Reason For Clarendon Hills Official's Departure
HINSDALE, IL – Clarendon Hills’ fire chief said in his resignation letter Friday that he was leaving for family health reasons.
Chief Michael Korzen served at the helm for four months. He thanked officials and the Village Board for the opportunity.
“I am sadly resigning my position as fire chief, effective at the end of business today,” he said in a handwritten letter to Village Manager Zach Creer. “Recent changes in my family’s health have made balancing home and the challenging work here at the fire department an insurmountable task.”
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Patch obtained the letter through a public records request.
In a statement at Monday’s Village Board meeting, Village President Eric Tech said he had appointed Deputy Chief Dave Godek as acting chief. That was “until we can perform the necessary process for making a formal decision,” he said.
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“I have full faith and confidence that the department is in safe hands until a decision is made,” Tech said. “We wish Chief Korzen the best and thank him for his service.”
Tech said he had directed Assistant Village Manager Mera Johnson to provide options and analysis for moving forward for review by the selection team, which includes Trustee Mark Peterson and Paul Dalen, the village’s public safety director.
Korzen, who had worked in the department years earlier, replaced Chief Brian Leahy, who served in the top job for nearly 40 years. Leahy was put on leave in November 2023 and resigned under the terms of a severance deal months later.
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