voted against hiring Greenburg.

Joining D’Arcy were Pat Mudron, Sherri Reardon, Cesar Cardenas and Suzanna Ibarra.

Ibarra noted the number of lawsuits facing Joliet during the debate.

“This is an extremely important position where we don’t want to have a bargain service,” Ibarra said.

The city posted the city attorney position on July 11.

Interim City Manager Rod Tonelli said resumes have started to arrive but no interviews have been done.

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