McCoy resigns amid political retaliation and racial tension

TONYA McCOY

The political and racial tensions in Sauk Village have prompted yet another departure of a well qualified and professional Community Development Director Tonya McCoy.  McCoy announced she accepted a position with the Village of Matteson as Deputy Director of Community Development. 
 

McCoy announced her resignation during her report to the Village Board of Trustees calling it “bittersweet news” but blasting the Trustees for what she called “racism”.  “When I started here I did not know anyone in the Village, didn’t know the mayor didn’t know the clerk contrary to what some may believe.  I will say that the women in the front office have become my family.  I have come to love them.  They are very much under appreciated”. 

“Now as for the board I wish I could say the same, but I can’t.  It was more than a notion to come in and have people who were incompetent and racist people who would try to tear down what the Mayor built.  I cannot even explain how the atmosphere changed when you came in.  I’m going to quote Michelle Obama ‘When they go low we go high’ and I am going to walk out of here with my head held high” McCoy said.

 

McCoy was appointed to the position of Community Development Director by Mayor Derrick Burgess following the resignation of Joseph Wiszowaty in June of 2019, who served in a dual role of both Community and Economic Development Director.  The Trustees led by Debbie Williams cut McCoy’s pay $20,000 to $48,000 as political retaliation since she was appointed by Burgess.  The previous Community Development Director, now Trustee Sherry Jasinski, was generously over-paid $72,000 per year and had not written a single grant in her more than 12 year tenure as the department head.

McCoy and other appointments made by Mayor Burgess have been clearly targets of political retaliation and racial discrimination by the Trustees following their gain of their majority over Mayor Derrick Burgess in May, 2019. 

·         Joseph Wiszowaty- resigned

·         Alicia Straughter- terminated

·         Mary Klopp- terminated and eliminated from the budget

·         Christopher Williams (although not appointed by Burgess) terminated

·         Tonya McCoy- resigned

The power struggle has the Village Board, and the 5 to 1 majority they have had since May of 2019, obsessed with taking the powers away from the mayor and stopping any and all progress he had made.  The political circus has come back to Village Hall led by Debbie Williams with them focused on political nonsense instead of economic development, fixing streets, cutting dead trees, repairing infrastructure and more important the finances of the Village.

 

Photo: Gary Bell's Facebook Page

 

 

This racist post by GT Bell (Village Trustee Gary Bell) was posted on his personal Facebook account (photo provided).  Bell currently serves on the Sauk Village Fire Department and serves on the Village Board of Trustees.  Bell using a racial slur "TNT" or "Typical ni**er tramma".  

SAUK VILLAGE SUED IN COURT FOR WILLFULLY VIOLATING THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT

Fired after $170,000 of TAXPAYER'S MONEY spent,
Fired Ex-Village Administrator Christopher Williams

*** Sauk Village sued in Court for willfully blocking FOIA request for information of fired Village Administrator timekeeping records *** 

In a recently submitted Freedom of Information Act request, the Village of Sauk Village and its now FIRED Ex-Village Administrator, Mr. Christopher Williams were asked to supply "Any and all timekeeping, and time and attendance records for the Village Administrator Christopher Williams back in mid February. The Village through its $165.00 an hour counsel stated "Your request was denied, there are no records responsive to your request."

This FOIA request was submitted amidst allegations of Ghost Payrolling and taking unearned time off from his position as hired by the Fanatical 5 Trustees during an inquiry into these allegations.

Given that Williams uses the Identicard card / fob access systems throughout Village Hall, at entrance doors and back office access areas, there MUST be some sort of timekeeping and accrued record of earned paid time off for vacation time as well as any compensatory time off , in addition to bio-metric clock stations in Village Hall and other departments where most every other Village employee must clock in and out for payment and timekeeping purposes. Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul's office seemed to agree with that, as the Public Access Counselor has requested the Village to produce those same records that were asked for in the original FOIA request.

Once this FOIA request was denied by the Village of Sauk Village through its legal counsel of record Odelson & Sterk, a lawsuit was filed against the Village for improper denial of FOIA records. Then on May 19, 2020 during a specially called meeting, the Fanatical 5 Trustees FIRED WILLIAMS. On the official record of minutes was Trustee Gary Bell stating "I apologize to the residents for wasting the Village's Money" and Trustee Bernice Brewer stating "The shameful cost to residents throughout the process".

Christopher Williams's firing came 3 months after the investigation was sought into the timekeeping and paid time off compensation records, while many were alleging Ghost Payrolling and that Williams was absent from Village Hall more than he was in Village Hall charged with taking care of day to day operations as he was hired by the Fanatical 5 Trustees to do. Trustee Gary Bell voiced his displeasure and voted YES to Williams's termination citing Williams's lack of availability to talk with him, that Williams failed to provide job descriptions, and that he failed to lay off staff, namely all of the African American front office staff that was brought in at the beginning of the Burgess Administration. While Trustee Linda Todd, who also voted to terminate Williams stated he specifically failed to produce the requested records knowing they existed.

