'We Have A Mayor In Lisle, Not A King:' Trustees Challenge Pecak

LISLE, IL — A "political stunt," "unprofessional" and "offensive" were just some of the words Lisle trustees used as they challenged Mayor Christopher Pecak on a special session he held last Thursday. During the session, which was held and recorded in the village board room, Pecak called for the board members who were not in attendance to resign.

Pecak is currently seeking a third term as mayor. He is being challenged by village trustee Mary Jo Mullen.

At Tuesday's village Trustees Mullen, Meg Sima, Thomas Duffy and Michael Olson told Pecak the prior meeting, which had been scheduled as an executive session to discuss a police chief appointment, had been called without sufficient notice and should not have been held in village chambers or recorded as it lacked a quorum.

Trustees Dan Grecco, Village Manager Eric Ertmoed and Village Clerk Kristy Grau were in attendance at Thursday's meeting.

Tuesday's heated meeting was punctuated by talk of information leaks, unfair processes and rushed timelines regarding the appointment.

"Follow a Standard Process"

Before the meeting's agenda items were considered, Pecak requested a motion to move to a closed executive session to confirm a candidate for appointment as police chief. The village has not hired a replacement for former Police Chief Kevin Licko, who resigned in April 2024 following an employee complaint.

Trustee Grecco responded, "so moved," yet no other trustee seconded the motion.

Pecak, seemingly incredulous, asked, "We don’t have a second for confirmation of an appointment of a police chief?"

To which, trustee Mullen replied, "It’s not confirmation at all —it’s an opportunity to interview—and first of all, I think it’s inappropriate that you’re even saying it because that’s not how the agenda is written."

She said, "We would like that candidate to go through the assessment."

"Who is we?" Pecak countered.

"A lot of us who have talked to each other," Mullen responded.

Pecak then asked whether she and other trustees had had a meeting about the matter.

“No. Grow up," Mullen said, adding, "I know how the Open Meetings Act works.”

“We are allowed to have conversations one on one all we want," she said. "The assessment process was not completed for this candidate. We’d all appreciate the opportunity for him to go through that."

Trustee Beth Lesniak echoed Mullen's sentiments, saying, "The other candidates have had to follow a standard process, which required going through [an assessment] prior to this interview phase.”

Pecak asked Ertmoed whether the village board or another consulting group could replicate the assessment, which had been conducted by the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP). Ertmoed said that since the village's contract with IACP had ended, they would have to be contacted again to facilitate an assessment.

Pecak said that would only prolong the process, which prompted trustee Sima to say, "Let’s not talk about delay here. We can talk about the fact that we didn’t hear anything after the process ended in December."

"Something's Leaking From Our Executive Session"

Trustee Duffy interjected to mention that the village board had "received a FOIA four hours before that one-man performative show last week that had sensitive information in there that was housed only within our executive session agenda."

“That FOIA came from a known associate of yours, Mayor Pecak," Duffy said. "I do not trust going back into executive session on this topic because something’s leaking from our executive session.”

Pecak suggested that the leaked information may have originated from the appointee talking about the appointment to neighbors or other acquaintances.

“I wouldn’t blame the appointee," Duffy said.

“I’m not blaming the appointee," Pecak responded. "I’ve had many conversations with the appointee, and I’m using..."

“You're using him as a political pawn," trustee Mullen interjected.

Trustee Duffy asked where the confirmation was on the board's agenda for the evening, adding that the language for a village appointment to be discussed in a closed session is usually intentionally vague on an agenda for the sake of confidentiality.

Trustee Mullen said that in her four years serving on the board, it was made public exactly what would be discussed in the proposed closed session.

“No Explanation for Why We Didn’t Have a New Chief”

Next, Trustee Sima stepped in to go over the timeline of what has happened regarding the search for a police chief since Licko's resignation. She said that the board had gotten "no explanation for why we didn’t have a new chief.”

In August 2024, James Kruger was appointed as interim chief of police. Kruger, who came to Lisle after retiring as chief of the East Dundee Police Department, had been tasked with helping find a new police chief. His contract ended in January 2025. Deputy Chief Craig Gomorczak is currently serving as interim chief.

Sima said the board had never received a report from Kruger with updates or recommendations for an appointment.

She said the board requested a report from Kruger, who complied. The report was reviewed during a meeting of the village's Committee on the Whole. After the report was received, Sima said she got an email indicating the report could not be shared with the public due to collective bargaining agreement information therein.

Sima asked why that information could not have been redacted. She said, "That was a report requested in a public meeting. It should be released to the public.”

