02162017 - News Article - Top Portage administrator resigns position

Top Portage administrator resigns position
Post-Tribune
February 16, 2017
http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/post-tribune/news/ct-ptb-portage-calhoun-resign-st-0217-20170216-story.html

Joe Calhoun, the city's director of administration and Portage Mayor James Snyder's top deputy, confirmed Thursday he is resigning effective Saturday.

Calhoun, who has coordinated the day-to-day operations of the city and utility services since 2014, said his work philosophy and the mayor's "just weren't meshing" and cited job-related stress for his departure, but Calhoun praised the administration's department heads.

"I've loved and cherished this job over the last three years, and I do honestly hope I've made some positive impressions on the city," Calhoun said. "I can't tell you how lucky I've been to work with those department heads. They do an incredible job of moving the city forward."

Last month, the FBI interviewed Calhoun, partly as a follow-up to Snyder's November federal indictment on public corruption charges.

"There's been a lot of job-related stress with all of this other stuff going on," Calhoun said of Snyder's legal woes.

Snyder did not return calls seeking comment Thursday.

Before becoming Portage government's virtual second-in-command, Calhoun rose through the ranks over 17 years to become assistant fire chief. Calhoun, whose work as administration director is considered a "special assignment," still is on the payroll at the fire station and, earlier this week, discussed "the possibility of returning to the ranks of the fire department," Chief Tom Feifer said.

Feifer said he had not received any official e-mails or other confirmation on Calhoun's resignation or plans to return to the fire department.

Calhoun said he loved his work with the fire department and may return someday, but he has begun looking outside of the city for his next step, calling it "a natural progression" in his career.

"It's probably best I move forward and move outside of City of Portage government," he said.

City Council President Mark Oprisko, D-at large, said Calhoun's departure will be "a huge loss for the city."

The council will keep the position's salary line item open, but the council also should have some say in who replaces Calhoun, Oprisko said.

"I pretty much begged (Calhoun) to stay, but the stress level of working in City Hall got the best of him, and I don't blame him," Oprisko said. "I don't want just some political crony or somebody that doesn't have enough experience to come in to that spot."

Along with running most of City Hall's operations, Calhoun has been thrust into difficult positions during his tenure. Last October, following revelations Snyder tried, in his role as chairman of the Portage Utility Services Board, to get the board to pay $93,000 in legal fees related to a federal investigation, the mayor put Calhoun and the utility services board attorney before local media to answer questions about the checks.