Christopher Williams was given a contract by the Fanatical 5 Trustees to serve as Village Administrator to the tune of $112,000 with benefits, yet Williams was alleged as not working a single 5 day week since he began in July, 2019. The same Trustees who gave us Williams are the ones saying they want to “watch the money”.  Mayor Derrick Burgess was forced by Court action brought by the Fanatical 5 Trustees using the Village Attorneys to allow Christopher Williams to serve as Village Administrator.  Burgess had not had a Village Administrator for the first two years of his term saving residents some $224,000 in pay and benefits.  Burgess did not appoint Christopher Williams and has stated that Williams lacks the requisite experience to do the job.  Burgess was working full-time for the Village residents at a part-time salary of $20,000 per year.

WHO IS DEBBIE WILLIAMS AND WHY IS SHE HURTING SAUK VILLAGE

Handling food at pop-up food giveaways, other people's food that is.
Would you TRUST her handling yours? Nose "poppin out"
No mask, no gloves! NO WAY! #COVID-19 #BigDig

by Joachim Mahomes

Just who is this Debra “Debbie” Williams that has Sauk Village residents angry and raging mad? Just who is this power hungry, glory seeking nemesis of Sauk Village?  Her mouth says she just wants “peace” for Sauk Village and that everyone should sing Kumbaya, But her historical actions in Sauk Village clearly indicates all to the contrary.  Her acronym she touts “P.E.A.C.E.” we hear from a good number of people is that she "practices evil and chaos everyday". They tell us that this controversial and political hot mess is out telling people she wants to become Mayor!

Really, Sauk Village?  What monster have you unleashed on the good people of this village?  Have you given up on yourselves?  Your dismal voter turnout of only 382 votes or a mere 4.6% of the electorate in 2019 surely confirms this, never-the-less a success in Debbie’s book.  Well, hopefully we can give you some food for thought before you repeat yet a third time a fatal mistake for the survival of this Village.

(This is the first in a series of expose articles that we will publish so stay tuned as the drama unfolds).  

WHERE DID DEBBIE WILLIAMS COME FROM?  WHAT HAS SHE DONE FOR OR TO SAUK VILLAGE?  

Records indicate that she and her husband moved to Sauk Village in 1987.  Even though she volunteered to be a Girl Scout Leader, a member of the PTO (Parent Teacher Organization) and a member of the Housing Commission, controversies often clouded these groups and committees on which she served.  

We cannot find any evidence of Debbie Williams ever attending college or holding a long-term, meaningful career.  We found that she sold Pampered Chef and Avon and she is a writer for the infamous attack rag paper which had launched a campaign against the current Mayor since he took office.  Prior to that career change, she was a part-time survey-taker at Pammer Research.  But wait, we found that she worked, very briefly, (13-months) in a position she was gifted in Calumet City before being let go. (Sources from public records and self-biographies).

WHERE DID SAUK VILLAGE GO WRONG? Let's count the ways! 

2007 - Debbie Williams ran unopposed to victory in the election for the McConathy Public Library Board of Trustees after having developed a personal friendship with then Head Librarian Nan Wargo.  Williams sat on the Library Board, and at some point rose to become president of that exclusive political clique.  More on the library later.    

2008 - So with two years of all that political experience in hand, she forms an alliance with Lewis Towers to strengthen her odds of winning in the 2009 Village Clerk race.  They formed Sauk Village’s first political party. 

2009 - After her party’s election win, Williams as Village Clerk and her daughter, Rosie Williams as Trustee, quickly turned against their friend, Mayor Lewis Towers after achieving what they wanted.  Williams, brought her experience of chaos to Village Hall; often overstepping her position, routinely commenting during Village Board meetings which was not the role of a Village Clerk position.  Williams and her daughter continued to stay in the political fray from 2009 to 2012.   Williams continually locking horns with Towers' pick for his Chief of Staff Brunetta Hill-Corley causing a "hostile" work environment at Village Hall during that time.

DEBBIE WILLIAMS AND HER FOOD

2011 - Village Trustees stripped the ability of the Mayor to appoint a Village Administrator and they appointed Henrietta Turner, an African-American woman.  Debbie Williams was named in a complaint to the Illinois Human Rights Commission and within lawsuit later field by Turner.  Turner claimed, among other things, that Debbie Williams used racial slurs against her.  This was a ploy that Debbie Williams will once again use against the current Mayor, more on that a little later. 

2013 - Ever the opportunist Debbie Williams was the lone white candidate for her bid at re-election running against three African-American candidates for Village Clerk.  Williams always the opportunist, won a plurality, but did not win a majority of the votes cast.  She fared better in her re-election at the same election for her Library Board seat running yet again, unopposed for a six-year term. 

2014 - 2016 Village Clerk Debbie Williams, her daughter Trustee Rosie Williams and David Hanks orchestrate controversial policies that entrench Sauk Village in financial chaos.  Under their misguided lack of leadership the Village routinely had over $1 million in unpaid bills

2017 - Village Clerk Debbie Williams loses her bid for Village Clerk and her daughter Rosie Williams-Baig loses her bid for Mayor to that Black candidate... .Mayor Derrick Burgess.  Deposed Debbie Declares, “Vengeance is Mine!”  

Tune in for our next part in the series!