RODRICK GRANT - PERSON OF THE YEAR 2020

Trustee Rodrick Grant

Sauk Village, like the entire global community, has been impacted by the COVID-19 Pandemic.  We must look hard at those who really made a difference within the community.  Nobody stood more steadfast in wanting to help move Sauk Village in a new direction than Village Trustee Rodrick Grant.  For that reason, he is selected as the Person of the Year for 2020.

 

Rodrick Grant, a single 27 year old African-American with a Bachelors in Business from Western Illinois University and a Masters in Business Administration from Roosevelt University was elected Village Trustee in 2017.  Since the retirement of former and the late Trustee Cecial Tates in 2019, Rodrick Grant has taken on the position of the Village’s Senior most Trustee, even though he is only 31 years old. 

 

Rodrick Grant came into office with Mayor Derrick Burgess and is an ardent supporter of his vision to put Sauk Village on a long-awaited and needed Pathway to Progress.  From 2017 to 2019 the Village began to make significant strides toward this goal as Rodrick Grant was appointed as Chairman of the Village’s Budget and Finance Committee.  The Village’s finances for the first time in years were on the road to a full recovery.   With the sale of the 32.9 acres of village owned land that no one even knew the Village owned and the construction of a $13 million development on the northwest corner of Sauk Trail and the Calumet Expressway, the Village was able to profit $1.3 million and was able to pay off the majority of its long standing debt, enabling the Village’s finances to be in the black for the first time in over a decade!

 

Even though the 2019 Trustee election negatively shifted the political power and any subsequent positive gains for the Village, Rodrick Grant has continued to portray professionalism and remain focused on what was best for the Village and all of its residents.  Trustee Rodrick carefully examined all departmental expenditures against budgeted expenses to ensure the Village was operating within its means, a process that had not been done in the past 10 years.  Being a first time homeowner himself and educated in finances, Trustee Grant has a vested interest in watching how everyone’s property taxes are being spent.

 

 

Trustee Rodrick Grant has consistently displayed his ability to reject politics for the benefit of all Village residents, regardless of whether he agreed with the majority of newly elected Board members or not. When the majority Board of Trustees wanted to fire the very Village Administrator they spent significant tax dollars to hire, he voted NO to their inappropriate and unprofessional process even though he had previously warned his fellow Trustees that their pick was not qualified for the Village’s needs. When the Trustees voted for a “do over” to rehire another Village Administrator, Trustee Grant explained to the Trustees AGAIN why their new selection was equally unqualified for the Village’s needs.  He voted NO against their recommendation.  When it came to passing an unbalanced and irresponsible 2019 and 2020 budgets, Rodrick Grant voted NO AGAIN!   He truly has been an advocate for the residents in the face of havoc his fellow Trustees have wreaked against the majority of village residents.  Trustee Grant and Mayor Derrick Burgess solidly stand against the practices that have stalemated Sauk Village for decades.  The opposition Trustees know it; their staunch supporters know it and as equally embarrassing, the surrounding Southland communities know it. 

 

If Village residents think this is not as simple as Black or White and which residents should control residents’ hard-earned tax dollars, then they are in strict denial!   

Mayor Burgess & Trustee Grant

It is because of Trustee Rodrick Grant’s ability to maintain his professionalism and determination to be a good steward for all the residents of Sauk Village that we award him the Person of the Year 2020 for Sauk Village!  We look forward to the success of Rodrick Grant as he seeks re-election to the Village Board of Trustees he certainly has earned a vote of confidence from the residents.  He is running as an Independent candidate but has teamed up with Larry Sapp and Arnold Coleman both honorable and professional men in their own right.  They truly support moving the Village forward along with Mayor Derrick Burgess.  We wish them all well.   

 

Rodrick Grant you are a Class Act!    

 

 

 

Past Honorees:

 

2019- Mayor Derrick Burgess’ Entire Administration 2017-2019

2017- Mayor Derrick Burgess

2016- Former Mayor David Hanks

2015- Reverend Melody Seaton, Senior Pastor Grace UCC

2014- Dr. Donna Leak, Superintendent of School District 168

2013- Derrick Burgess, Village Trustee

2012- Alan Stoffregen, Fire Chief

2011- Robert Chavez, Sr., Village Trustee 

 

FOR THE LAST TIME, IT'S NOT THE OFFICIAL SAUK VILLAGE ILLINOIS LOGO!!!

By: Joachim Mahomes

"At the heart of the First Amendment is the recognition of the fundamental importance of the free flow of ideas and opinions on matters of public interest and concern. "The freedom to speak one's mind is not only an aspect of individual liberty -- and thus a good unto itself -- but also is essential to the common quest for truth and the vitality of society as a whole."  The United States Supreme Court rightfully has been particularly vigilant to ensure that individual expressions of ideas remain free from governmentally imposed sanctions. The First Amendment recognizes no such thing as a "false" idea.  As Justice Holmes wrote, "When men have realized that time has upset many fighting faiths, they may come to believe even more than they believe the very foundations of their own conduct that the ultimate good desired is better reached by free trade in ideas -- that the best test of truth is the power of the thought to get itself accepted in the competition of the market.

