DEBBIE WILLIAMS CHAOS, CONTROVERSY AND CRITICISM- Hurting Sauk Village

Just who is this Trustee 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 indicate all to the contrary.  The acronym she touts is “P.E.A.C.E.” but what 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 going about town slamming the Mayor’s name, giving her opinion about his ability to run the Village and telling people why she should be 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, a mere 4.6% of the electorate in 2019, surely confirms this.  Even so, a win, no matter how sorry, was good enough in Debbie’s book.  Well, hopefully we can give you some food for thought before you repeat yet a third time of this fatal mistake and the survival of our Village.  

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

DEBBIE WILLIAMS BRINGS CHAOS, CONTROVERSY AND CRITICISM TO VILLAGE HALL?

When Debbie Williams was elected Village Clerk in 2009 she was boisterous, opinionated and a professional for creating a hostile environment for others.  So, why wouldn’t her return to Village Hall in 2019 following her election as Trustee be any different? 

Racial tensions and division always seem to surround Williams in the past just as it does today.  It was so bad that Williams was named in a complaint filed in 2012 with the Illinois Human Rights Commission by the former Village Administrator Henrietta Turner, an African-American. (Source NWITimes)  Turner accused Debbie Williams of using racial slurs including being called the “N-word” against her and making the statement “you people steal” according to the filed complaint and published reports.  Turner who is African-American found her position “eliminated” and out of a job in November, 2012. 

Racial tensions and division are not Debbie Williams’ only forte, everything she touches seems to turn into a scandal. Here are a few examples;  In July, 2013 Debbie Williams, her daughter, who was then a Trustee and one of their politically motivated friends took a “business” trip to Washington, D.C. to represent Sauk Village. A Freedom of Information Act request sought documents at that time seeking just who paid for this “personal trip”.  It took several years for the Illinois Attorney General to complete its investigation and finally issue a binding opinion ordering Williams to provide all documents as they were declared “public documents”.  Williams and the Village at that time then turned around and sued the Illinois Attorney General in an attempt to block production of those documents, costing the Village taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees to cover up her scandal.

The documents showed that Debbie Williams received a check written out in her name, not payable to the Village, to pay for her “personal trip” to Washington. (This begs the questions did Debbie Williams violate 18 U.S.C.§1346 the honest services fraud which generally is a scheme to defraud including a scheme to deprive the taxpayers of the right to honest services).  Village Taxpayers then paid tens of thousands to defend Williams and block the production of those documents, clearly incriminated Williams.  Debbie Williams daughter sat on the Village Board at the time and supported these actions and was also a participant on the Trip.  It was also discovered that the friend and political benefactor who went with them to Washington DC also helped “pay for that trip”.  The same friend was soon after appointed to the Police and Fire Commission in what clearly appeared as a “quid pro quo” (this for that).

Later in 2017, former Trustee Francine Anderson filed an objection against Williams for running for re-election as Clerk claiming the money she received from the trip should be repaid to the residents or it should at the very least disqualify Williams from running for re-election for the Village Clerk office.  Williams was represented by a lawyer at the hearing, which generally would costs a candidate thousands of dollars, yet once again Williams did not file the appropriate legal paperwork with the Illinois Board of Elections to properly disclose exactly how she paid for thousands of dollars of legal work to keep her on the ballot or if this was in fact an “in kind” donation.  The Village likewise paid more money in legal fees to keep Williams on the ballot and convene an electoral circus which was clearly bias to keeping Williams on the Ballot.  They won the battle but Debbie Williams lost the confidence of the people of Sauk Village and she lost her re-election bid as every incumbent was swept out of office.         

2019 Brings more CHAOS & CONTROVERSAY

Fast forward to 2019 and Williams and her friends won their seats as Trustees to exact their vengence.  And once again, neither Williams nor any of her running mates ever declared their campaign spending with the Illinois State Board of Elections.  This sure lacks “transparency” which they claimed they have not been getting.  Where did their money come from?

Stay tuned to our third in a series as we continue the history lesson about Debbie Williams and how she is hurting Sauk Village.  

 

TRUSTEES FAIL TO PASS BUDGET BY DEADLINE... DUE TO POLITICAL PARALYSIS

SAUK VILLAGE | For the second year in a row, the Fanatical Five Trustees led by Trustee Debbie Williams have once again failed to approve a budget and appropriations ordinance by the state deadline date of July 31st due to their obsessed focus on demeaning Mayor Derrick Burgess and the Village Hall office workers; putting politics before the people’s needs.  

