Michael DeWitt Appointed Interim Chief
During the Oct. 12 Colchester Fire Protection District Board of Trustees meeting, newly-appointed Chief Jared Dixon, and fellow firefighter Corey Bueker, resigned from their posts at a Colchester Fire Protection District meeting following a purported inappropriate remark made by a prospective trustee. A special meeting was held Wednesday, Oct. 21 where the Board voted to accept Dixon’s resignation. The Board also unanimously voted to appoint CFD Assistant Chief Michael Dewitt, who is a full-time Macomb firefighter, as the interim chief.
Following the Oct. 12 meeting where Dixon had verbally resigned, The Community News Brief (CNB) reached out to Dixon for further comment. He stated he did not wish to speak on the matter; however, he provided his official letter of resignation to the CNB last Saturday. Dixon said in his letter that "… this is one of the most difficult decisions I have ever made. It has been a true passion of mine to serve as a firefighter and emergency medical technician in my community."
"It is difficult to walk away but I know in my heart that it is the right thing to do for my mental and physical health. I can no longer tolerate the conflict between the board of trustees and the department members," he continued.
Dixon thanked Altenbern and Cale for their service on the Board, and firefighter Rodger Hodges for recruiting him to the department.
However, the former chief pointed to Weaver as one of the reasons for tendering his resignation.
"The continued disrespect to the department during recent events has ended my desire to be a member of this department," he concluded. "It has been an honor serving you (the Colchester community) for the last eight years. The members of the department should not have to fight with the Board of Trustees to better the department and become compliant with governmental agency standards. It should be a team effort for improvement, not a fight on every front."
Dixon was also present at the Oct. 21 meeting; however, he did not speak during public comments and had nothing further to add after the meeting. His letter of resignation was read aloud by Fire Board Interim Chair Mike Weaver, who had been singled out in much of the letter, to start the meeting following public comments.
Several members of the department, which is composed of 15-19 volunteer firefighters, were present at Wednesday’s special meeting. The Colchester Fire Protection District is led by a volunteer board whose members are appointed by the McDonough County Board. Besides Weaver, other trustees include Debbie Cale, treasurer; Steve Altenbern, and prospective trustee John Purdy.
Oct. 12 CFD Meeting Leads to Chief’s Resignation Weaver said Dixon, who was not present at the Oct. 12 as he was currently on shift in his role as a McDonough County Sheriff's deputy, entered the meeting to ask what was going on after a firefighter contacted him about a remark made by prospective trustee Tim Smith, who has since withdrawn his nomination. Weaver said Smith apologized to the firefighter, and told Weaver he would no longer seek the appointment.
Weaver also noted he would not have allowed the appointment to move forward had Smith not bowed out.
"I paused the meeting after the remark was made and told everyone present that it was inappropriate and comments like that were not allowed," Weaver explained. "While Tim apologized, she did state that if he was going to be a trustee, she would not continue with the department. He didn't want her to quit, so he returned his paperwork and took himself out of the running. County Board Chair Eric Blakeley was also made aware, and removed Tim from consideration."
According to Weaver, when Dixon arrived after the initial exchange, after some backand- forth, he verbally presented his resignation. An official letter of resignation was later submitted to the board.
"When Jared interrupted the proceedings (on Oct. 12), I told him he was out of line.
He told the trustees he'd had enough of this department and we'd have his resignation the next day," Weaver said. "I did not ask for his resignation, and when he verbally resigned of his own accord, we took him for his word."
Dixon was appointed chief in July after the resignation of former chief Robert (Robbie) Phelps, who had served as chief for 26 years. Dixon had been a member of the Colchester Fire Protection District since October 2018. He served as a captain under the Phelpses before being promoted to the assistant fire chief. In June, Dixon had brought forward to the Board allegations, reportedly from other members of the department, about Phelps and his brother, Michael, who served as an assistant chief.
A financial audit by a Macomb CPA, along with the district's attorney reviewing books and other paperwork, resulted in no findings against Phelps. Neither Robbie, nor Michael, nor any other member of the department, has been charged with any wrongdoing. The matter has since been turned over to the Illinois State Police for review; however, the ISP is unable to share at this time if an official investigation will move forward.
Oct. 21 Public Comments
A handful of individuals spoke during the public comments portion of the Oct. 21 meeting, including McDonough County Sheriff Nick Petitgout, who apologized on behalf of the sheriff's office and the county for the conduct of his deputy at the board's previous meeting.
"I know some things happened at the last meeting involving my deputy. He was in uniform, and he and I are going to work that out. I will apologize on behalf of the sheriff's office and the county. That's why I'm here,” the sheriff said. “A public meeting is a public meeting, you're supposed to conduct yourself in a certain way.”
Dixon’s parents, Susan and Todd Dixon, also spoke, with Susan noting the Board should not have allowed Joe Campbell (the former Board chair) to take part when the two people accused in the alleged missing property concerns were his stepsons. She accused the board of trying to cover up the losses.
"You are called the Board of Trustees, and I have lost the trust and respect for you.
Mike, you yourself said we all need to do better. Do what is right for this department, and let people who want to work to improve and work with the members get on this board. I think you should respectfully step down," Dixon said.
Todd Dixon also added, “first off, Jared knows he stepped out of line, but it's pretty pathetic that we had to come to this.” He asked numerous questions during his comments, which are not answered during the public comments section of a meeting, noting “the taxpayers deserve answers."
EMT Carter Willdrick spoke to assure Colchester residents that the department's level of care has not changed. He said four members who are currently serving as EMTs are also in classes to become certified firefighters.
"We are trained, and we will provide the best care we can for everybody," Willdrick said.