The sort of robust political debate encouraged by the First Amendment is bound to produce speech that is critical of those who hold public office or those public figures who are "intimately involved in the resolution of important public questions, policies, and laws, or, by reason of their fame or notoriety, shape events in areas of concern to society at large."  Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter probably said it best when he stated; "one of the prerogatives of American citizenship is the right to criticize public men and measures." Such criticism, inevitably, will not always be reasoned or moderate; public figures as well as public officials will be subject to "vehement, caustic, and sometimes unpleasantly sharp attacks."

Of course, this does not mean that any speech about a public figure is immune from sanction in the form of damages. That groundwork was laid out as far back as 1964 when the New York Times was sued in the Supreme Court of Alabama by City of Montgomery Commissioner Sullivan, who alleges that newspaper published defamatory statements in a paid advertisement describing the maltreatment of African American students protesting segregation by the police force under Commissioner Sullivan's supervision. Sullivan argued that he was implicated in a false and defamatory advertisement because he oversaw the City police in his official capacity as City Commissioner. Commissioner Sullivan WON in the State Supreme court of Alabama, only to have that ruling over tuned by the Supreme Court of the United States.

Generally speaking the law does not regard the intent to inflict emotional distress as one which should receive much solicitude, and it is quite understandable that most if not all jurisdictions have chosen to make it civilly culpable where the conduct in question is sufficiently "outrageous." But in the world of debate about public affairs, many things done with motives that are less than admirable nonetheless are protected by the freedom of speech given in the First Amendment."

- Judge William Rhenquist

Former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.

"BUT THEY USE THE VILLAGE NAME AND LOGO"

With regards to using the Village Logo, whether it the OFFICIAL VILLAGE OF SAUK VILLAGE LOGO, or one that looks closely similar, this argument is baseless and meritless. This is spelled out in the Lanham Act, more commonly referred to as the Trademark Act of 1946. In this act, the general interest of the public by protecting consumers from false and misleading representations concerning the source, identity, or quality of a product or service. Secondly, the law protects the right of the owner of a trade or service mark to have his or her product or service identified by a distinct name or label.

The fact escapes Ringleader Trustee Debbie Williams, and the Fanatical 5 Trustees coalition that you CANNOT TRADEMARK A MUNICIPAL LOGO, SEAL, FLAG OR INSIGNIA! Nevermind the FACT, that the TAXPAYERS own and PAY FOR IT AND ITS OPERATIONS, this is nothing more than yet another attempt, by a desperate, contrite Trustee, to stifle speech and video taken at PUBLIC BOARD MEETINGS that is critical and opinionated in opposition of her coalition of Fanatical 5 Trustees even though that RIGHT is assured to everyone under the First Amendment.

SO JUST WHAT DOES THE LAW SAY?

Accordingly, the Lanham Act permits persons to apply to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office ("USPTO") for federal trademark registration of their commercial mark(s), provided that certain parameters set forth therein are satisfied. The general rule is that a distinguishable mark on commercial goods and services can be trademarked unless the mark falls within one of five specified categories of marks as defined in 15 U.S.C. § 1052(a)-(e)

One of those 5 excluding categories specifically 1052(b) which states “a mark that consists of or comprises the flag or coat of arms or other insignia of the United States, or of any State or municipality, or of any foreign nation, or any simulation thereof” cannot be trademarked.

Tina Renna is /was a journalist in Union County, New Jersey, just south of Newark. She writes for The County Watchers blog and she also hosted a public access television program called Union County Citizen’s Forum, which seeks “to shine a critical light on the workings of the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders.” The backdrop for her show consistent with its stated purpose, features a spotlight shining onto the Union County Seal. The seal, which is one of the most interesting municipal insignia in the country, as it depicts the 1780 murder of Hannah Caldwell, the wife of “rebel pastor” James Caldwell, at the hands of British soldiers during the Battle of Connecticut Farms.

In 2010, Union County officials decided to put a stop to Renna’s use of the seal for a program not officially affiliated with — and critical of — the municipality. Union County filed an application to register its seal with the USPTO, and then sent a cease-and-desist letter to Renna. Even after the trademark application was REJECTED by the USPTO, the County continued to send cease and desist correspondence to Renna, insisting that the seal enjoyed federal protection.  In 2011, with the parties at an impasse, Renna filed a declaratory judgment action in the District of New Jersey.

In that court case, Judge Kevin McNulty issued his opinion on Renna’s motion for summary judgment on May 29, 2014.  Not surprisingly, Judge McNulty followed the Federal Circuit as to the interpretation of 15 U.S.C. § 1052(b) and held that Renna could not be liable for infringement of a registered mark under Section 32 of the Lanham Act, because the mark in question could not be registered.

However, Judge McNulty also declared that Renna likewise could not be liable even for infringement of an unregistered mark under Section 43(a) of the Lanham Act.  Without reference to the Federal Circuit’s dicta, Judge McNulty held that, even though registration is not a prerequisite for a Section 43(a) action, the unregistered mark in question still has to be a valid and enforceable one.  “As to that issue,” the Judge continued, “I think there is a difference between a mark that happens to be unregistered, and one that cannot be registered as a matter of law.” Judge McNulty held that the former is actionable under Section 43(a), but the latter is not.

SO WHO'S RIGHT?

