West Chicago mayor’s package advances after heated debate over corporate counsel and Gutman settlement

Mayor Daniel Bovee brought a multi-part package to the City Council that included an employment agreement with Michael Gutman, appointments for senior city roles and a restructured approach to legal services. After extended discussion and public comment, the council confirmed an interim corporate counsel and approved the Gutman agreement.

The meeting opened with public comments, including Louise Handel, who urged caution on an unrelated proposed change from a grocery tax to a retail tax and asked the council for “an abundance of data” before making changes. Kurt Jaros then criticized recent downtown spending and explicitly objected to the proposed settlement with Gutman, calling it politically advantageous.

On the Gutman contract, the mayor explained the payout structure: rather than cashing out roughly $75,000 in accrued sick leave, the offer provides a $60,000 payment and allows Mr. Gutman to remain available remotely through Jan. 31 while using accrued vacation and sick time. “The money that we are using to extend mister Gutman’s contract, is money that we have already given him, in essence,” Mayor Bovee said, framing the payment as an accounting approach rather than new expense.

Council members pressed for clarity on the cash component and on how the city’s budget would be affected. Alderman Oliver Myers asked whether the $60,000 represented the net amount after applying vacation and sick time; the mayor and staff clarified that accrued leave would be used first and that the $60,000 replaces a larger cash payout that would otherwise be due.

Much of the night’s contentious debate centered on the city’s corporate counsel. Some council members sought more time to vet an ordinance to restructure legal services and to delay appointing an interim counsel; others warned delay would force the city into costly litigation. The city’s legal adviser explained the mayor’s removal power for officers and that, under municipal code, the mayor may appoint an interim counsel while the council could later override that appointment with a supermajority. “The mayor can remove mister Bond tomorrow,” the adviser said, outlining legal options and timelines.

When Alderman Dimas moved to table the ordinance to restructure legal services, the motion passed on a roll call; the mayor responded that, if the council tabled critical appointments, he would issue written orders removing the then-current corporate counsel and could appoint an interim in short order. He said he would also pause his declaratory-judgment request to avoid further city legal spending if a compromise were reached.

After debate and follow-up motions, the council later confirmed the mayor’s appointment of the interim corporate counsel (engagement letter attached) for a limited period through Aug. 5, 2025. The council also selected special counsel to represent the city in the greenhouse-related litigation (West Chicago v. Daniel and Jody Bovee). Both actions passed by roll-call votes.

The mayor framed the omnibus package as a set of interdependent items designed to allow the city to move forward: appointing interim officials, confirming legal coverage and settling the Gutman matter so the city could begin searching for a permanent administrator. “This decision flies in the face of that if indeed you torpedo this agreement,” the mayor said during debate, arguing that the components were linked to the compromise he offered.

What’s next: the interim corporate counsel and the agreed special counsel will provide legal coverage while the council and mayor pursue a longer-term solution; the mayor said he intends to return the ordinance restructuring legal services to the council after members have had additional time to review and comment.