Elgin city manager gets reprimand after internal investigation

An internal investigation did not sustain a workplace violence complaint against Elgin City Manager Rick Kozal, although the city council decided to verbally reprimand him.

Colby Basham, the city's director of neighborhood services, said Kozal choked him during a senior staff meeting attended by 14 other people Jan. 11, according to documents released Friday in response to a Freedom of Information Act request.

One of the witnesses, City Engineer Ron Rudd, filed the complaint, saying he found Kozal's actions "shocking" and believed they were punishment for something Basham had done.

The other 13 witnesses, which included two assistant city managers and the fire and police chiefs, said they believed Kozal's action were playful or joking, not violent, and were intended to convey the message that Basham was still part of the team.

Kozal called it a "bro hug" intended as "absolution" for Basham, the 78-page investigative report states. "I am sorry that Mr. Basham misconstrued" the incident, Kozal said Friday.

"It is certainly something that I will not be doing in the future, and I regret that those actions required the council and the staff to divert their attentions from the more pressing matters affecting the city."

Basham did not return a request for comment.

The episode happened during a discussion about Basham answering questions from the media in late December about a homeless issue that garnered national attention for Elgin, the report states. Kozal said Basham did not follow city policy requiring informing the city manager's office about media inquiries.

The report states Basham was concerned about losing his job. He spoke with the human resources director - who also was at the meeting - but did not file a complaint.

Human Resources Director Gail Cohen stated in the report she didn't think the incident rose to the level of workplace violence, but Kozal's actions were "inappropriate and led to Mr. Basham's unnecessary embarrassment in front of his colleagues and co-workers."

The council also decided in executive session Wednesday that Kozal should look for opportunities for training for himself and senior staff members to avoid such situations in the future, Mayor David Kaptain said. Kozal was informed of the decision afterwards.

The investigation was done by the city's professional standards officer, Jim Barnes, as required by city ordinance.

Some city council members wanted to hire an outside investigator, but a majority deemed that Barnes' work was enough, Kaptain said.