Village of Caseyville attorneys were in court numerous times over the past six months arguing that Police Chief Jose Alvarez had no right to a hearing before he was terminated on May 21. After tens of thousands of dollars in attorney’s fees, a judge ruled on Nov. 6 that the Village Board must give Alvarez a hearing.
Caseyville Village Board meeting Oct. 16, 2013 / Photo by Roger Starkey
On Nov. 17, the Village Board – responsible for approving the attorney’s fees to fight Alvarez’s right to a hearing – gave him the court ordered hearing, and then promptly terminated him again. Kerry Davis joined with G.W. Scott, Ron Tamburello and Rick Casey Jr. voting to fire Alvarez. Brenda Williams and Wally Abernathy voted to retain Alvarez, just as they had the previous three times they were asked to vote on the motion.
Alvarez, who was hired in September 2013, and fired five months later for the first time, came to Caseyville after more than 35 years in law enforcement. He brought with him glowing letters of recommendation from St. Clair County State’s Attorney Brendan Kelly, St. Clair County Sheriff Rick Watson and Circuit Judge Bob Haida. Watson even came to Village Hall Monday to show support for Alvarez. His experience and relationships could not protect him from what he, and many others, speculate is Bob Romanik’s control over Mayor Leonard Black.
Romanik and Alvarez have known each other since childhood. Romanik was the chief of police in Washington Park when Alverez was on the force. Romanik has since been convicted twice on felony counts and now runs strip clubs and radio stations. Because convicted felons are not allowed to operate strip clubs or radio stations in Illinois, the stations, nor his clubs, are in his name. Alvarez chose to continue a law enforcement career.
Alvarez has often accused Black of being under Romanik’s influence. Citizens have often made the same accusations to Black during Village Board meetings. Black has acknowledged a friendship with Romanik, but denied that his friend has any say in the daily operations of Caseyville or the police department.
Despite widespread rumors to the contrary, Black also said he never received a $10,000 campaign donation from Romanik. Black’s election committee did not register with the Illinois State Board of Elections for his 2013 mayoral race. Registration is required if the committee receives $10,000 or more in contributions or loans, or spends that amount.
Romanik’s son, Stephen, was appointed as a temporary police officer at the first Village Board meeting after Black took the reigns as Caseyville’s mayor. Alvarez attempted to terminate the younger Romanik on Feb. 11, but was unsuccessful when the three Board of Police Commissioner members, all newly appointed by Black in 2013, did not feel comfortable voting on the termination without Village Attorney John Gilbert present.
Gilbert had previously represented Stephen and Bob Romanik in civil matters, but said those actions did not cause a conflict of interest for him and his position, at the time, as the attorney for the Caseyville Police and Fire Board, which oversees the termination of all Caseyville police officers. The motion to terminate Stephen was tabled for a special meeting that never took place.
The day after Alvarez brought the motion to terminate Stephen Romanik, Black fired Alvarez. Current interim police chief Frank Moore was appointed to the same position on Feb. 12 and never pursued the termination of Stephen Romanik.
Multiple attempts to terminate Stephen Romanik and Alvarez followed, with both eventually getting fired. The vote Monday ends Alvarez’s employment saga with Caseyville, but is most likely the start of an even more expensive round of legal action for the Village to defend itself against wrongful termination accusations, among other things.
When Alvarez was terminated on May 21, then Caseyville Village Attorney Chris Cueto told the Metro Independent that he would not comment on the situation because he was sure it would end in court. On Monday, Bob Jones, Alvarez’s attorney, confirmed Cueto’s statements.
“Jose may no longer be the chief of police for the Village of Caseyville, but the litigation is far from over,” Jones said.
Given the Villages history, it is likely that it will also chose to challenge Judge Stephen McGlynn’s order from Nov. 6 that Alvarez was reinstated as a Caseyville employee and was, therefore, entitled to benefits and pay since he was wrongfully terminated on May 21. Jones had speculated that appeal, if possible, would cost Caseyville residents hundreds of thousands of dollars. Alvarez’s annual pay was about $70,000.
Black and the Village Board wasted no time attempting to name Moore as the new police chief. Before the special meeting Monday began, an agenda for the Village Board’s regularly scheduled meeting, on Wednesday, was posted. The agenda calls for the appointment of Moore as permanent chief and replaces current Police Committee Chair Williams with Tamburello, who had previously said during a Board meeting that he did not want the position.
On Feb. 28, Moore initiated a complaint with the Illinois State Police against Alvarez for the latter’s actions during a Feb. 19 Board meeting. The complaint resulted in two misdemeanor charges against Alvarez. A bench trial is set for Nov. 26 on the charges.
Moore, who has been appointed interim chief on numerous occasions, going back to the days of JD Roth as police chief, also led the charge in 2010 to have Roth ousted. Moore’s wife, Mary, filed a complaint with the Illinois State Police on April 17 alleging that Alvarez had assaulted her by yelling at her during a Village Board meeting on April 16.
The alleged incident occurred in the crowded hallway of Village Hall during the closed session of a board meeting. Mary Moore listed as witnesses Caseyville Police officer Andrew Schuler, her sister Melody McQuary and Black’s secretary, Leslie McReynolds. No witnesses accompanied her to make the report and no charges were filed.
Scott Miller was appointed as interim police chief on April 28 when Alvarez was put on administrative leave. Miller was, however replaced on Aug. 20 by the Board, at the request of Black, who said he did not “have any real reason” to replace Miller.
Moore was off work on medical leave in late April for what he told the Metro Independent at the time was an issue that was “not work related.” Because he had returned by Aug. 20, and he would have been Black’s choice if working, he deserved to replace Miller, Black explained. Miller then promptly went on leave from the department.
The meeting to consider Moore as Caseyville’s third permanent chief of police in less than three years takes place at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Caseyville Village Hall, 909 S. Main St.
