Neighborhood Services Director For City Of Joliet Paid To Resign

JOLIET — For many years, the city of Joliet's Neighborhood Services Department was a rock of stability, anchored by long-time and well-respected director Jeff Sterr. Nowadays, Joliet will be looking to hire its fourth permanent neighborhood services director since Sterr retired four years ago.

In another Joliet Patch exclusive, Patch's editor has found that Michael Sinnet signed a separation agreement agreeing to end his employment with Joliet on July 22. In exchange for his departure, the city agreed to give Sinnet a severance totaling 14 days of salary.

"The City agrees to direct the City Manager, Deputy City Manager, and Human Resources that, during their employment with the City, they will not make any false and disparaging statements about Employee’s employment with the City, the termination of Employee’s employment or any other dealings of any kind between Employee and the City, to any third party, specifically including, without limitation, any past, present, or prospective employee of the City, any customer of the City or to any representative of any media," the agreement states.

As of Sept. 17, the city of Joliet website still listed Sinnet as neighborhood services staff, including an office number and a cell phone.

At any rate, Sinnet becomes at least the fifth City Hall employee to work out a separation agreement with first-year city manager Beth Beatty in exchange for his departure from Joliet.

The first three came in March:

• Cesar Suarez, economic development director
• Suarez's boss, Eva-Marie Tropper, director of community development
• Krystal Walsh, former senior human resources generalist
• Joliet Patch broke the news that the taxpayers of Joliet funded a $45,373 separation agreement to pay interim corporation counsel Chris Regis. Under his agreement, Regis' full-time employment at Joliet City Hall came to a sudden end on Aug. 1. Regis worked for Joliet in the legal department for about eight and a half years.

Joliet Patch obtained Sinnet's separation agreement last week under the Freedom of Information Act. Joliet Patch is the only news outlet that continues to report on the financial terms of key turnover at the city of Joliet.

According to the agreement, on August 2, Sinnet received his final paycheck to pay out his final pay period, and on Aug. 16, Sinnet was set to receive his severance; this payment shall be $3,875.01. "This figure represents Employee’s net pay for a two-week period, this payment shall also include the payout of unused benefit time provided for by ordinance. In addition, the City agrees to provide Employee’s health insurance coverage until August 31, 2024. At the end of this period, the Employee will have the opportunity to elect COBRA coverage, payable at the rates then in effect," the city of Joliet agreement indicates.

"Sinnet acknowledges that in this Agreement, he is receiving more money, compensation, and benefits than he would otherwise be entitled to receive from the City."

According to his LinkedIn profile, Sinnet became Joliet's neighborhood services director last November. Before that, he worked the previous two years, from 2021 until 2023, for Bloomington, holding the job title of community enhancement division manager. Before that, he worked for a year as town manager in Cambridge City, Indiana.

Sinnet's hiring as a Joliet department head happened prior to the arrival of Chicago's deputy mayor Beth Beatty as Joliet's new city manager. Beatty came to work in Joliet the week of Dec. 11.

According to this week's City Council report from Human Resources Director Kathy Franson, the position of neighborhood services director "is open due to a resignation and has been posted, candidates being reviewed."

However, the neighborhood services director opening is no longer listed under job openings on the city of Joliet website, Joliet Patch discovered.

It remains to be seen whether the next neighborhood services director can bring Mayor Terry D'Arcy continuity.

After Jeff Sterr retired from Joliet in 2020, the city promoted Keith Jorstad to become neighborhood services director. When Jorstad left, Gabe Friend was promoted from within the department.

These days, Friend works for Minooka as its building officer. As for Friend's successor, who came from outside Joliet, Sinnet's employment ended with city staff seeking his resignation.

According to the city of Joliet's website, the top three goals of Joliet's Neighborhood Services Division include:

• Strengthen the housing market to bolster the economy and protect consumers
• Meet the need for quality affordable rental homes
• Utilize housing as a platform for improving quality of life