HANKS CLOSES DOWN TRANSPARENCY AS GRAND JURY INVESTIGATES

 SAUK VILLAGE|  Residents will need to get use to less transparency at Village Hall because of Mayor David Hanks' order to the Village Finance Director, Public Works Director, Village Engineer, Village Attorney and Community Development Director not to attend any further Village Board Meetings.

Hanks' move comes despite a Federal Grand Jury apparently hearing matters regarding embezzlement from the Police Pension Fund by current Village Treasurer James Griegel and fraud involving Federal Grants.

"Never before has a Mayor ordered department heads to not attend public meetings and address questions from the Village Board.  What is this mayor trying to hide" Trustee Cecial Tates said.

"So much for Transparency in government " Trustee Derrick Burgess said following the meeting.

Trustees Edward Myers, Lynda Washington and Rosie Williams said nothing about Hanks' action.

"So the Bobble Heads don't speak up for the residents?  Well rest assured the residents will speak up at election time in April" Community Activist Larry Stewart said Tuesday.  "They are out telling people crime is down in Sauk Village, what they aren't telling us is that it is up in Village Hall" Stewart said.

HANKS POLITICAL BLUNDERS COSTING THE VILLAGE DEARLY

SAUK VILLAGE |  When over 100 years of combined service to the people of Sauk Village walked off the job on Tuesday night, what was going through David Hanks mind?  Apparently not much at all as he was trying to obstruct Trustees Derrick Burgess and Kelvin Jones from asking Public Works Director Kevin Weller questions.  Hanks’s obstruction of Burgess and Jones at one point became so belligerent and childlike that Jones called Hanks an “asshole” as Hanks was literally laughing. 

Earlier on in the meeting Hanks appointed Jeff Morden, who Hanks supported for his failed re-election bid in April, 2015, to replace former Director of Homeland Security and Emergency Management Art Johnson.  This prompted immediate resignations of long-time members Assistant Director Amon Darnell, Thomas Heatherly, Arlene Stephens and Mike Sopjestal.  “Thirty-five years down the drain because of your appointment” Heatherly said as he pointed to Hanks and dropped his resignation on Hanks’ desk at the dais.  Stephens and Sopjestal did likewise.  The resignations left the department with less than a handful of members.  Rank and file members of the department protested having Morden appointed as Director because of an alleged incident which took place in 2003 involving his minor step-daughter.  A police report was circulated Tuesday night detailing the alleged sordid incident.   Morden claimed to several people Tuesday night that his record was expunged, however, he did not categorically deny the incident ever occurred.   

Wednesday evening Morden apparently sent Hanks a text message resigning as Director less than twenty-four hours after he was sworn-in.  It was learned that Hanks appointed Allen Vavrik as Acting Director.

Trustee Burgess questioned Hanks as to why he did not appoint a director from within the department and felt that Morden was a better choice but Hanks had no reply during Tuesday’s circus-like meeting.

Morden went along with Hanks, while he was on the Village Board in 2015, voted to eliminate Sauk Village's Dispatch Center and contract this out to Calumet Park, Illinois a more costly and distant dispatch center when neighboring Lynwood was offering the same services for less money.

"This was nothing more than a political appointment by Hanks and the bobble heads.  This wasn't about putting the best guy for the job in the position" community activist Larry Steward said Tuesday night. 

Hanks has been making political appointments haphazardly as he recently appointed his campaign manager and sometimes "minister" of the controversial Sauk Village Baptist Church Charles "Chuck" Thompson III to replace Judy Cast as Police and Fire Commissioner in May.  He appointed another political supporter, village vendor and benefactor to the Travelgate scandal Patricia Couch to replace longtime Police and Fire Commissioner Ed Milkint following his death.  Also Tuesday night, Hanks appointed Lynda Washington-House's husband Terry House as Housing Commissioner which will likely further gain favor and votes from Washington on the Village Board.  Washington-House is allegedly running against Hanks in April for Mayor, however, has been one of his staunchest supporters politically speaking.

To see highlights of Tuesday’s Meeting Click on the LINK HERE

98% DISAPPROVE OF THE JOB HANKS IS DOING AS MAYOR

SAUK VILLAGE | A survey of about 470 registered voters of Sauk Village show that David Hanks’ job approval are downright horrible according to the most recent survey. 

470 completed the survey of which 461 Disapprove or “completely disapprove” of the job David Hanks is doing as Mayor representing 98% of all those while only 9 people surveyed or 2% approve of the job he is doing as Mayor.  Hank approval rating is actually worse than that of his predecessor, Lewis Towers when he was last surveyed in 2012.

Hanks will be going into a tough re-election year in 2017 on the heels of the shellacking he received when each of the candidates he endorsed and backed in 2015 lost for Village Trustee, including Jeff Morden and John Poskin.  Coincidently, Towers likewise received a similar shellacking in 2011 when Trustees he supported, including current Trustee Lynda Washington who is now allied with Hanks, lost by a nearly 3 to 1 margin.  Hanks also received a letter of no confidence from the Sauk Village Fraternal Order of Police and 652 residents signed a petition of No Confidence in Mayor David Hanks calling for his resignation in 2015 as well.

 

This past Tuesday, following Hanks appointment of defeated candidate Jeff Morden as Director of Sauk Village's Homeland Security Department, most all of the members of the department tendered their resignations on the spot.  Over 130 years of experience and dedication literally walked off the job during the Village Board meeting.  "Thirty-five years of service down the drain because of you" Tom Heatherly said as he turned in his resignation to Hanks.

 

Last year following his defeat then Trustee Jeffrey Morden voted to eliminate the Village's long-standing Police Dispatchers and to enter into a contract with Calumet Park for dispatching, by-passing the Village of Lynwood, who neighbors Sauk Village and would have actually been less costly.