April 25, 2024
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Joliet shakes up city finance department

Budget Officer Kevin Sing replaces James Ghedotte as finance director

By Bob Okon
james ghedotte, joliet city council, joliet, budget, government

Now former Finance Director James Ghedotte at a December 2021 meeting of the Joliet City Council where he presented the proposed budget for the coming year. (Alex Ortiz)

The city of Joliet has made changes at the top of its finance department.

Kevin Sing, who joined the city in March as budget officer, was made finance director on Tuesday.

James Ghedotte, the city’s finance director for eight years, now is assistant finance director,

City Manager James Capparelli made the changes, but would not comment to The Herald-News.

Sing, however, confirmed that he is now finance director and said it was “my understanding” that Ghedotte has become assistant finance director. He referred questions as to why the change was made to Capparelli.

The change comes in the midst of City Council deliberations on the 2023 budget.

Ghedotte as finance director made a presentation on the budget to the council at a public meeting in early November. At that time, Capparelli told the council that he had wanted to be able to present the budget to them earlier and that he was not satisfied with the timing of the presentation.

The council held its first and perhaps only public discussion of the budget on Monday. The discussion lasted about 20 minutes and focused on funding for sidewalk repairs and weed control at major intersections of the city.

Capparelli told the City Council during a closed session at the end of its meeting on Monday that he intended to make the personnel change in the finance department, Councilman Larry Hug said.

Hug said he talked with Capparelli on Tuesday, and the city manager confirmed the change was made.

“I spoke with the city manager, who said he talked with Mr. Ghedotte and Mr. Sing and they both were agreeable to the switch,” Hug said.

Sing previously was village administrator for the village of Manhattan for nine years. Before that, he had been finance director for Manhattan and previously was assistant finance director in Channahon.

He grew up in Joliet, graduated from Joliet Central High School, and has a bachelor’s degree in science from Lewis University in Romeoville.

Ghedotte came to Joliet as finance director in 2014, when he left the same position in Wayne, Michigan.