At-Large Joliet Councilman Resigns After 3.5 Years in Office

Joliet, IL—Joliet City Councilman, Jim McFarland, announced his resignation in an email to the Joliet City Manager, Jim Hock on Friday, September 9, 2016.

In the email Councilman McFarland cites his family’s “relocation to a different community,” as the reason for his resignation. In a statement with the Herald-News, McFarland confirmed this stating that his family would be relocating to Rockdale.

The Councilman’s service to Joliet began in 1999, when he was elected as Student Trustee on the JJC College Board, according to the City of Joliet official website.

After stepping down from the Board in 2005, McFarland went on to serve as trustee for the Troy Township Board, where he ran and was reelected as township clerk in 2010. He held this position until running for Joliet City Council in 2013.

As an at-large city councilman, McFarland represented the entire Joliet area.

McFarland oversaw the formation of the Joliet Economic Development Committee, designed to bring businesses to Joliet. In February, The Times Weekly reported that the development committee had negotiated the construction of a microbrewery in downtown Joliet’s, Union Station.

The councilman also oversaw the amending of the city’s snow parking ordinance in January 2015. The amended ordinance allows for street parking on even-numbered streets in residential areas without driveways or alleys, until snowplows have cleared the area.

In 2013, he advised the City of Joliet against allowing the Corrections Corporation of America to construct a for-profit prison, in the area, this advice coming after the city received negative feedback and protests from residents.

Despite his accomplishments as councilman, within the last year, McFarland has faced legal trouble.

In July, The Herald-News reported that the councilman was charged with driving-under-the-influence and in the wrong lane on Interstate 80 near Interstate 355 in New Lenox. On July 19, 2016, The Chicago Tribune reported that McFarland pleaded not guilty to the charges at his initial hearing. After a rescheduling, his next court date has yet to be determined.

In the fall of 2015, McFarland was under investigation by the Joliet City Council and the Will County Forest Preserve, after admitting that he had used 150 city envelopes

and postage from the Will County Forest Preserve for political mailings. McFarland apologized for his actions at the time saying, “I used City branded envelopes to send out letters for the Veterans Day breakfast and Joliet Area Lost Pet mailers—not thinking that these letters would be construed as personally political. Upon reflection, I realize the lines are blurred and I should have erred on the side of caution. I made a mistake and have offered to pay for my error.”

In June, the Will County State Attorney’s Office told the Joliet Patch news website that they would not be pressing charges against Councilman McFarland, with Will County State Attorney Spokesman Charles Pelkie, citing, “we can’t meet our burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt.”

The Will County Forest Preserve District, where McFarland had worked as community partnerships manager from 2006 until his resignation in October of last year, reported to the Patch that they had also closed the case against McFarland.

The resignation will take effect at midnight on September 30, 2016.