Village quietly settles numerous FOIA Violations Lawsuits caused by Fanatical 5 Actions

 

WHAT DOES REVENGE LOOK LIKE IN SAUK VILLAGE? Concealing the TRUTH, and failing residents, while racking up over $238,000 in Legal Fees in 2019 alone, and causing lawsuits against the Village and its Taxpaying residents.

By: Joachim Mahommes

In October, 2019 when Christopher Williams, the Fanatical Five’s court-appointed Village Administrator assumed his duty of FOIA Clerk.  This Wrecking Crew, newly elected Trustees Gary Bell, Sherry Jasinski and Ringleader Debbie Williams, aligned themselves with Trustees Linda Todd and Bernice Brewer began systematically dismantling the professional and highly competent team Mayor Burgess had assembled after his election in 2017.  Mayor Burgess and his administration had already begun making significant strides in improving the operations of the Village.  The Wrecking Crew led by Ringleader Debbie Williams decided that in order to return the Village to the “good ole days”, they needed to strip the Elected Mayor of his powers and instead hire their handpicked Village Administrator to run Sauk Village. In comes, Christopher Williams, with only 5 months of Municipal experience in that position in Hazel Crest, backed by the full faith and recommendation of Village Counsel and given a “reduced” salary of $90,000 a year full time. Well, with this great pick, the Wrecking Crew included FOIA Clerk as one of his duties.

Ringleader Trustee Debbie ‘Wanna Be Mayor’ Williams didn’t even bother to transfer existing FOIA requests emails to her newly hired Village Administrator.  As a result, several FOIA requests went unanswered. This immediately resulted in the filing of costly lawsuits to the Village. One FOIA, in particular, requested "Legal bills for the month of October, 2019".

Not only was that FOIA request never responded to which resulted in the filing of a lawsuit for a default denial, but once the Fanatical 5 discovered they never followed through with the email transfers, it was too late. The Illinois FOIA Statutes were simply denied which resulted in numerous lawsuits being filed.

Once that suit was filed, the Fanatical 5 Wrecking Crew through the Taxpayers’ legal counsel, attempted to cover up their own miscues by over-redaction of the legal bills so that the requester could not see what services were being paid for. Much like going to the grocery store, and having most every line of your receipt blackened out so you don't know if you paid $3.99 for a gallon of milk, or a roll of toilet paper! It made absolutely no sense. But once the bill was unredacted, it shows that Trustees and the Village Administrator were relying on Counsel at an additional price tag of $165 an hour to hide their dubious schemes and perform the Village Administrator’s duties.

What WAS CLEAR was that the Fanatical 5 Wrecking Crew knowingly and willingly conspired to conceal how they were using Village Counsel and what for, while carelessly racking up a legal bill totaling over $20,000 for just the month of October, 2019 ALONE! 

What a difference a LAWSUIT MAKES!

With just a mere 48 hours before going to court before a Judge, the Village decided instead of being found in violation of FOIA, AND CONCEALING INFORMATION, they better settle the suit, but not before it cost taxpayers THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS to do so! You can see the complete REDACTED versions and UNREDACTED versions clicking on these two links provided.

Under FOIA, a Public Body MAY REDACT certain information such as personal information, named subjects in a legal action or pending litigation, or any person being called to testify as a witness. The Village's Counsel attempted to explain that this was attorney / client private communication describe on a BILL FOR LEGAL SERVICES RENDERED. So they quickly provided the allowable versions of redactions before going to trial to avoid from going in front of a Judge and this being seen by a circuit court Judge.

What is completely clear, is that the Fanatical 5 Wrecking Crew Trustees instructed Taxpayers’ Counsel to conceal as much of the legal bills possible, to avoid being discovered in their planned scheme to undermine Mayor Burgess and undoing what was being accomplished by his administration.  They used the Taxpayers’ Counsel to systematically remove employees, cater to their whims to exact revenge against the Mayor, his administration and the Village residents that elected him.

ANOTHER CAMPAIGN FACT CHECKED

We were provided FACT CHECK on campaign material that Linda Todd, a Trustee Candidate had put out in the Village.  We are providing this information to you so you can be sure to make a FULLY INFORMED DECISION on the candidates in the April 6th Election.

FACT CHECK PROVIDED BY Concerned Residents of Sauk Village

FACT:  Linda Todd has served on the Village Board since 2017, during that time she has been
condescending, indignant and disrespectful to the current Mayor and certain residents. In fact, in 2019 she joined forces with the four other Trustees to become the “Fanatical Five” Trustees who have put Politics over Progress to shut down everything that Mayor Burgess has worked toward since taking office in 2017.  She receives an “F” for the time she has spent on the Village Board because she is does not represent ALL of the people only a select few.  ONLY ONE who VOTED AGAINST the Village’s Strategic Plan (Source: November 28, 2017 Village Board Minutes)

1700 Block of Jeffrey Avenue in Sauk Village

FACT:   RACISM!  Alive and well isn’t that right Linda Todd? She has served on committees, however, there has been no meaningful piece of legislation sponsored by this Trustee to help heal the division or bring racial equity to the Village.  In Fact, she sat on the Human Relations Commission while her neighbor put out racist signs flying a Racist Rebel Flag over an upside down American Flag on their front lawn on Jeffrey Avenue and she has said NOTHING ABOUT IT for 4 years! 

