Severance package good deal for Elgin

Lisa Womack rode into Elgin from Texas less than five years ago to serve as its police chief.

She'll be gone soon, having been given the option of being fired or let go - with severance.

And she'll take with her six months of pay.

Yep, $75,000, plus unused vacation time.

Womack and her soon-to-be former bosses are being tight-lipped about the falling out, and remaining so no doubt is a keystone to their separation agreement. That Womack has declined to discuss her departure is not a surprise; she now is being only slightly less communicative than she has been during her tenure in town.

There are other internal complaints, to be sure, but one that is plain as day is Womack's lack of public involvement. In a town that grapples with violent crime just about every day, that won't do.

Elgin needs a police chief who will reassure a community that has had ongoing problems with crime. We needed to see her, we needed her to tell the people what she has been doing to stem the tide of gang crimes and the like. While we'd expect the chief to defer to subordinates to talk about details of crimes, she should have been answering policy questions.

Because of her lack of presence, Daily Herald staff writer Harry Hitzeman sought records of Womack's attendance through the Freedom of Information Act. They revealed she spent more and more time away from the station attending "conferences/meetings." In 2006, she logged 21 days at conferences; by 2009, that number had reached 32 eight-hour days. It's not a complete picture, but it begins to bring things into focus - and provide direction for the future.

Councilman Dave Kaptain got it right, telling Hitzeman: "The next police chief has to realize we have neighborhood groups. We have groups within groups. The police chief has to have a good rapport with neighborhoods and residents."

Womack has been on paid leave for the last month. Under federal anti-age discrimination law, she had 21 days to accept the city's buyout and another seven days after signing it to change her mind. If Womack does not change her mind by Friday, she will give up her future option to sue the city for any reason.

And that is the key.

When Womack was hired, the city was still slogging through a four-year legal battle with former City Manager Joyce Parker. She filed a federal discrimination lawsuit claiming she was fired in 2002 because she was a disabled black woman. A council that included a black man, a Hispanic man and two women fired her over "deficiencies" in performance. Parker had been on an extended sick leave at the time with an eye ailment that left her vision impaired. Parker settled for no money, but it was a long, expensive defense.

The $75,000 gift to Womack is money well spent that will sever ties with her and enable the city to move forward ... with a chief it feels can better represent the department and connect with the people of Elgin.