The Village’s fiscal year ended April 30th with 60 additional days to pass a budget under Illinois law.  Even though Trustee Debbie Williams along with 4 of her closest trustees enjoy a solid 5 to 1 majority, somehow they can’t seem to get a budget completed and passed.  The Village's Treasurer cannot legally make payroll or issue any checks for accounts payable, until the Village Board takes the necessary action to authorize him to do so. The Village Board will need to institute an emergency stop gap measure to circumvent the budgeting requirement.  It appears these Trustees did not learn from their mistake last year when the identical event occurred; the first time in Village history.  

Bernice Brewer

But week after week, self-appointed finance overseer Trustee Bernice Brewer consistently cries "our finances are in a shambles, we need a forensic audit, but the bills are paid and our water fund is healthy” asks “what have we done for the residents"?  Better than that, Bernice, people are now asking her: "What are you doing TO the residents"?  Beginning in 2017, Mayor Derrick Burgess assigned Trustee Brewer to chair the Village Board's Public Services Committee.  Since that time, however, Brewer has never held a single meeting.  In 2019 she joined alliances with Trustee Linda Todd and newly elected Trustees Debbie Williams, Sherry Jasinski and Gary Bell to support their opposition to Mayor Burgess.  

All that the Fanatical Five Trustees have managed to do for the past 15 months is to move the Village from making consistent and steady forward progress to the Village erasing all positive gains and reverting to pre-2017 past practices; a divided and argumentative board, employees not being held accountable and higher unexplained legal bills. Only Trustee Rodrick Grant has routinely and intellectually opposed the actions of the coalition of Trustees against Mayor Burgess; calling their actions politically motivated and not in the best interest of Village operations.  

Many residents have stated, that for the past 15 months, these Trustees have been fighting our Mayor (Burgess) on everything.  They have refused to work with him for the good of our Village and we residents of Sauk Village are paying dearly for the arrogance of these five”.  “Mayor Burgess has accomplished more in his first 100 days after becoming Mayor than these five trustees have done over the last 14 months”, a long-time resident pointed out.  "These Trustees are a damn joke and need to go" she said.

MAYOR BURGESS ENDS IMPASSE APPOINTS FINANCE DIRECTOR AS CHAOS CONTINUES

The Village has been without a Finance Director since February, 2019 when Judith Sutfin resigned to pursue another opportunity.  Village Treasurer Anthony Finch has filled in the gap since Sutfin’s departure.

Following the election in 2019, the position of Finance Director was posted on the Village’s website and other agencies websites.  There have been no takers of the Finance Director’s job, a non-political position, given the political upheaval that the Trustee (collectively referred to as the Fanatical Five) have brought to the Village Board meetings.  Trustees have continued to thwart, impede and restrict the authority of the Mayor and fight him on virtually everything racking up tens of thousands of dollars in legal bills to carry out the Trustees’ directives.  Village Board meetings have devolved into Trustees rambling on for hours challenging the mayor on the most mundane matters as the meetings regularly drag on for two to three hours.      

Bernice Brewer "What have we done for the residents"
Our Question:  What are you DOING TO the residents

Last Tuesday evening the long impasse and inability of the Trustees to come to a consensus to fill the position, Mayor Derrick Burgess asked for a motion to appointed Michelle Royster as Finance Director.  The motion was made by Trustee Grant and seconded by Trustee Bell.  The appointment failed by a vote of 4 to 2 because the Trustees led by Trustee Debbie Williams opposed to anything that Mayor Burgess wants.  The matter would have continued the impasse until Mayor Burgess took decisive action and appointed Royster as “interim Finance Director”.  Under Illinois law a mayor may make indefinite temporary appointments in order to keep the business of the Village moving.  Only Home Rule communities can limit the Mayor’s appointment authority according to Statute.  Some may remember that the Village Trustees in 2012 lost a lawsuit against now former Mayor Lewis Towers when they attempted to restrict his appointment powers. 

Royster comes with good credentials having most recently worked since 2016 as a Program Manager for Cook County Planning and Development Department earning $92,000 according to public records.  Royster has an Accounting degree from the University of Illinois Chicago and a Masters in Business Administration from Loyola University.  It is expected that Royster will begin her job after giving notice to her current employer.