Braidwood Journal

New chief brings local ties to police department

Published by admin on Thu, 05/02/2019 - 10:31am

Braidwood has a new top cop in place, and his first priority is to work toward solving the budget crisis in the police department.

Todd Lyons was sworn in as Braidwood’s Chief of Police on Friday, April 26. While the position is Lyons’ first time as head of a department, he brings with him a wealth of experience in local law enforcement.

Lyons grew up in Wilmington, the son of Police Chief Frank Lyons. He said he always knew he would end up in law enforcement. In high school, he even did the occasional ride along with the WPD.

Outgoing chief: Budget overage was unavoidable

Published by admin on Tue, 04/23/2019 - 5:20pm

The incoming administration will have to tackle mounting debt in the city of Braidwood.

But, the city’s outgoing chief of police is defending his department’s issue with being over budget, noting that the extra expenses were necessities, and not just wants.

The city’s audit from 2018 showed that the police department went over its allocated budget by $1 million. While that number may surprise some, exiting Chief Nick Ficarello said the shortfall was a combination of unavoidable expenses at a time when revenue simply couldn’t be guaranteed.

Vehrs ready for the next chapter

Published by admin on Tue, 04/23/2019 - 5:17pm

Mayor Jim Vehrs doesn’t hide from his mistakes.

Earlier this month Vehrs joined the ranks of countless other mayors from the city of Braidwood, ending his administration after just one term and a hotly contested election.

The “tradition” so to speak of the city voters cleaning house and welcoming a new administration every four years has made it difficult for elected officials to instill plans and programs that they hope will change the city in the long haul.

Vehrs ready for the next chapter

Published by admin on Tue, 04/23/2019 - 5:17pm

Mayor Jim Vehrs doesn’t hide from his mistakes.

Earlier this month Vehrs joined the ranks of countless other mayors from the city of Braidwood, ending his administration after just one term and a hotly contested election.

The “tradition” so to speak of the city voters cleaning house and welcoming a new administration every four years has made it difficult for elected officials to instill plans and programs that they hope will change the city in the long haul.

New council, new budget

Published by admin on Tue, 04/23/2019 - 5:14pm

A new City Council was seated in the city of Braidwood on Tuesday, April 23, with four of the five members brand new this term.

Mayor Bob Jones, and Commissioners Fay Smith, Wayne Saltzman, Charlie Hart, and Doug Money will have a lot of work ahead of them as they jump into their new posts.

Former Mayor Jim Vehrs and his administration made a final move on the budget on Tuesday — holding a public hearing for a tentative budget for the fiscal year that starts on May 1 and ends on April 30, 2020 (FY20).

Police board retroactively approves officers

Published by admin on Tue, 04/16/2019 - 6:34pm

Ten Braidwood police officers have gained retroactive approval from the city’s Police and Fire Board, during a brief meeting that attracted several residents looking for answers.

On April 12, the members of the board – Wayne Saltzman, Roger Patterson, and Michael Colavecci – voted unanimously to approve the certification of the officers, some of whom have been working for the city for as many as three years.

According to the Illinois Municipal Code, the board is required to appoint members of the police department, and to issue certificates to those appointees/hires.

Soucie termination case remains in limbo

Published by admin on Tue, 04/16/2019 - 6:32pm

Braidwood’s former deputy chief will remain on paid leave, with no end in sight to the internal case surrounding her employment with the city.

On March 25, a Will County judge dismissed a counterclaim by the city of Braidwood against former Deputy Chief Michelle Soucie, thus granting her petition for a permenant injunction against the Police and Fire Board.

An Easter Eggs-travaganza at Old Smokey!

Published by admin on Tue, 04/16/2019 - 6:30pm

The weather was sunny and pleasant as a record number of children turned out to enjoy a good old fashioned Easter Egg scramble at Old Smokey City Park on Saturday, April 13.

The park District hosted its annual Easter Egg Hunt, welcoming a total of 271 children to the park this year, the largest in the history of the event.

The parks provided 1,000 for each of the three age groups represented, all of which were scooped up by the exited children in just minutes.

The children also got to visit with the Easter Bunny himself.

Vehrs offers assistance to new council

Published by admin on Tue, 04/16/2019 - 6:27pm

Braidwood’s outgoing mayor has offered an olive branch to the new administration, letting the incoming mayor and commissioners know that he’s available to help out with a smooth transition.

On April 9, during a regular meeting of the City Council, Vehrs gave a nod to the mayor — and commissioners-elect who won office on April 2.

Jones the winner in five-way race

Published by admin on Tue, 04/16/2019 - 6:25pm

For months, residents of the city of Braidwood endured political bickering and back and forth, with accusations of money misspent and promises to do better.

On election day, voters in the city turned out in numbers stronger than the majority of Will County, and picked four of five new representatives for City Council.

The unofficial results of the April 2 race show Bob Jones, owner of Joneseez and a one-time Water Commissioner for the city, winning the five-way mayoral race by a margin of 38 votes.