Dustin Anderson, the man who ran Joliet’s Community Development Department and helped push through one of the city’s most contested land deals in years, is no longer working at City Hall. He left sometime during the week of August 17, according to a councilman who says he learned of the departure by email, and as of now, no city official has publicly explained why he’s gone.
The exit was first reported by Shaw Local, which detailed how councilman Pat Mudron received an email about Anderson’s departure that week. Mudron told the outlet the decision was to go with a different direction, and that Anderson was no longer going to be here. Callers to City Hall asking about Anderson’s status were advised that he no longer worked there.
City spokesperson Sydney Thompson responded to a phone call asking about Anderson’s status with an email that did not mention Anderson by name and did not comment on his job status, per the same account. Joliet has not officially acknowledged Anderson’s removal, leaving residents and reporters alike guessing at what prompted the sudden change atop a department responsible for zoning, planning, and building permits citywide.
A Two-Year Tenure Built Around a Massive Data Center Deal
Anderson was hired as Joliet’s community development director in August 2024, stepping into the role after working as a consultant for the city for several months. He had previously spent nearly a decade, from 2014 to early 2024, as Town Manager of Munster, Indiana, where he oversaw more than $100 million in commercial public-private development, according to background compiled by the City of Joliet. He holds a Master of Public Affairs from Indiana University and left the Munster post following local municipal elections there…