After last elected city clerk arrested, Crystal Lake names first appointed clerk

Crystal Lake has appointed its deputy city manager as city clerk for an automatically renewable four-year term once the current elected clerk – who faces felony charges – ends this month.

The City Council approved the change from electing to appointing the position in August, meaning that the mayor, with the consent of the City Council, will choose the city clerk for a four-year term, according to city documents. The term of office will be automatically renewed “unless and until his/her successor is appointed and qualified” and “a change in the appointed personnel for the position can occur at any time,” according to city documents.

The change comes after current clerk, Nicholas Kachiroubas, was charged last year with grooming and possessing images of child sexual abuse.

Months after he was charged, Kachiroubas has not officially resigned from the position. His term, the fourth he has served, ends April 30. Deputy City Manager Nick Hammonds will take over May 1, and has taken over clerk duties while Kachiroubas has been absent from his position, City Manager Eric Helm said.

The city clerk in Crystal Lake has long been an elected position with a four-year term. The clerk receives an annual salary of $3,600, according to city documents. The amendment now will establish the clerk as a city employee but with no additional compensation.

City clerks perform administrative duties including processing documents, receipts, orders and checks, according to city documents. The clerk also maintains city ordinances along with officer and employee records.

According to court documents, Kachiroubas is set to appear next on the pending charges May 29. He was allowed release with conditions while awaiting trial. If Kachiroubas were to be convicted of a felony – the charges he faces are Class 2 or Class 4 felonies, court records show – he would not be allowed to hold elected office. Attempts to reach his criminal defense attorney, William Bligh, were unsuccessful.

At Kachiroubas’ initial court hearing in June, Assistant State’s Attorney Brian Miller told the court that investigators found evidence of Kachiroubas having “explicit” conversations with children as young as 12. Miller said Kachiroubas also possessed a nude photo of a child who was about 7 or 8 years old. When police asked Kachiroubas if he thought it was wrong for him to possess such a photo, he allegedly responded: “I guess I didn’t think I was doing anything [wrong].”

Kachiroubas previously was listed on DePaul University’s website as an associate professor in the School of Public Service and was on the Illinois Community College Board. Officials from the community college board said he was removed from the board June 21, while DePaul officials have said Kachiroubas no longer was employed at the university.