Wauconda board could vote on police chief Tuesday

Wauconda trustees will hold a special meeting Tuesday to vote on mayoral appointments that were delayed earlier this year — including the next police chief.

Mayor Frank Bart ousted Chief Douglas Larsson and proposed promoting Sgt. Patrick Yost to chief after he took office in May, but the promotion was delayed after the community expressed outrage over the move at a well-attended meeting June 4.

Larsson’s tenure as chief is slated to end Aug. 31, regardless of whether a replacement is named by then.

Community members have campaigned for Larsson to be retained, but there has been no movement in that direction at village hall.

Tuesday’s meeting is set to follow a 7 p.m. committee-of-the-whole session at village hall, 101 N. Main St. As part of that first meeting, the mayor and board will go into closed session to discuss personnel matters.

When asked by the Daily Herald in an email if Yost is still the choice for chief, Bart said, “(It) depends on the discussion in the session.”

“If I have the votes, I will make the nomination for Yost,” Bart said.

Bart and the trustees have discussed the chief’s job in several private meetings this summer.

Bart has been publicly criticized for forcing Larsson out of department and also for dismissing Zaida Torres as village administrator.

Torres left village hall in the middle of the day July 30, and hasn’t returned. Bart has said she’s on leave, and that she hasn’t quit or been fired.

That hadn’t changed as of Monday, he said.

The exact circumstances of her departure haven’t been made public.

Other nominees that could be approved Tuesday include the public works director, zoning board members, a police commissioner and building inspectors, Bart said.