There is an obvious conflict between the Federal Circuit’s dicta and Judge McNulty’s ruling.  A municipality seeking to protect itself against “pirates and cheats” could argue that Judge McNulty’s opinion is an example of bad facts making bad law. As Judge McNulty recounted, Union County officials were trying to use trademark law and unauthorized use of its seal to “stifle” the First Amendment rights of citizens and, in service of that impermissible objective, made multiple “misleading” statements of fact and law in its cease-and-desist letters. Additionally, Judge McNulty was careful to point out that, even if the seal had been protectable as a trademark, Renna did not infringe it because her use was for expressive political speech and not a use in any for profit business, commerce, or marketing of any product.

IN CONCLUSION

The repeated argument and LIES consistently brought up by at Village Board Meetings by Ringleader Trustee Debbie Williams, now joined by her DAUGHTER, Director of the Nancy L. McConathy Library Rosie Williams-Baig, who STILL lacks the prerequisite MASTER’S DEGREE for running the Village’s only Library can finally be put to rest. This Facebook page does NOT use the actual Official Village of Sauk Village logo! Even if it DID use the official Village logo, this page NEVER HAS and NEVER WILL conduct any commerce or the sale of goods and services for any monetary gain, with or without a Village Logo attached to it.

Yea...we do ALL THIS...FOR FREE!

Furthermore, and in spite of the Lanham Act which prohibits copyrighting “a mark that consists of or comprises the flag or coat of arms or other insignia of the United States, or of any State or municipality, or of any foreign nation, or any simulation thereof”, this is yet ANOTHER ATTEMPT by Ringleader Trustee Debbie Williams to stifle unpopular opinions of her, and apparently now, the NANCY L. McCONATHY PUBLIC LIBRARY, or the decisions and policy making of the Fanatical 5 Trustees or the Library Board.

Make no mistake residents of Sauk Village. What was it they said they were gonna do once they were elected? SUE THE MAYOR AND TAXPAYERS? That stunt cost taxpayers AT LEAST $34,000 DOLLARS in Court, so the Fanatical 5 Trustees could hire their "Ringer" for Village Administrator, only to turn around and FIRE HIM 10 MONTHS LATER for not firing people they wanted out of the Front Office.

In their FIRST YEAR IN OFFICE, Ringleader Trustee Debbie Williams, Trustee Gary Bell, Trustee Sherry Jasinski, and the coalition of Fanatical 5 Trustees joined by Trustee Berenice Brewer, and Linda Todd spent over $228,000 in LEGAL FEES with JUST ONE LAW FIRM! Yet NOW, they struggle to find money to replace FIRE HYDRANTS!

Is anyone paying attention? Maybe sitting at home and not voting wasn't such a good idea after all...OH, and by the way...Trustees Todd, Brewer, and Grant are all up for re-election April 6, 2021. Are you gonna sit this one out too Voters of Sauk Village?

 

 

 

Sauk Village Public Works Director Kevin Weller fails to notify Mayor, Village Administrator, or Village Clerk of water outage and slacks off culture testing of Sauk Village water to all water customers west of IL-394 until 7 DAYS after issue.

By: Joachim Mahomes.

On September 29, 2020 residents of Deer Creek experienced a lengthy interruption in water service, and lost all water pressure for several hours. This was later announced at the Village Board Meeting on October 14, 2020 that a new section of Water Main running under IL-394 expressway that serves all connected residents to the Municipal water supply west of IL-394 was placed into service. This resulted in a complete loss of water pressure for several hours while the new section of water main was provisioned.

In cases where water pressure drops below  20 PSI in any portion of a drinking water distribution system, or whenever a section of the water system is changed out or opened for extended periods of time, the Village Public Works department is MANDATED BY THE ILLINOIS EPA to issue a BOIL ORDER for all affected customers, NOTIFY those customers paying careful attention to Restaurants, Medical Centers and Facilities, and Nursing Homes, and submit water samples for cultural testing to a Licensed, Registered Laboratory to ensure no health hazards pose a risk to residents health and ensures safe consumption and use from any bacteriological or species parasites from entering  the public water supply while main pressure was interrupted below 20 PSI.

It wasn't until OCTOBER 6, 2020 - 7 DAYS LATER that the Public Works Department Director Kevin Weller initiated an ILEPA required BOIL ORDER, when the Sauk Village Illinois Facebook Page (NOT an official Facebook page of the Village, and NOT OPERATED by the Village) pointed this out to residents in a post dated October 2, 2020 , that action was taken by Sauk Village Public Works Department. The post referred residents affected by the water interruption to the Illinois EPA hotline to submit complaints. A Subsequent interruption in service was experienced by residents on October 3rd for some residents in sections East of IL-394, and the details of that interruption was never disclosed by Public Works.

On OCTOBER 7, 2020 - 8 DAYS AFTER THE INITIAL WATER PRESSURE LOSS the Boil Order was LIFTED, citing Laboratory testing was conducted and completed, and showed no signs of Coliform Bacteria in the samples taken from 3 sites.

The Village of Sauk Village has an OFFICIAL WEBSITE, an OFFICIAL FACEBOOK PAGE, and also pays an annual service fee for CODE RED - REVERSE 911 NOTIFICATION to notify residents in a specific area of town to emergencies, BOIL ORDERS, or other important information that is important for residents to be made aware of in a specific area, or Village Wide. It is unknown who is responsible for sending out these notifications using these methods of communication the Village has at its disposal. What IS NOT KNOW is how Public Works Director Kevin Weller notified the Mayor, Village Administrator, Village Clerk, or Trustees that this event was scheduled to take place, or that it had been completed, since these days it seems as if Public Works Director Kevin Weller doesn't answer to ANYBODY in Village Hall.

