Joliet Councilman Jim McFarland Steps Down

JOLIET, IL — Joliet City Councilman Jim McFarland has stepped down from the elected office he has held for the last three and a half years.

In his resignation letter to City Manager Jim Hock, McFarland said he and his family are moving to a “different community” and gave that as his reason for quitting the council.

McFarland also has a pending charge of driving under the influence. He was arrested by a state trooper in July.

And last year, McFarland’s alleged improper use of city envelopes for political purposes became the focus of investigation. In November, he admitted to using city-branded envelopes to send out letters for a Veterans Day breakfast and mailers for Joliet-area lost pets.

McFarland also came under scrutiny for his alleged use of a postal machine at the Forest Preserve District of Will County. He had been a community partnerships manager at the forest preserve district but resigned in October.

The Will County State’s Attorney’s Office reviewed both matters but declined to pursue criminal charges.

McFarland's resignation is effective Sept. 30.

McFarland’s resignation letter was dated Friday. In his letter, McFarland listed the following accomplishments:

• Initiating the change of the pre-council meeting from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. to improve accessibility and transparency.
• Bringing forward the adoption of the “Cupcake Law” to allow home baking for profit.
• Creating an anti “Puppy Mill” ordinance to prevent pet stores from purchasing and selling animals from inhumane sources.
• Altering the snow parking ban ordinance to allow for on street parking where residents have no driveways or alleys.
• Creating an Economic Development Committee to work to attract and retain businesses in Joliet.
• Creating and passing a “Local Purchasing” ordinance to stimulate our economy.
• Ending the debate over a proposed for-profit prison when the managing firm refused to present its plans to the public.
• Formalizing public speaking process, including adding an additional minute per public speaker.
• Initiating a citywide fire hydrant testing and repair process.
• Initiating the establishment of a long overdue committee to provide oversight to the Joliet Housing Authority due to its financial and management difficulties.
• Initiating the process of finding the ideal new Joliet City Manager by hiring a seasoned consulting firm.
• Pushing for the allocation to hire nine additional police officers for the neighborhood policing program.
• Supporting changing trick-or-treat hours to meet working family schedules.
• Supporting the creation of a Diversity Committee to ensure the City of Joliet provides equal opportunity to all of its residents.
• Approving a study for a high fiber optic system citywide.

McFarland, a councilman-at-large, was elected to the council in April 2013.