City: $1M Revenue Surprise Won't Likely Happen Again

The additional revenue was largely a result of an increase to the sales tax rate that happened after the city drafted its 2011 budget, city officials said.

The city generated about $1 million more in revenue during fiscal year 2011 than expected—but it’s a surprise windfall that City Administrator Bryon Vana said Monday is unlikely to happen again. The sales tax rate, which accounted for much of the additional revenue, increased after the city finalized the 2011 budget, Vana said. Fiscal year 2011 ran from May 1, 2010 to April 30, 2011. “By the time we do the budget in February, it’s a little bit of an educated guess, because some of the numbers haven’t come in yet,” he said. Increased sales tax revenue accounted for about $142,000 of the unanticipated funds, according to the 2011 audit, which was presented at Monday’s City Council meeting. Telecommunications tax revenue was the second …

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Aldermen Sharply Criticize Police Chief Search Process

Three vote against appointing Ernest Brown as Darien's next police chief after they said they were denied input in the process.

Three aldermen denounced the process the city used to select Ernest Brown as Darien’s next police chief during Monday's city council meeting. At the outset of the search in June, Alderman Joerg Seifert said the aldermen were told that they would have the opportunity to interview the city’s top three candidates. But that didn’t happen. “It was basically placed on our laps that this would be the chief of police,” he said. The alderman had the opportunity to interview only Brown, Seifert said. Brown is currently deputy superintendent of the Chicago Police Department’s patrol division. Aldermen Sylvia McIvor and Joe Marchese joined Seifert in voting against Brown’s appointment because of the way the city conducted the search. More than 140 …

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Paul

10:08 am on Wednesday, September 28, 2011

From an earlier article regarding the selection process: “I have reflected on all recent options related to the police vacancy and recommended to the council that Darien conduct an open recruitment for a police chief from qualified candidates from both within and outside of our organization,” Weaver said in the statement. An outside search firm will not be used by the city to conduct the search. …   more ›

Brown Defends Police Record Amid Resident Concerns

Prior to his appointment as police chief, Ernest Brown addressed the audience at Monday's City Council meeting over questions raised about his background.

Before the City Council vote Monday that confirmed Ernest Brown as Darien’s new police chief, Brown addressed questions raised during the past few days over his background. Residents voiced concerns this weekend about several lawsuits Brown has faced during his 28-year career with the Chicago Police Department, as well as a job offer that was rescinded in 2008 over what Arizona police officials said were inconsistencies in his resume. “I’ve had some tough assignments like most people in law enforcement at every level no matter where your jurisdiction is,” Brown said. “Some of those assignments required equally tough decisions, and even more than tough decisions, unpopular decisions. So when you (make) unpopular decisions, you make people …

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Weaver Recommends Chicago Bureau Chief as Darien Police Chief

The City Council will vote on whether to approve the 28-year Chicago police veteran at Monday's meeting.

Mayor Kathleen Weaver has selected Ernest Brown, deputy superintendent of the Chicago Police Department Bureau of Patrol, as the next Darien police chief. The selection comes after four months of debate within the city about how Darien should fill the police chief role, and means one of the two deputy chiefs will return to sergeant rank. City Council will vote at Monday's meeting on whether to accept the appointment. Brown, one of roughly 140 internal and external candidates who applied for the position, has been with the Chicago Police Department for 28 years.  In his role as bureau chief, he oversees 8,000 personnel in the Chicago Police Department’s Bureau of Patrol. The bureau includes all operational patrol functions, the helicopter …

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Marc Kaminski

2:50 pm on Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Hey Drew....I mean Tom This was along time ago..like back in September. AMAZING   more ›

Mayor: Police Chief Pick Coming By Next City Council Meeting

City reviewed roughly 140 applications during the months-long search process.

Mayor Kathleen Weaver said Tuesday that she likely would announce her pick for Darien’s police chief by the Sept. 19 City Council meeting. The city, with the aid of a citizen committee, reviewed applications during the summer from roughly 140 candidates for the job, which has been vacant since Robert Pavelchik retired at the end of May. “The committee was involved in assessing all of the applications and recommending some candidates to be interviewed,” Weaver said. The committee is no longer involved in the selection process, she said. After Weaver presents her recommendation, the Darien City Council will vote on whether to approve the appointment.  The city will eliminate one of the two deputy chief positions at the end of the process. “(…

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Johnny B Good

10:52 am on Saturday, September 17, 2011

You are a cynical Man. The mayor hates the police dept. is a bold statement. Are you sure about that or just an insecurity of yours. I swear this Town has issues everyone is the first person to "say" what others are doing or how they are acting. Every single Negative comment is coming from a "HATER" or a person who has not grownup yet. People PLEASE SEEK THERAPY and HEAL from all your ANGER. It's…   more ›

City Council Approves 12.6 Percent Raise for Administrator Vana

First raise official has received since 2007, memo says.

The Darien City Council unanimously approved a 12.6 percent raise for City Administrator Bryon Vana during Monday night’s meeting. For fiscal year 2012, Vana will receive a salary of $144,677, up from his current salary of $128,544, according to the contract approved Monday. The contract also includes a 13 percent deferred compensation package, which is consistent with Vana's previous contract with the city. The raise is roughly equivalent to a 3 percent increase each year from 2007, the most recent year Vana received a raise, according to a memo accompanying the contract.  The city council voted on the contract with little discussion.  Prior to the vote, Ward 2 Alderman Tina Beilke said she did a survey of surrounding towns to determine …

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City Proposes Smaller Raise in New Contract with Administrator Vana

Personal use of city-owned vehicle limited to within 100 miles of Darien.

City Administrator Bryon Vana’s new proposed contract for fiscal year 2011-12 includes a salary of $144,677, according to documents released Thursday. The salary represents a 3 percent raise each year from 2007, which was the most recent year Vana received a raise, according to a memo that accompanied the contract. Vana’s current salary is $128,544, according to Darien Accounting Manager Paul Nosek. The proposed contract also includes a 13 percent deferred compensation package. In a previous version of the contract, Vana’s salary was set to increase to $154,547. The earlier version of the contract also provided Vana with a city-owned vehicle he could use for “regional area” personal trips within a 500-mile radius of Darien. The new …

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Letters to the Editor

Letter to the Editor: Establishing the Market Value of a City Administrator

Got something to say? Send a letter to the editor of 300 words or fewer to lauren.williamson@patch.com.

There is an extremely interesting addendum to the article on Glen Ellyn Patch entitled Village Trustees Vote to Hire New Village Manager written by Samantha Liss, which states: “Hello readers, after speaking with our Darien Patch editor, I was told that Byron Vana was never a final contender for the village manager position going into Monday's meeting. According to Lauren Williamson, Darien editor, Vana told her that he withdrew his application on May 10. Board President Mark Pfefferman said Vana may have told the recruiting firm about his decision but news of the withdrawal never reached the board.” Really? Glen Ellyn, a community with a population approximately 22 percent larger than Darien, chose an outsider over long-term resident Vana…

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Five Things: City Council Meeting on Police Chief Proposal

A summary of council points from Monday's session.

The Darien City Council held a special meeting Monday night to discuss the latest proposal for restructuring the police chief role. That proposal would promote one deputy to police chief, while City Administrator Bryon Vana would perform administrative duties that overlap with his current oversight of the police department. During the nearly three-hour meeting, both residents and city officials shared their thoughts on the proposal. For a full recap, visit the live blog of the meeting. Below are five points city officials made during the discussion: 1. Not much would change in the way the department functions, city officials said. City Administrator Bryon Vana argued that Darien’s department heads—Police Chief Robert Pavelchik and …

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