INFORMATION SOUGHT THROUGH FOIA REQUEST

Knowing the history of issues with the Water in Sauk Village, a FOIA request was submitted asking for the results of the Laboratory testing, as well as copies of any documents, emails, or other written forms of notification or communication that were made to any Administrative contacts in Village Hall by Public Works Director Kevin Weller, in respect to the opening and interruption to a major portion of the Water Distribution System. According to the response in the FOIA request, "Per Mr. Weller, there were no emails or correspondence". Public Works Director Kevin Weller's $87,000 a year salary, and brand new take home vehicle and the fuel used in it is paid for by taxpaying residents in Sauk Village, yet somehow doesn't seem to be held accountable for the lacking services in Sauk Village. But in this instance, this could have had an entirely different turn-out of making residents sick, had the Water Distribution System become contaminated, and residents weren't notified until 7 DAYS LATER they were consuming, bathing in, and cooking with tainted drinking water.

Original Email request for records related to the No Notification

Actual Laboratory Test Results

Now it has become the focus of Ringleader Trustee Debbie Williams of the Fanatical 5 Trustees to call out the UN-OFFICIAL Sauk Village Illinois Facebook Page for making the Fanatical 5 Trustees the focus of mismanagement and miscues in Sauk Village since they took their Trustee seats in 2019, and often find themselves at the chagrin of that UN-OFFICIAL FACEBOOK PAGE, but when there is IRREFUTABLE DOCUMENTATION to show just how the Fanatical 5 Trustees and their 2nd attempt at a Village Administrator hire current Part-Time Village Administrator Jerry Hurckes whom makes $45,000 a year for about 25 hours of work per week do not work for residents. The fact remains that by Public Works Director Kevin Weller OWN RESPONSE in the FOIA request, that he made NO EMAIL, and NO CORRESPONDENCE WITH VILLAGE HALL ADMINISTRATORS OR OFFICIALS WITH REGARDS TO THIS MATTER. There may have been a PHONE CALL, however this never resulted in proper ILEPA REQUIRED notification going out to residents until 7 DAYS AFTER THE FACT!

RESIDENTS - Don't you think you deserve BETTER? Do you think it is fair, that the Fanatical 5 Trustees, AND their Village Administrator do NOTHING to reprimand, or hold Public Works Director Kevin Weller accountable for placing the health of residents affected by this water interruption in potentially harmful bacteria in the water supply? Since the hiring of the 25 hours a week PART TIME JERRY HURCKES, the Fanatical 5 Trustees 2nd hired Village Administrator in less than 1 year, would hold Weller accountable for this and other shortfalls in Public Works Department performance and ability to complete work properly and in accordance with Illinois EPA guidelines so as to NOT place residents' health in jeopardy?

Residents should be MAD AS HELL! And don't ask Public Services Committee Chair Trustee Bernice Brewer. In the 3 YEARS she has held that Committee, she has YET TO CONVENE A SINGLE COMMITTEE MEETING for that vital area of Village Public Services to residents. She's too worried  about trying to "Watch the Money" when she clearly has NO CLUE of how Village Finances actually works.

MAYOR BURGESS ANNOUNCES RE-ELECTION BID

CALLS FOR RESIDENTS TO ALSO ELECT A VILLAGE BOARD COMMITTED TO HIS STRATEGIC PLAN FOR PROGRESS

 

SAUK VILLAGE | Mayor Derrick Burgess announced his bid for re-election with a crowd who were socially distanced at the American Family Restaurant this afternoon.  The crowd of about 50 supporters heard from long-time resident Mary Thompson, School Board President Tammy Jones, former Village Trustee Francine Anderson, two candidates for Village Trustee Larry Sapp and Arnold Coleman, Village Trustee Rodrick Grant, Erika Burgess the Mayor’s daughter and his wife Juanita Burgess.   First Lady Juanita Burgess told the story of Derrick as a husband, father and the man who is passionate about Sauk Village.  Mayor Burgess spoke after Trustee candidates got up and pledged their support for Burgess and his Strategic Plan for Progress.

 

Burgess delivered his announcement speech on Facebook Live to allow residents and supporters to join in as the crowd was limited to allow for social distancing due to COVID-19. 

 

Burgess listed off a litany of problems that he faced and took on when he took over as Mayor in 2017.  “We rolled up our sleeves, we assembled a team that worked hard to begin addressing these issues and we will continue to take on those challenges we face” Burgess said.

 

Burgess then laid out numerous accomplishments he and the Trustees who supported his agenda from 2017 to 2019 and lamented the 2019 election results.  “In 2019, only 4.5% of the voters made the decision for 90% of the residents.  Frankly, the 90% made a very bad decision by not voting.  President Obama said ‘elections have consequences’   You know what,  He’s right!  The 2019 election had profound consequences on the progress we made as a Village and now I need the residents of Sauk Village to unite, come together, and give us a New Day in 2021,” Burgess said.  Burgess asked his supporters to vote for Trustees who support his Strategic Plan for Progress and who want to move Sauk Village forward. 

 

Burgess spoke about his plans for the Village’s future including repairing broken fire hydrants, repairing roads, seeking out grant money, fixing broken street lights and cutting down dead trees throughout the Village.  “No more excuses, this will be done, Burgess said.  Burgess said that he and his team showed you the progress that he and a Village Board that is willing to work with the Mayor can do from 2017 to 2019, but coming off the 2019 election the progress stopped because of politics again.  “Do you want a Village Government who can work together, take care of the serious business of the Village for the residents without putting on childish temper tantrum shows every Tuesday evening?” Burgess said.

