Candidate For Joliet City Manager Settles Lawsuit With Illinois Town

One of the three candidates on the short list to become Joliet’s next City Manager has just settled a lawsuit in Carpentersville. WJOL has learned that Mark Rooney is a finalist to succeed interim City Manager Steve Jones. The Daily Herald reports Rooney settled a lawsuit from 2018 with the far north suburban town in the amount of $220,000. Rooney was the former Village Manager for Carpentersville for seven years. In January of 2018 he claimed the village fired him and refused to pay him severance. The Village claimed Rooney left voluntarily in January and the Village officially terminated Rooney in June of 2018. Terms of the settlement prevent either party from discussing the details of the settlement.

The payment according to the Daily Herald does not represent money Rooney claimed he was owed between January and June of 2018, but instead “represents compensation for Ronney’s claimed emotional distress as stated in the litigation, liability for which the village denies” according to the settlement agreement approved by the village board in January of this year.

WJOL reached out to the Mayor of Joliet and several councilman but no one would comment on the story.

Two other candidates for the City Manager position include a lawyer who resides in Joliet and another candidate from Wisconsin.

Interim City Manager Steve Jones assumed the city manager duties last year but is retiring in March of this year.