TRAVELGATE INQUIRY DELAYED - ATTORNEY GENERAL EXPECTED TO RESPOND

Rosie Williams and Debbie Williams

by Joseph Wiszowaty
SAUK VILLAGE |  Staffing changes have delayed the Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan's office's review of two denials of Freedom of Information Act requests made to the Village.

The Sauk Villager News had requested information into Village Clerk Debbie Williams and her daughter Village Trustee Rosie Williams' trip to Washington D.C. to attend a private organization's conference.   The Williams' allegedly solicited donations on the Village of Sauk Village's official website and from Village vendors according to documents submitted to the Illinois Attorney General.

Debbie Williams claimed that this was a "personal trip" and not official village business, however, Williams made an official report of her trip during a Village Board meeting and aired video on the Village's official website.

Debbie Williams refused to turn over any information "without the Village attorney" telling her to do so.  Village Attorney Michael McGrath allegedly "investigated" the Village Clerk Debbie Williams and Village Trustee Rosie Williams' "personal trip" and determined that there was no impropriety.  The Village received a bill from the attorney's investigation but no findings were apparently provided in writing to the village.

Following the Village's denial of the Freedom of Information Act request, the Sauk Villager News submitted a request for a Public Access Counselor to review the village's denial.

The Attorney General was contacted last week and the attorney originally handling the matter had resigned.  As a result a new attorney has been assigned to the matter according to the Attorney General's spokesperson.

The Attorney General's office has been asked to give a "Binding Opinion" and finding that the Village violated the Freedom of Information Act and to compel the Village to provide the information the village did not originally provide which included a list of donors and amounts "donated" to fund the trip made by the Debbie Williams and Rosie Williams and Police and Fire Pension Board member Pat Couch.