Excerpts from patch.com:
Clarendon Hills’ elected officials have been silent on the status of Village Manager Kevin Barr for the last two weeks. But his continued employment appears to be in question. Some residents have pointed to comments during a recent meeting of a village board committee meeting as possibly contributing to the situation.
Barr has been on personal leave for a couple of weeks. Last Wednesday, the village board held a more than two-hour closed session on an employee’s situation, but trustees would not identify the employee. On Monday night, the board is set to vote on an employment agreement with Barr.
At the Jan. 12 Public Safety Committee, officials discussed the possibility of buying a new ladder truck for the fire department, which is expected to cost $1.4 million. The price of such trucks has escalated in the last year, with the village originally budgeting $1 million. Barr has talked about the possibility of sharing a ladder truck with neighboring towns to reduce costs. But firefighters, including Chief Brian Leahy, say the village needs the truck. During the committee meeting, Barr made at least two references to the long time that Leahy has been with the fire department. According to Leahy’s LinkedIn page, he joined the department in the 1970s.
When officials were discussing fatal fires over the years, Leahy said his recollection was that the village fought a fatal fire a dozen years ago or maybe longer. “But not 1930,” Barr said, adding, “I’m sorry you were there.” Others laughed.
Later in the meeting, they were discussing the efficiencies in law enforcement services over time. “Dispatch is a fantastic example,” Barr said. “It’s a million times better and more efficient than it was, Brian, back in 1930, right?” Others could be heard chuckling.
Near the end of the meeting, Leahy said a number of firefighters had tested positive for the coronavirus. Barr said the situation would likely worsen over the next three weeks. “You didn’t give it to everybody, did you, Roger? It’s either you or me,” Barr said, referring to Assistant Fire Chief Roger Krupp.
Barr has prohibited Leahy from speaking with the media on most issues. Within about a week of the meeting, Barr started his leave.
thanks Scott
#1 by Scott on February 8, 2022 - 8:12 PM
2 square mile town, Quickly dying Paided on call and Part-time program, Low call volume. Fire Chief that has been in charged since the Ronald Reagan Administration. The Village board obviously sees what no one else does. Recently the ambulance has been out of service for lack of manpower. Having to depend on neighboring departments to handle Clarendon Hills ambulance calls. A new Ladder truck would be a terrible return on investment. This is just a sign of the current times we live in. Going forward it will be difficult for these small departments to survive.
#2 by MABAS 21 on February 8, 2022 - 6:51 PM
Wayne: I don’t work at Clarendon Hills nor in Division 10, however what difference does it make if they are full-time or part-time? Their daily staffing is a minimum of 4 or 5 and they get a huge POC turnout for runs. They run their present truck as quint; no different from what full-time departments do. The surrounding neighbors’ truck companies are O.O.S. for repairs half the time, therefore a much farther out truck company would have to respond in. If the Chief has concrete honest answers justifying the need, why is there a problem? If it is justifiable and works for them, and funding is available for the purchase, good for them!
#3 by Wayne on February 8, 2022 - 12:11 PM
They are a part time department. Why do they need a ladder truck when, all of their neighbors have one. Are they going to be able to even get it out the door on a fire call? Or is this a fire department wasting money on a unnecessary purchase just so they can say they have one?
#4 by Fred M on February 8, 2022 - 11:14 AM
Is it in Clarendon Hills Employee handbook or Agreement that the Village Manager can bar an employee from speaking to the media or others.??
#5 by Michael m on February 7, 2022 - 9:47 PM
That’s the problem with government, it is run by people who don’t understand the fire service and all they care about is saving money. That guy just made himself look like an idiot.