Rochelle City Government

Well let's see here. You have city manager who made a great fire chief decide to suddenly retire. Then a great fire department lieutenant works hard as interim fire chief and doesn't get the job, he suddenly decides to retire. You have a police chief who gets suspended, a hearing is scheduled with city manager claiming he is right, police chiefs attorney gets an open hearing and it is settled prior to hearing. Did the city manager have a problem with an open hearing.

Whether each case has it's own merits or not, the city manager has developed a very bad pattern. When you have this much turnover in nine months in public safety something is out of whack.

The job performance of the city manager needs are real good look, question is will the city council or mayor have the balls to do it?

Very valid points. And there may be more people on the chopping block in the future from our good ol' City Manager. Why don't more people in Rochelle see this???

Observer wrote:

Well let's see here. You have city manager who made a great fire chief decide to suddenly retire. Then a great fire department lieutenant works hard as interim fire chief and doesn't get the job, he suddenly decides to retire. You have a police chief who gets suspended, a hearing is scheduled with city manager claiming he is right, police chiefs attorney gets an open hearing and it is settled prior to hearing. Did the city manager have a problem with an open hearing.
Whether each case has it's own merits or not, the city manager has developed a very bad pattern. When you have this much turnover in nine months in public safety something is out of whack.
The job performance of the city manager needs are real good look, question is will the city council or mayor have the balls to do it?

I am far from a supporter of the Rochelle City Manager, but in the case of the police chief, he has a drinking problem and did not want to get help. I sat in on the hearing and all he did was put harding working cops in a bad position because he is not mature enough - nor are his "Friends" to have gotten the help he needed to keep his job

Ok, I don't get what is going on here in Rochelle. The police chief Buck was put on PAID leave on Aug. 1st. On Sept 11 he was to have a hearing to be fired from the police force.
Before his case was presented to the commission, Buck and the city reached a settlement. Because he had a bad drinking problem and a serious attendance problem, Buck will get $50,000 settlement from the city, health benefits for the next six months and in 3 years he will get full retirement benefits off of his police chief salary.
This was in the Sept. 15th Rochelle News Leader.
Can anyone out please explain why a drunk that was fired gets $50,000 ins. and a sweet retirement? It just sounds very shady.

Buck was paid to leave do to the fact you can't fire a drunk.

Bill wrote:

Buck was paid to leave do to the fact you can't fire a drunk.

Bill, well said. the sad thing is Mr. Buck has put A LOT of people through crap because he cannot or will not face his addiction issues. I don't know what his friends or family have done to intervene, but he has hurt them, his career, the city, the police and bad mouthing the officers because they had the guts to tell him what he was doing was wrong is plain childish. grow up face your problems. Had he done that he still would be chief and have the respect of his force, his family and his city. What a waste

Back to the city manager, its nice that city picked out $25000 worth of street lights for the tech park. About five times the cost of regular street lights. Guess the city isn't hurting for money. And the windfarm purchase that will cost the people of Rochelle on our electric bills.

Sam, are you one of the secret spies who recorded the chief's actions for the city manager like the rest of the gutless cowards who would rather get ahead in life, then be upfront? The guy got 50,000 and a retirement pension when he is old enough, the city handled this poorly and the city manager and human resources witch should both be fire, they handled it poorly. This shouldn't have cost the city anything if done right with a strong case.