Police applicant sues Huntley board after job offer rescinded

A woman who was offered a job as a Huntley police officer in July, only to have the offer rescinded about two weeks later without explanation, filed suit Tuesday against the village's board of police and fire commissioners.

The suit, filed by would-be patrol officer Erin O'Donnell, asks a McHenry County judge to reverse the board's decision to pull its job offer and order its members to turn over all records of their proceedings regarding her employment.

The suit does ask for any monetary damages from the board or its three members, Jim Waters, Joe Kaltwasser and Thomas Schaefer.

Waters, the board's chairman, declined to comment on O'Donnell and the lawsuit, referring questions instead to their attorney, John Broihier. Broihier did not return a call for comment.

According to the suit, commissioners on July 22 informed O'Donnell they would hire her as a police officer on the condition she passed a physical, drug screening, psychological exam and physical fitness test.

On Aug. 8, one day after board members met in closed session, O'Donnell received a letter stating the offer had been rescinded, the suit says. The letter, according to the suit, did not say why the board pulled the offer. Efforts by O'Donnell and her attorney to get an explanation since then have been rebuffed.

The suit claims the board's actions were "arbitrary, capricious, contrary to the law and/or contrary to the manifest weight of the evidence."

The case is scheduled to appear in court for the first time Feb. 3 before Judge Michael Caldwell.