 

Burgess said he needs a village board who is less focused on political nonsense and more focused on progress.  Burgess believes that Trustee Rodrick Grant deserves and has earned another term, and he needs help on the Village Board including Arnold Coleman and Larry Sapp.  Burgess and each of the Trustee candidates are running as independent candidates but are truly united in their cause to getting Sauk Village back on track and back on the Pathway to Progress.

 

“I’m counting on you Sauk Village to help us continue moving Sauk Village forward to a New Day,” Burgess said. 

LIBRARY CANDIDATE TIRED OF CATERING TO "EXCLUSIVE FEW"

DIANE SAPP, Candidate for Library Trustee - Calls Library Board President and his Leadership:  "INADEQUATE,  OUT OF TOUCH and OUT OF STEP WITH OUR COMMUNITY"

Diane Sapp- Candidate Library Trustee

To the Residents of Sauk Village: 

As a resident of Sauk Village, I take exception to the public and racist post by our Village Library Board President, Mr. Gary Holcomb. 

First, your attempt to ascribe our local government to having a psychological problem is disrespectful to all residents of Sauk Village. And if that were true, Sir, then you would have to say that this community has been suffering from this syndrome for the past 63 years. How this Village has come to the way it is, Sir, started way before now and certainly has had this same problem when you yourself decided to move here 32 years ago. To criticize the residents for living “in their own little world inside their homes” and not being engaged is just wrong. We are not stupid, sir. We see the corruption, the lies and misdirection going on by the very people you support and claim as your friends. To throw aspersions to this administration while ignoring this Village’s ugly history is just plain arrogant and reeks of entitlement. So, while you allude to the incompetence of our current Mayor, Sir, let me give you my opinion about the incompetence I see that exists on the Library Board on which you serve. 

While you point out that the “village government” has changed. What has changed? We have a black mayor now and you disagree and yearn for the time when the “good ole boys” ran the Village? Your assertions are nothing more than pure racism and I am calling it what it is! You are correct when you say that the same people have been running this village for 20-25 years but you forgot to include the Village’s Library as well. It’s funny how The Nancy L. McConathy Public Library District, does not identify itself as being “Sauk Village”. In my short time of living here, I have observed The Village Library is being used as the personal playground and meeting place of a very “select“ few and you and your friends wonder why the children of Sauk Village don’t come there. From what I see and what other residents have told me, the Library has not evolved into an extension learning center for the youth of Sauk Village. It is antiquated, out of touch and out of step with our community. 

Gary Holcomb, you are so concerned about the finances of “the Village” but do not care about the finances of the Village’s Library District where you sit as president? Have you gone through the cost for all the “free food” the Library has paid for? Yet, have you asked yourself why does the Library charge young black kids $1 per hour to use a computer when they cannot even afford a computer? 

Mr. Holcomb, you state there has been an “unwillingness” for residents to get involved. Really? Have you observed the attitudes of your fellow long-term residents toward the people who do not look like you or are not a member of your select group? There are other entities in the Village as well who also cater to your exclusive club of a “select” few; that’s a whole other story. Who in their right mind wants to deal with that mess? I know the Mayor is trying to go at it alone and I assure you, that is about to change! I see what he’s trying to do to save this community from your backward thinking. Now if you believe that the Village Hall is the only “battleground”, you better think again. There is going to be a new movement to “battle“ over your suppression and lack of leadership for Village Library and we’re bringing that battle right to your “exclusive“ hold over it. 

I’ve done my homework, Mr. Holcomb, by talking to the very people that live here, know you and know what’s going on. And I’m going to address your poignant and racist remarks. 

1. When you served on the Village’s Housing Commission which was supposed to address Fair Housing matters, you and your “friends” attempted to run it as if it were a Housing Authority, which was illegal to do. Now you openly criticize the people who rent homes here in Sauk Village, who are predominantly black, but remain silent on the corrupt landlords/investors who rent to them and your “back-in-the-day” friends and neighbors who abandoned their homes “illegally”. 

2. You criticize this “black mayor” but you never once in 4 years criticized David Hanks with all the bubbling buffoonery and corruption that he and his administration did over that time. Not a single time. 

3. “... (Village) Trustees fail to address critical issues because those that due (yes, you spelled it “due” this is verbatim) are labeled racist or their name is dragged through the mud by outside entities on Facebook or other publications...” So you defend your “friends”, those five village trustees who sit on the Village Board giving them a pass for NOT addressing what you call “critical issues” of the Village because they might be criticized? Really? But you openly attack the “black” mayor for all the woes in Sauk Village? How long did it take the Village to get in the condition we find it today? This mayor has been in office 40 months. What about the previous 40 years? In fact you played the “race card” as you and your friends say. 

4. Then you attack the Mayor again for “overpaying” village employees for months. How could he “overpay” employees when your friends have control of the Village Board and brought in their own personal Village Administrator as well? So, let’s ask the same question about our Library, Mr. Holcomb. You, Mr. President of the Library Board, voted to “dumb down“ the qualifications of the Head Librarian; tailoring it to fit the one and only preferred candidate you all picked, added a residency requirement for which the previous Librarian did not have to comply nor anyone else and then wrote a letter of recommendation for her as well. Then you voted to hire your handpicked candidate without so much as properly posting or performing a proper search for a qualified candidate for the position on Reaching Across Illinois Library Systems (R.A.I.L.S.) and the fact that your candidate did not meet the minimum industry standards for a Head Librarian! 

