Gilberts chief may have to reapply for job

Longtime Gilberts Police Chief Mike Joswick may have to fight to keep his job now that the village is seeking applicants for his post.

Village President Rick Zirk said Monday the village has posted Joswick's job as part of a broad effort to re-evaluate village staff, including Village Administrator Ray Keller, in light of Gilberts' recent growth and the new faces on the board.

"The village has undergone a huge transition over the last few years," said Zirk, a one-time South Elgin village president who was elected to the post in Gilberts in April. "We need to evaluate the whole village."

The village's population has grown from fewer than 1,000 in 1990 to more than 5,700 at the last census.

Zirk trounced incumbent Tom Wajda in April's election, while Everett Clark and Nancy Farrell replaced two incumbents on the village board.

Joswick will be able to reapply for his job, Zirk said. But he added that Joswick, "who may have been the right guy at 1,200 (residents), may not be the right guy at 6,500."

"I think the board is looking to move in somewhat of a different direction," Zirk said.

A board committee will review applications for police chief - due by the end of June - and make a recommendation to the full board, Zirk said.

Joswick has been police chief since the mid-1990s. Since then, the village's police call volume has grown along with the population. Residents were shocked by the town's first murder in 2005 and a suspected murder-arson in 2007.

In 2003, the Department of Defense awarded Joswick the Patriotic Employer Award for showing flexibility with employees who serve in the military.

Joswick did not return calls seeking comment.

Zirk said the village administrator position - the top post in the village that reports directly to the village board - has not been posted but that he expects the board to follow a similar process for Keller, who was hired in 2006.

Keller said his contract expired in May but that he is continuing on an interim basis until the board reaches a decision on his job.

"I would enjoy working in Gilberts," Keller said. "There are a lot of things that remain to be completed."

As part of its broad evaluation, the village board is also looking to create a parks department and establish a fully staffed public works department that will be able to take over Gilberts' water and sewer systems in 2011, Zirk said. A contractor currently manages them.

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