City Adds New Positions to Staff

By Gordon HopkinsThe City of Fairbury is looking for three new employees, two of which will start in new positions.One is a water operator and the other a 1st/2nd class electric lineman.According to Fairbury Mayor Spencer Brown, the reason for the new hires is, “(W)e need to add to keep up with our workload,” and for, “Improvement and maintenance of our core infrastructure.”The third position that needs to be filled is that of water superintendent. Jeff Sweetser, Fairbury's longtime water superintendent, recently resigned. Mayor Brown confirmed Sweetser's resignation, “Yes, after 42 years Jeff (Sweetser) resigned as water superintendent. No specific reason was given, however he just mentioned that 42 years was long enough and was looking forward to a change.”Greg Defrain, another class two water operator on staff, took over Sweetser's duties but did not automatically become the new superintendent. The mayor explained, “Any employment positions at the city must be advertised, the interview process followed and discussed by the personnel committee.”One open position that the city is not looking to fill is that of city administrator. That position has remained vacated since Friday, September 9, 2022, when Fairbury’s last city administrator, Jacob Matthews, was let go after just 57 days on the job and without explanation. On Monday, September 12, 2022, the mayor issued a statement, “Upon review and careful consideration, I found the city needed a change in the day-to-day leadership role to execute the tremendous amount of improvements the city is currently undertaking at a rapid pace. The position of a city administrator is very dynamic and requires detailed engagement across all departments to be successful. Current city staff is dedicated to keeping things moving in the right direction until a suitable candidate is found.”However, Mayor Brown recently confirmed the city is no longer actively searching for a new administrator. When asked if he was still looking to hire an administrator, Brown told FJN, “(N)o, not at this time, we are functioning well with our current office staff.”

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