5. I would add that Sauk Village has NOT become a “joke” in 63 years as you say. What you and your friends have been doing has become the “joke” to the residents and surrounding communities. Our residents see this and we are united in our resolve to get rid of this nonsense as the “current” terms end.

So good people of Sauk Village: 

No longer is it acceptable to me as a taxpayer, a resident and an extremely concerned citizen to take this man’s and his so called “progressive” friends’ verbal abuse and open racist rants on Facebook. The fact is it should not be about race, yet this man and his friends keep bringing it up, so I guess it is about race. I am willing to put myself out there to get more for my Library, for our youth and for our community. Arrogance and self-entitlement is not what I want for the tax dollars I pay. When I am seated as a member of the Nancy L. McConathy Public Library Board which serves all the residents of Sauk Village, I will see to it that we, as board members take the lead to plan for our Village Library’s future for which you and your friends have failed to do (or due as you say). 

Diane Sapp 

Candidate for Library Trustee 

Nancy L. McConathy Public Library District 

Sauk Village

EDITOR'S NOTE:  Sauk Village residents have not had a fully contested election for Library Trustees since like 1991.  Generally Sauk Village Library's election (oops I'm sorry the Nancy L. McConathy Public Library District---- what a mouth full) have been "beauty contests" with no competition for years.  2021 may break that cycle as Diane Sapp appears to be leading the Charge for Change.  The Library District Board consist of seven (7) board members elected at-large for 6 year terms.  This year up for grabs are four (4) seats on the board, two are full six year terms, the other two are for two-year unexpired terms.      

For decades Nan Wargo the now former Library Director, retained her position until her retirement in 2019, after 30 plus years, while having moved out of the Village many years before into nearby Dyer, Indiana.  Candidates, generally handpicked by Wargo ran unopposed and quietly the library ran their little Fiefdom controlling Sauk Village library district tax dollars without any transparency.  

The Library has in fact, been run by a Board of Trustees that has been anything but transparent that they fought a Freedom of Information Act request in June of 2019.  Back in 2005, the Library Board decided to build their own building and break a lease and was sued by the landlord.  The library quietly entered into a settlement agreement and shelled out $45,000 for breaching their lease agreement (Bank Financial, et al v Nancy L. McConathy Public Library District- #2006L012033 Cook County Circuit Court).  In fact Roger Strasemeier whose term expires in 2023 and Suzanne Downing, the Board's current Vice President whose term is up this election cycle along with ex-Village Clerk, ex-Library Board Trustee and current Village Trustee Debbie Williams voted to squander and payout the taxpayers money for breaching the lease.    

The $45,000 library scandal never made it to public knowledge, until a Freedom of Information Act request made last year.

Oh there's alot going on at the Library, but we agree with Diane Sapp, their current leadership is lacking, "inadequate, out of touch and out of step with the community" with an unqualified and inexperienced Library Director who was handpicked for a position that the Library Board created just for her.  

DEBBIE WILLIAMS CREATES HOSTILITY- Hurting Sauk Village

Debbie Williams Creates Hostility: Passive Aggressive, Always the Victim

Debbie Williams

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 slandering 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 this fatal mistake yet a third time and endanger the survival of our Village.

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

 

Debbie Williams coming off a stinging defeat in 2017 lost her $17,000 per year job as Village Clerk, an income she had come to rely on.  But Debbie Williams, like a feral cat with 9 lives  living on Shirley Avenue dodging loose pitbulls,  ever the resourceful and self-preservationist, landed a politically connected job as deputy clerk.  Her stock really began to rise as did her bank account as she was now earning $52,000 per year, the most she has ever made in life.  Even so, she managed not to keep her job long claiming, “I have resigned under duress due to the hostile work environment”.  It seems everywhere Debbie Williams lands becomes a “hostile work environment”.  The truth is Debbie Williams is no stranger to “hostile work environments”, in fact many Sauk Village former employees in previous administrations of Lewis Towers and David Hanks claimed that Debbie Williams herself made Village Hall a “hostile work environment”.  In fact many employees in Village Hall are under that same "hostility" that she and her coalition bring today.  One former employee even noted that Debbie Williams brought with her and her friends a "hostile work environment" to Village Hall after the 2019 election.  Some former employees have even filed suits and complaints citing this very fact and made claims that Debbie Williams used racial slurs against them. 

 

Come clean Debbie!  Truth is Debbie Williams did not “resign” from her position as Calumet City’s Deputy Clerk; she, in fact, was probably given an ultimatum to resign or be fired on June 21, 2018. Reading between the lines, it appears one could deduce she got into a heated discussion with her boss which precipitated her actions.  In the professional arena, an immediate resignation without a courteous two week prior notification, usually indicates a firing was imminent or in fact already occurred.   Forever, the spin master, Debbie’s resignation letter even stated, “I have enjoyed my time in Calumet City…”  Well, if that were true, then the work environment could not have been “hostile” unless you were the creator of the hostility.  But readers we want you to draw your own conclusion on that,  these are the facts.   

