Excerpts from the NWHerald.com:
Days before Trustee Joe Clarke resigned from his secretarial duties with the Harvard Fire Protection District, the board president sent him a letter requesting that he step down and detailing a year of harassment allegations against a district employee, out-of-line comments about members of the public, refusal to sign a loan agreement for a new pumper, and interference with district business that has cost thousands in legal expenses. Clarke denied any wrongdoing and said the claims outlined in the letter were argumentative, subjective, and inaccurate.
The catalyst of the harassment was when Jeri Loiselle, administrative assistant to the fire protection district raised concerns over former Carpentersville Fire Chief John Schuldt, whom Harvard trustees hired in January 2018. Schuldt was accused in 2013 of putting his hands around the throat of a female village employee and shaking her, according to emails from the victim and witnesses to former Carpentersville Police Chief Alan Popp. This complaint led to Schuldt being placed on administrative leave.
When Loiselle discovered the allegations against Schuldt, she alerted the board president. In December 2018, Loiselle received information indicating that Schuldt was threatening to file a defamation suit against the district. The district’s insurance carrier was notified and conducted interviews with Clarke and others. After his interview, Clarke allegedly met one-on-one with Loiselle and threatened to reduce her salary and explained the situation with Schuldt from his perspective.
On Jan. 2, Clarke wrote a letter indicating that former Harvard Firefighter Don Carlson – who voiced serious concerns over the conduct of Clarke during multiple board meetings – posed a risk of “going postal” at future board meetings because of Carlson’s tone and because of his belief that Carlson carries a concealed firearm. Therefore, he requested a police presence at future board meetings. The Harvard Police Department declined this request, and the board president called Clarke’s comments out of line in his letter.
At a meeting in January, the board approved an ordinance authorizing the purchase of a pumper when one of the district’s engines was decommissioned and another had been damaged responding to a fire. The board president said in the letter that the loan and the district would be at risk by Clarke not signing the loan agreement.
Clarke stepped down as board secretary effective immediately during the board’s March 12 meeting but stated he intended to serve for the remainder of his term in office as a trustee, which ends in May 2020. The board accepted the resignation without opposition.
Clarke said he had stepped down as board secretary because he refused to sign the loan agreement unless the board addressed concerns over how to pay back the loan. He said his refusal to do so was why the board president tried to introduce a resolution to remove him from his secretary position.
Throughout 2018, the Harvard Fire Protection District was incurring about $2,043 in legal fees a month. But in January and February, where most of the documented instances of harassment were noted in the letter, the district accumulated more than $5,000 in expenses each month.
