Former Sycamore Fire Chief Bart Gilmore was placed on paid administrative leave a week before city officials informed the public of their decision to move on from nearly three years of Gilmore’s leadership at the Sycamore Fire Department.

Emails between City Manager Michael Hall, Deputy Fire Chief Jim Ward and other city officials reveal that Gilmore was placed on paid administrative leave on Feb. 25. Shaw Local obtained the emails through a public records request.

That was eight days before March 5, when a firefighter told Shaw Local that Gilmore wasn’t in charge anymore. The city at the time refused to say who was leading the department, amid social media rumors that alleged Gilmore’s departure. And nine days before Feb. 25, Gilmore led the celebratory opening of the city’s newest fire station Feb. 17, an estimated $10.5 million endeavor.

It remains unclear if Gilmore is still on paid leave or if he’s cut all ties with the city. According to city records, Gilmore’s base salary in fiscal 2026 was set at $151,092.

Hall was asked Thursday why Sycamore residents spent a week unaware that Gilmore had been placed on administrative leave. He declined to provide details.

“The City does not comment on personnel matters,” Hall said, echoing comments he’s made on the matter since the chief transition went public.

This is not the first time Hall and other city officials have refused to elaborate on the change in fire department leadership.

Hall initially refused to answer (in person and via email) whether Gilmore remained the city’s fire chief on the morning of March 5. The night before, online rumors about Gilmore’s employment status had begun to circulate on social media.

Sycamore Mayor Steve Braser declined to comment on the matter when reached the evening of March 4 and again in the days after. He did not respond to requests for comment for this story Thursday.

At about 10 a.m. on March 5, Hall told Shaw Local that the city planned to recruit a new fire chief. That was more than an hour after a Sycamore firefighter said Ward was acting as the city’s interim fire chief.

On March 7, city officials issued a news release on fire department staffing without addressing the employment status of Gilmore, the city’s highest-paid firefighter.

The city appointed retired DeKalb Fire Chief Mike Thomas as Sycamore’s new interim chief effective March 9.

Gilmore told the Sycamore City Council in February that there weren’t enough firefighters to staff a ladder truck when a fire broke out on Jan. 31 at the Tom & Jerry’s Restaurant. Online rumors have suggested the change in Gilmore’s employment status was related to that fire, but Shaw Local hasn’t confirmed whether that’s true or not. And the city has offered no reasons for his departure.

Thomas, who retired in 2025 after more than 30 years in DeKalb, was sworn in during an unpublicized ceremony March 10. Thomas said later that day that he plans to talk with city officials about the department’s staffing needs “when the time’s right.”

When Ward was informally acting as the city’s fire chief, he also sought to speak with the city manager about the department’s direction, records show.

“Michael, when you are ready I would very much like to have a conversation with you about the short term and long term plans for the Fire Department,” Ward wrote in a Feb. 25 email.

Ward told fire department personnel that Gilmore had been placed on leave in an email sent at 12:28 p.m. on Feb. 25, records show.

“I will be assuming all the on-call Chief coverage for the short term,” Ward wrote to the department. “Obviously, more to follow soon and as always feel free to reach out - my door is open and the phone is on.”

About 30 minutes later, Ward emailed Hall and City Human Resources Manager Valerie St. James to tell them that the fire department had been informed of the leadership change. In that email, Ward wrote that he appreciated a call he had with Hall earlier in the day, as well as a conversation with St. James.

In his response, Hall thanked Ward for his leadership and for “stepping in to ensure continuity of operations and on-call coverage during this time.”

He also replied to Ward’s request for a meeting about the fire department’s future.

“At this time, our focus is on maintaining stable operations,” Hall wrote. “When appropriate, we will schedule time to discuss both short-term coordination and longer-term considerations.”

About two hours later, at 3:41 p.m. on Feb. 25, Hall emailed the city’s other administrative staff to say that Gilmore was placed on leave.