 

So poor Debbie, always and forever the victim, found herself not only voted out as Village Clerk in Sauk Village in 2017, had now been tossed out of the highest paying job she ever landed.   Debbie Williams wanted revenge and she wanted revenge against Sauk Village and those who delivered that defeat.  So Debbie Williams scours the “ole” guard residents to find others who had an axe to grind with their perceived “enemy” to run for Trustees in 2019.  

 

Sherry Jasinski

She found a willing accomplice in Sherry Jasinski who was let go by the Village Board of Trustees at that time after they made a financial decision to consolidate her position in 2018.  Jasinski had 13 months to show she could do her job under Mayor Derrick Burgess and the Trustees at that time (Jaskinski began working for Sauk Village on April 15, 1998 and was given the position as Director in 2006 while her step-father sat on the Village Board of Trustees at that time).  Jasinski, who was the department head for Community Development (which included Code Enforcement and the Building Department) was the primary individual responsible for the decline in the Village’s housing standards from 2008 to 2018.  (If you take a look around town and see homes boarded up, burned out, vacant and abandoned, you can ask “what did Sherry Jasinski do to help the Village when she was in charge of Code Enforcement and the Building Department for a decade of decline? Not a single grant was written in her tenure as department head, and she is rumored to have colluded with slumlords to keep the standards and values low- more on this later)

 

Gary Bell

The final piece to this political puzzle rounding out their non-diverse, all-white slate, Gary Bell, another “scorned” cast off from the Sauk Village Fire Department who allegedly sustained an injury while serving on the department and was being blocked by the former and late Fire Chief from re-joining the Department.  Bell quit his full-time job as a janitor and apparently became “disabled” due to that alleged injury.  After getting his little settlement monies from his injury, Bell took his money bought him a new car and left Sauk Village; only to return a couple years later.  Bell found himself outside looking in pinning for the days of yesteryear.  So the “scorned” slate of candidates was now complete and ready to take their vengeance against "those people" in Sauk Village and to shut down the progress Mayor Burgess had begun to make in Sauk Village.  (More on Gary Bell, his "disability" and racist rants a little later)

 

 

Both Jasinski and Bell had a small handful of "friends" who supported their misguided way of thinking who bought into their scam and con of "making Sauk Village great again" and bringing the Village back to the “good ole boys” days.  Of course Debbie Williams ever the opportunist latched her wagon on to anything and anyone she could, including the very "friends" that could not stand the sight of her just two years earlier.   They needed to work to get black votes to and could not do that with an all-white slate, so she found another willing accomplice they could use and exploit for their own benefit in failed perennial candidate and ex-Trustee Lynda Allen Washington-House. 

 

Lynda Washington-House

Debbie Williams used Washington-House to give the trio of candidates an African American face they could latch onto and put her picture up on their billboard to give them an appearance of a ‘diverse slate’.  Lynda Washington may as well have put on the billboard “Pick THREE just not me” as her entire election effort worked to help them win their election as she came in dead last, again.  No telling Washington-House would want to put her picture up on a billboard with a racist man like Gary Bell who called Sauk Village a “Golden Ghetto” and demeaned black residents for walking at Village Hall. He also uses other colorful racial slurs to define African-Americans when he is around “his own kind”.  Never-the-less, Washington-House tied herself to them.      

 

Stay tuned to our 4th in a series as we continue the history lesson about Debbie Williams and how she is hurting Sauk Village.  

 

VILLAGE TREASURER REVEALS TRUTH AT 'TALK TO THE TREASURER'

Village Treasurer Anthony Finch

TRUSTEES ARE CAUSE OF BUDGET DELAY; ONGOING FBI INVESTIGATION; 67 BROKEN FIRE HYDRANTS; $225,000 LEGAL TAB

Fourth of July fireworks may have been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic but fireworks were flying at Village Hall Thursday evening during the first Talk with the Treasurer.  Village Treasurer Anthony Finch fired off salvos during his opening comments for about 35 minutes in response to nonsensical political criticism leveled against him and Village staff, who happen to be black, by five of the six Trustees.  Finch completely rebuked the personal attacks as nonsense and leveled criticism right where it belonged, with the Village Board of Trustees.  “That is why the Board is mad at me because I’m challenging them for being hypocritical. Prove me wrong and tell me where I lied, but show me” Finch said.

 

 

“One thing that we have major concerns about over the last few months is the budget.  This is a touchy issue.  The budget is not done.  The budget was started back in April. I originally had the schedule to complete the budget by the end of July.  This is the first Village where I have worked where we have not gotten the budget passed and approved by the end of July.  Personally, it’s embarrassing because it should be unacceptable by anybody” Finch said.

 

 

“One of the challenges that is holding up the budget is that our Trustees wanted to wait and do job description reviews.  So that to me has nothing to do with the expenses of the budget, but that is the reason why the budget is not done” Finch said.  Trustees have had well over a year to review individual job descriptions but are now holding the Village’s budget hostage and putting the Village in jeopardy and at risk.

 

 

Residents who attended Thursday’s event, which Finch said he will host monthly, called this “the most transparent the village has been ever”. 

