New Batavia hire has misdemeanor DUI record

The new assistant city administrator in Batavia comes with a blemish on his record, but when he starts later this month it’ll be with a clean slate, the mayor said.

Jason Bajor has a 2005 conviction for driving under the influence of alcohol, according to DuPage County circuit court records.

Those records indicate he was arrested by Wood Dale police at 2:58 a.m. Feb. 23, 2005, on Route 19. He was also charged with speeding, accused of driving 68 mph in a 30 mph zone. The police reported Bajor had a blood-alcohol level of .188. The state threshold is .08.

He pleaded guilty to DUI and speeding. He was sentenced to a year of court supervision, plus fines and court costs. Bajor was also sentenced to attend a DUI program that included attending a victims support panel. Court records show Bajor completed his sentence and paid his fees and fines on time.

“Obviously, it was an error in judgment on my part,” Bajor said. “I have taken responsible action since then.”

Batavia officials were unaware of the conviction until informed by the Daily Herald after Bajor’s hiring. Batavia only asks job applicants to report felony convictions, so Bajor did not violate hiring policy.

After being informed, the council decided to keep him on. “It was a long time ago,” Batavia Mayor Jeff Schielke said. “Many people have made mistakes. Sometimes you have to get beyond that.”

Schielke said there has been “no evidence of any repeat performance.” He also noted that in 2000, the nation elected a president with a misdemeanor DUI conviction. “If the nation is forgiving and broad-minded, Batavia can be too,” he said.

Bajor’s first day in Batavia is May 31.

The conviction was reported in a May 2005 Daily Herald listing of DuPage court proceedings from April 22 to 28 of that year. At that time, he was an assistant city manager and human resources director in Des Plaines.

Bajor said that he told his supervisors in Des Plaines in 2005 about the matter and offered to resign. They decided to keep him, and he worked there another five years.

Des Plaines hired Bajor in 2000. He became acting city manager in 2007, and city manager in 2008. But Bajor had detractors on the council, including aldermen who questioned the expansion of his authority. Several departments and duties had been consolidated into his office.

Bajor offered to quit, and the Des Plaines council decided to dismiss him, in January 2010. The aldermen who voted to dismiss him refused to say why they did so. He received a severance package that included six months of pay and health insurance benefits.

Ÿ Daily Herald staff writer Josh Stockinger contributed to this report.