Joliet council refuses to listen to former Chief Malec

The Joliet City Council on Monday refused to hear a statement from former Police Chief Dawn Malec, although some were willing to listen.

Malec has been seeking an opportunity to discuss her situation with the council since she was demoted by City Manager James Capparelli on Oct. 6.

That opportunity appeared to come at the council’s workshop meeting on Monday, which Malec attended.

“I said I was available. We’ll see,” Malec said before the meeting when asked if she would meet with the council.

At the end of the meeting when the council reached the point at which they sometimes go into closed session, Councilman Pat Mudron said, “I’d like to ask for a closed session so Dawn Malec can make her statement to the City Council.”

The council voted to go into closed session after it was mentioned that there were other matters to discuss.

Initially, it appeared Malec would be able to make her statement as the doors were closed with her in the room. But she soon came out of the closed-door meeting followed by Capparelli. The two waited at opposite ends of a hallway outside the chambers as the council met.

Meeting with the council at the time was Human Resources Director Kathy Franson.

Franson came out of the chambers after the council had met for about 20 minutes. Capparelli was called back into the room but not Malec. The council later adjourned without calling in Malec.

Mudron came out of the meeting and conferred with Malec.

Asked why the former chief was not allowed to make her statement, Mudron said, “There weren’t enough people on the council who wanted to listen to her.”

Mudron said he was not the only council member willing to hear Malec’s statement but would not say how many wanted to hear from her.

“There were less than five. Let’s put it that way,” he said, referring to the majority number of members on the nine-member council including the mayor. One council member, Bettye Gavin, was not at the meeting.

Malec would not discuss what was in her statement. But the former chief said since the day after her demotion that she wanted to discuss the matter with the council and hoped to return as chief.

Capparelli initially fired Malec and put out a public statement saying she no longer was working for the police department. He later learned that he had the authority to demote but not fire Malec and invited her to return under her former rank as lieutenant.

Malec, however, has not been returned to police duties and is working in the city clerk’s office.

“Things will be forthcoming I’m sure,” Malec said about her job status, noting that the police union is addressing the situation.