 

 

Resident Larry Sapp vocally spoke up “When these new Trustees took over (gaining a majority over Mayor Derrick Burgess) in 2019 they had an axe to grind,” he said.  Debbie Williams, the former Village Clerk lost her bid for re-election in 2017 joined forces with Sherry Jasinski, who was terminated by Mayor Burgess in 2018 and Gary Bell who was terminated from the Village’s Emergency Management Agency all had personal and political axes to grind.  The trio joined forces with their friends who were on the Board Linda Todd and Bernice Brewer.  The only Trustee who continues to support the efforts of Mayor Burgess to move the Village forward is Trustee Rodrick Grant. Williams sat silently in the front row during the meeting taking copious notes during the event. 

 

 

Finch told the crowd that the Village, under Mayor Burgess has amassed a surplus in the Water Fund of $1.2 million and had ended the routine of taking money and using it for unrelated water fund payroll. We ended the raids on the water fund for non-water fund related uses that prior administrations routinely would do. Prior to 2019, we amassed $800,000 from the sale of the property to Gas N Wash which is invested in a Certificate of Deposit and [we also] obtained a $500,000 line of credit avoiding the need to take out Tax Anticipation Warrants which cost the Village about $40,000 each time. The finances of the Village have gotten far better under Mayor Burgess and the team he brought in, which begged the question, why do a forensic audit now? Why wasn’t this done to investigate where the money went when money was embezzled, mismanaged, misspent and absconded by a rogue criminally indicted and now convicted felon Ex-Village Treasurer James Griegel who was appointed and convicted under the Hanks Administration? 

 

 

Residents were shocked to discover that there is an ongoing FBI Investigation stemming from 2014-2015 during the previous administration according to Finch, however, he did not disclose what was being targeted.  He did indicate that at least two [current] Trustees know all about it. 

 

 

With the Village’s water fund being so healthy residents, were dumbfounded as to the reason why there are still 67 nonfunctioning fire hydrants throughout the Village.  Mayor Burgess and Finch wanted this to be outsourced to get them all repaired, however, they have had consistent push back from the Public Works Department and their Union that they would file a grievance if the Village proceeded without them, according to Finch.  Finch also said the same thing about the condition of the roads and dead trees; that this could not be outsourced because of union grievances. “These (fire hydrants) have been broken and unrepaired for years and PWD have given numerous excuses as to why repairs can't be made even though there is money in the budget to repair or replace” Finch said.  The Village Trustees and their hired Village Administrator refuse to get the work done and are enabling the Public Works employees' incompetence over the resident’s needs, according to resident Arnold Coleman. Other residents in attendance also questioned what Trustee Bernice Brewer, who chairs the Public Services Committee since 2017 has done to get the work done.  “What has she done in the three years she sat on the Village Board?  Nothing, she has done nothing to fix a single fire hydrant.  Yet she complains about everything” a long-time resident said. Trustee Bernice Brewer, to date, has yet to conduct a single committee meeting to address the needs of residents, and the deplorable public services conditions throughout the Village.    

 

 

“The problem that I hear and see is that it’s not the Mayor or you (Anthony Finch), it’s the Trustees.  We need to get people in there that care about Sauk Village.  We live here, this is our home a lot of us are retirees and we came here because we like what we saw, but they are not taking care of the business” a resident said passionately.

 

 

Residents also spoke about the racial divide for employees who work for the Village, as it appears black employees are targeted with harassment and being treated differently than white employees by the Village Trustees.  Finch questioned why Union employees are getting a 2.5% pay raises and non-union staff get nothing.  Most union employees are white while non-union employees at Village Hall are black. Tonya McCoy had her pay cut by the Trustees by some $20,000;  the only employee in the Village to have her pay cut with no justification, according to Finch.  Many suspect that it was done because McCoy, who is black, was appointed by Mayor Burgess and the decrease in salary was a personal and political retaliation.  McCoy has since left Sauk Village and now works for the Village of Matteson earning nearly twice as much as she earned in Sauk Village.

 

 

Finch said he has been proud of the accomplishments that he and his staff have been able to accomplish.  He clearly puts the blame upon the Trustees for not allowing the audit to be completed on time because due to a Trustee routinely calling the auditors and making false and unfounded allegations. Finch called the actions of the Trustee “inappropriate” and costly to the Village.  The most recent audit is now delayed until after what Finch calls the “unnecessary” forensic audit is completed. “The Audit Firm is not going to lose their CPA license, just because (a certain Trustee) doesn’t think they’re looking into financial matters they want them to look at” Finch said attributing this to the ongoing delays. 

 

 

Resident and community activist Larry Sapp did not mince his words when he spoke out.  “I commend you for dealing with these idiots.  Racism has no place here. These people are hell bent on putting things back the way they were and I’m hell bent on not letting them.  We need to come together, this is turning into a black and white issue and I’m not going to sugar coat it saying that it’s anything other than that because I see the behavior of some of these Trustees.  That’s insidious to me” he said.

 

 

Lynda Washington one-term former Trustee, who aligned herself with former mayor David Hanks and his trustees, who subsequently and unsuccessfully ran for mayor against Burgess in 2017, applauded Mr. Finch and his financial staff for their transparency. “This is the most transparency that I have seen in years…” she said.

 

 

Mayor Derrick Burgess said following the meeting “we have been transparent about everything we do.  There are no secrets here.  The Village Treasurer is appointed and has a legal responsibility to do his job without regard to politics.  Unfortunately, this board has brought undue complications, pressure, division, chaos and confusion.  This meeting sure did clear up much of that.  Mr. Finch has my complete support and confidence,” he said.