Applications open to become Harvey’s interim City Clerk

The Harvey City Council outlined plans to fill key leadership vacancies during the Feb. 9 meeting as the city continues to operate without a formally appointed interim mayor nor City Clerk.

Rosa Arambula resigned as City Clerk in late 2025, but the city never announced the open position until this year. Deputy Clerk Liliana Gonzalez has been taking over clerk duties in Arambula’s absence.

Ald. Shirley Drewenski (1st), the designated mayor pro temp following the sudden death of Mayor Chis Clark, announced during the meeting that applications for the interim City Clerk role were open to residents and due by Feb. 17 at noon. The city established a special advisory committee to review submissions.

Submit both a letter of intent and resume to mayoral chief of staff Remona Simpson at the mayor’s office. You can also email materials RSimpson@cityofharveyil.gov. Read the job description, available on Harvey’s website, here.

The council is aiming to swear in a new clerk by Feb. 23 at the next meeting, ahead of the legal deadline set for the beginning of March. The interim clerk will serve through April 2027, carrying out the remainder of Arambula’s term.

The vacant mayor’s position is also expected to be addressed at the Feb. 23 meeting. Drewenski said the city is searching for a larger venue after an earlier effort to select an acting mayor overflowed the council chambers.

“We had people standing in the hall, we had people standing in the back, so we are going for a new venue,” Drewenski said. “We already know we have a lot of people interested, so I want everyone to have access to [the meeting].”

Understaffed fire department and water disruptions

Residents shared their concerns over public safety staffing, particularly within the Harvey Fire Department. With the fire department operating understaffed, neighboring cities have been forced to send their own fire crews into Harvey to respond to fires. 

“[The city has] four firefighters per shift on duty…I’m not okay with that. I don’t feel safe,” resident Ryan Sinwelski said. “I talked to our firefighters, and they don’t [feel safe] either.”

Beth McBride, a longtime Dolton resident, implored the council to put more firefighters on duty to ease the demand for neighboring fire crews. “The firefighters in Markham, Dolton, or Posen — they’ll continue to come here, but it’s putting a strain on the other communities.”

Last year, Harvey furloughed roughly 41 percent of municipal workers — many of them fire and police personnel. First responders and police make up the majority of city spending, meaning they bore the brunt of layoffs and furloughs. Fire Station No. 1 on 156th St. and Center Ave. is the only fire station open currently.

Drewenski said financial constraints continue to limit how quickly positions can be restored but clarified that the administration is not choosing austerity over safety. “I don’t want a person leaving here thinking that we do not want our employees back,” Drewenski said. “Yes, we do.”

Harvey resident Amanda Askew shared her frustration with emergency water shutoffs that occurred with little warning. In December, she received a notice on her door less than 30 minutes before water service was shut off on her street for repairs. “I think if you’re going to disrupt residents’ day, which is fine, I do believe at the bare minimum, it should be a 48-hour notice, not a 23-minute notice,” Askew said.

Drewenski acknowledged the frustration and said repeated water main breaks — including two that occurred on the same block the week prior — forced emergency repairs. Because of the complexity of the repairs, Drewenski said a timely notice is not always possible.

“We had to remove light posts. We had to do digging. So there are times that we’re not going to give you that notice if that water is going to be shut off, but I assure you, we will do our best,” Drewenski said.