‘People don’t like me’: Fire district board censures trustee, calls for resignation

The Fox River and Countryside Fire/Rescue District board censured Trustee Nick McManus and called for his resignation due to his actions toward its administrator, Tracy Dunklau.

The board approved the censure, which included the call for McManus to resign, at its May 8 meeting. The vote came after an investigation.

McManus voted against the censure and said he would not resign.

“I’m not resigning. I made it perfectly clear,” said McManus, a retired St. Charles firefighter. “It’s a personality thing. People don’t like me. It’s a witch hunt … Everyone is trying to make me out to be the bad guy, and I try to get along with people.”

Dunklau declined to comment.

The district serves more than 25,000 residents over 38 square miles in Kane and DuPage counties, including unincorporated areas of St. Charles and Campton Townships and the incorporated villages of Campton Hills and Wayne.

McManus said the animus from Dunklau and the other board members stems from him asking questions and being persistent when he doesn’t get answers.

“I didn’t get any cooperation, so it just came to a head. I’m embarrassed by my behavior,” McManus said. “I owe everybody an apology. It was not professional.”

McManus raised his voice at Dunklau at a closed session during the Dec. 7, 2023, meeting, resulting in her filing a hostile work environment complaint against him on Dec. 11, 2023.

“It was upsetting and demeaning to have to watch and listen to the abusive and aggressive way he acted and spoke directly to me,” according to her complaint. “What you witnessed is consistent with the repeated hostile behavior in which he interacts with me.”

For his part, McManus apologized and resigned as treasurer to limit his interaction with Dunklau.

In another closed session, McManus asked for an investigation of her allegations.

The investigation determined that McManus retaliated against Dunklau, that his conduct was unbecoming of a board member, that he failed to show proper courtesy and respect, and made derogatory or malicious statements, all in violation of various department policies.

The probe did not support Dunklau’s allegations of sexual harassment and creating a hostile work environment.

Attorney G. David Mathues conducted the investigation and completed it on April 30.

“Trustee McManus also regularly clashed with many board members and several fire chiefs,” according to the investigation.

“Moreover, according to every other board member, Trustee McManus’s tone of voice, body language, and facial expressions during board meetings were hostile to other trustees as well as Ms. Dunklau,” according to the report.

In his interview with McManus, he denied using a hostile or aggressive tone in board meetings except the lone meeting in December 20023.

“He insisted that he had been regularly excluded by Ms. Dunklau from information and documents shared with other trustees,” according to the report.