Though village officials this month portrayed the sudden resignation of Mike Boyle, director of the building department, as an open-and-shut case, the matter may not be resolved just yet.
Commissioner Marty Tellalian said there may be some lingering issues regarding Boyle’s departure and that he expects those matters to be discussed at the council’s Aug. 24 meeting. Tellalian refused to clarify his remarks, and Mayor Anthony Calderone was coy in denying that any loose ends remained.
Boyle resigned unexpectedly during the first week of August, according to Calderone and Commissioner Mike Curry, who oversees the Department of Public Health and Safety, which was headed by the former employee. Curry has denied any knowledge of the reasons for Boyle’s resignation, and the mayor said that when he pressed Boyle for an explanation he received none.
Calderone said he knew of no pending business for the council to address regarding Boyle’s resignation, but was consistently obtuse when asked whether a severance package may be extended.
“I don’t want to speak to that because there could be any possibility at this moment,” Calderone said.
The mayor said the council has “not yet” been presented with the details of any severance agreement. As of Aug. 14, Calderone said he did not “immediately know of” any lingering issues regarding Boyle’s resignation that the council may need to decide, but offered that the agenda for the group’s next meeting isn’t finalized.
A source within village hall, who asked not to be identified, confirmed the possibility of a severance agreement, and said that it is rumored Boyle could receive up to four months worth of his salary. Other terms of the potential agreement were not known. Department heads in Forest Park are considered at-will employees and do not have contracts that guarantee them any benefits should they be fired or choose to resign.
The mayor said it’s “very possible” that Curry may be working on such an agreement, but refused to give a straight answer on whether such a contract had been discussed by the council.
“I’m going to say no, because I don’t recall any specific conversation about that,” Calderone said.
Curry did not return several phone calls seeking comment.
Late last year, Boyle’s office caught Curry doing an extensive remodeling project on his home without the proper permits. The commissioner lacked the necessary zoning approvals and failed to obtain permission for several exterior renovations.
Curry has denied harboring any ill will toward Boyle and said earlier that in no way did the incident play a role in Boyle’s resignation.
Just weeks before Curry was caught skirting the regulations of his own department, Boyle was untangling a similar mess with Commissioner Mark Hosty. Neither council member was fined for their respective infraction and both construction projects were permitted to stand.
