Since November 19, 2002, the City Council has required by policy that “a person promoted to a management position must be or become a resident of the City of Peoria.” In August 2006, when then-Assistant Fire Chief Kent Tomblin was applying for retiring Chief Roy Modglin’s job, the Journal Star reported, “Tomblin, 50, a 27-year member of the department, lives in Dunlap but owns a house on Maplewood Avenue near Bradley University and plans to move there within the year, he said Wednesday.”

Tomblin got the job on February 19, 2007. He still owns a home at 1120 N. Maplewood. But he also still owns his home in Dunlap — at 13104 N. Duggins Rd. This is not one of those Dunlap addresses that is actually in City of Peoria boundaries. It’s outside Peoria completely. If you look up the tax records for both houses, they both say, “owner occupied.” So, where does the Fire Chief live?

One way to establish legal residency is by the address on your utility bills. The telephone is a utility, and in the phone book under “Kent Tomblin,” guess what is listed as his address? You got it: 13104 N. Duggins Rd., Dunlap — and a Dunlap phone number, too. I’ve heard from a reliable source that it’s the address that is on his personal checks as well.

It’s hard to escape the conclusion that the fire chief still lives in Dunlap over four years since he was promoted. Not only that, but one has to wonder how he can legally claim both residences as “owner occupied.” You can only occupy one house or the other.

Whether the City should have a residency requirement or not is a topic for another blog post. The fact is that the City does require it for the fire chief, and he should follow the rules. He should be setting an example for the men and women under his command.

What really gets me is the brazenness of it all. He’s listed in the phone book as a Dunlap resident. I mean, he isn’t even trying to hide it at this point, apparently because there are no consequences for breaking the rules at City Hall.