East Dundee village administrator's new contract, assistant's resignation not quite done yet
East Dundee Village Administrator Jennifer Johnsen - who was fired last month by President Jeff Lynam and reinstated two weeks later by the board of trustees - is closing in on a new contract with the village, but final details still need to be agreed upon.
The board had hoped to vote on the contract at Monday's special meeting, but all sides agreed further discussion on the specifics needed to be done in private, in executive session.
Johnsen was fired in June by Lynam after she acknowledged in an email to staff that she was in a relationship with Assistant Administrator Brad Mitchell. The board rejected Lynam's unilateral decision to fire Johnsen and reinstated her at the June 21 meeting with a 5-1 vote. Trustee Rich Treiber voted against reinstatement.
In addition to Monday's agenda item regarding Johnsen's contract, the board also planned to vote on a separation agreement with Mitchell, who is expected to resign.
In her email to the village staff, Johnsen said she and Mitchell are expecting a baby in October. Both are going through divorces and plan to marry.
By giving Johnsen a new contract and working out a separation package with Mitchell, East Dundee officials hope to move past an issue that's been a distraction for months. The plan is to vote on Johnsen's contract and Mitchell's resignation agreement at next Monday's meeting.
"The devil's in the details," East Dundee Trustee Scott Andresen said. "It's just a matter of going through it and making sure everybody's concerns are addressed."
Under the proposed at-will employment agreement, Johnsen would be paid the same annual salary of $158,445 with an additional $500 a month for car expenses. Mitchell's terms were not disclosed, but Andresen said they'll likely be made public by next week.
Johnsen, whose contract expired in May, and Mitchell declined to comment after Monday's meeting, citing the privacy of executive session.
"We are moving forward," Lynam said. "We're getting some of these question marks answered and we're going to get all this ironed out."