FACT:  Linda Todd wants to talk about “Unity” when in fact she has done NOTHING to bring UNITY when it comes to working with Mayor Burgess or the majority of the residents of the Village over the last 4 years.   She talks about “working” together but her actions speak otherwise.  She is a DIVIDER not a UNITER!

FACT:  Linda Todd talks about the “steady decline” in the Village… but she has done nothing for 4 years on the Village Board to bring in new business.  In fact she initially opposed and VOTED “NO” on the Gas-N-Wash Deal!  Voted NO for the Village to make $1.3 million!

 

 

BREWER ILLEGAL TAX BREAK FOLLOWING MONEY INTO HER POCKET

Bernice Brewer

SAUK VILLAGE OFFICIAL ILLEGAL TAX BREAK

by Joachim Mahomes

Here we go again Sauk Village!  As Sauk Village residents struggle with a pandemic and staggering property taxes, another politically connected official is caught with an illegal tax break.  Remember back in September, 2012 when a certain ex-mayor fraudulently claimed a homeowner’s property tax exemption for his homes here in Sauk Village and his other home in Chicago? He was suspended from his job at the time with the Cook County Assessor and ultimately resigned as Mayor.   At that time the now ex-mayor returned the $4,100 in property taxes he owed.  Now we find another Village official ran for mayor herself in 2013 now wants you to vote her back in as a Trustee.  Could this person suffer the same fate or at least the resident of Sauk Village can turn her away at the polls in April?  How can residents "trust" her?

 

Controversial Trustee Bernice Brewer, seems to habitually take on several bad traits of former disgraced elected officials.  Brewer lied about her sworn support of a fellow candidate after they were successfully elected and sworn in in 2019.  This Trustee joined their alliance with the deposed ex-mayor’s “friends” and are now known collectively called the Fanatical Five Trustees.  Our investigative efforts have sadly hit the jackpot once again, and we will see if the supporters of this Trustee who railed on the disgraced ex-Mayor are going to rail on Brewer this time for the same exact thing.  The shame is now on Brewer for violating the law and her fate is up to the people of Sauk Village.   

 

In 2015, Bernice Brewer, then referring to herself as Bernice Brewer-Houston, was facing apparent “financial” hardship and allowed her mortgage to become $55,361.76 delinquent on her home at 910 Laura Lane in Sauk Village according to public records.  The lender generously modified the terms of the agreement to a modest 40 year mortgage totaling $129,177.44!  This elected official then apparently leased out or rented her property and relocated to a double-wide trailer at 187 Blue Jay in Weatherstone’s Mobile Home Park according to a March 27, 2017 Sauk Talk article and according to nomination papers filed with the Village Clerk.  However further investigation revealed that the trailer home sold on June 16, 2015 for $28,500 MLS ID: #08599986.  Public records also show that Brewer has been claiming her homeowner’s exemption on their non-owner occupied property for the past 4 years while owning and living at another location resulting in reduced property taxes in the amount of $6,100 and about $1500 owed to Sauk Village directly based on calculations.  Sound familiar yet?  

 

Sauk Village’s Attorney Burt Odelson was quoted in a recent news article about another crooked politician “You see that from time to time with politicians,” Odelson said. “They vote out of one, and they have a fake home, and they get caught taking a homestead exemption, which is a crime.”  Brewer is registered to vote at her address on Blue Jay and not a property she rents out in Sauk Village.  

 

The Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi’s office has a whistleblowing online program.  “When someone gets an undeserved break on taxes, you pay more than fair share.  If you know that a property is improperly receiving an exemption, tell us”. Their website is:  http://whistleblowing.cookcountyassessor.com/

 

How ironic it is that Bernice Brewer repeatedly proclaims at every board meeting, “a Trustee’s job is to follow the money”.  Well that was not a hard job for her, as we can see her watching the money fall right into her own pockets for the past 4 years four years now, the entire time they have been in elected office.  A violation of the Public Trust worthy of demands for her resignation as many did against the ex-Mayor from 2010 to 2012.    

 

This is the same elected official who advocated that a forensic audit be performed on the Village finances in hopes of embarrassing the current Mayor of Sauk Village the results of which showed no wrong doing but cost the taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars; the very same elected official that continuously requests legal advice from the taxpayer paid law firm that made the quote above; the same elected official who has formally announced their bid to re-run for office and is now circulating her political pack of lies.  Many long-time residents do not support this person’s bid for re-election.  “If they are always falsely accusing another elected official of fraud while cheating the residents out of our money, why would anyone vote for them?”