Regarding the leaked information, trustee Grecco said "the applicant himself" had shared news of the potential appointment with peers on his current police force.

Grecco asked what time would work best for a meeting about the appointment, saying that if Mayor Pecak had delayed the executive session until the board's March 3 meeting, “he could have been accused of dragging his feet politically.”

Trustee Lesniak said she would like the candidate to go through the same screening process that other candidates had gone through in December.

Grecco said the current candidate had previously been a candidate. Mullen mentioned this candidate had only been through one phase of the approval process the others had gone through.

"If the Mayor Would Have Put on His Big Girl Pants"

According to Mullen, village board members received a text message from Ertmoed at 8:39 p.m. Feb. 24 regarding the Thursday meeting. She said board members were told the meeting was "for the purpose of discussing employment matters in executive session."

She said four trustees told Ertmoed they could not attend Thursday's meeting.

Mullen said the "mayor acted surprised [during Thursday's meeting] that there was no quorum."

She added that Pecak had been “well aware —before the meeting was advertised— that that was a fact."

She said Pecak then called an informal meeting, as there was no quorum Thursday, "which he televised for about an hour, most of which was him sitting here by himself."

Mullen said that during the recording, Pecak talked about what was set to be discussed in the executive session. She said this was "a highly unusual and frankly unethical action, considering what was at stake."

She said the meeting wasted the time of those in attendance.

“All of this could have been avoided if the mayor would have put on his big girl pants and asked for our availability in advance," Mullen said.

“Let’s talk about your final statement," Mullen said, confronting Pecak. "Say it to our face…that we should resign.”

Pecak said, "I think seriousness needs to get applied to the confirmation of a police chief. It is the most important thing going on right now.”

"Explain to us why you’re here," Mullen challenged. "If you think all of us should resign… what about your actions?”

“Lack of action for the past year is why we do not have a chief," she said. "Nothing to do with the past week.”

Citing spending cuts, Mullen said, “Your neglect and defunding of our police department is why we do not have a chief.”

“The sudden flurry of activity along with the ongoing deflection and sidestepping of accountability is only happening because there’s an election," Mullen said. "We should be working together to appoint a chief that will be the leader of our force and what our village deserves."

Trustee Olson also railed against Pecak's call for him and other trustees to resign.

"I take great offense to that insinuation that I don’t take this job seriously," Olson said.

“I've come to meetings where there wasn’t a quorum when I had personal issues at home," he said. "Other trustees weren’t here and business wouldn’t be conducted."

Olson called being asked to resign "a political stunt." He added that it was "offensive and unprofessional" to suggest he doesn’t think appointing a police chief is “of critical importance.”

"Get This Done as Quickly as Possible"

Pecak said, “We had the last chief resign unexpectedly." He said after potential candidates had been "whittled down," an appointment was made. That appointee, he said, ultimately withdrew.

He said he "former chiefs that are well known in searching for replacement chiefs."

"All of this was rapidly developing, but none of it was solidified enough to actually call a meeting over," Pecak said.

He said the matter "did not consist of information that called for a special meeting until the day that I got a call at work saying that an applicant that previously removed their name from consideration was interested in the position and would be available that evening to interview."

Pecak said he "rushed straight" to village hall and conducted an interview with the candidate and Ertmoed, made calls and checked references.

He said that evening he directed Ertmoed to call a special meeting to "get this done as quickly as possible."

Pecak said written questions were provided to trustees and that the meeting was recorded for trustees to reference.

"We Have a Mayor in Lisle, Not a King"

Trustee Sima said she had informed Ertmoed she would not be at Thursday's meeting within 30 minutes after receiving his text message Monday.

She said she has personal and professional obligations outside of the village board that she values as she does her position on the board.

“I don’t owe you an explanation," she said. "We have a Mayor in Lisle, not a king.”

Sima said, “I don’t have to jump when you say 'jump' to come to a meeting.”

Trustee Duffy asked, “How was this not like an election issue where you used village funds, got up here on village government property at a nonmeeting, used our $300 of taxpayer dollars to record yourself talking and it’s still up on our website?”

“No one should by the way know that we’re hiring a police chief because it’s an executive agenda item," Duffy said. "You’re the one that outed that information in your comments here during that performance last week."

Shortly after, trustee Lesniak recommended tabling the issue for the sake of those in attendance at Tuesday's meeting.

Pecak concluded the discussion, saying, "“That concludes my record of the process of appointing a chief of police and where we are today. I have made a second appointment. That appointment continues to wait for confirmation."

Watch the Feb. 27 special meeting here: