ANOTHER CONTROVERSIAL HIRE BY TRUSTEES

Jerry Hurkes- Fanatical Five Trustees' second political
 pick for Village Administrator

Trustees being led by the ring-leader Debbie Williams are set once more to make yet another controversial hire according to this Tuesday's agenda.  Without so much as posting the position of Village Administrator, the five rogue Trustees are set to hire Jerry Hurckes.  Since sometime in early 2018, Hurckes has worked as the Village of Summit’s Executive Director.  So what do the Village of Summit and Sauk Village have in common?  Their lawyers and law firm Odelson and Sterk.

Hurckes reportedly attended a closed session of the Village Board and was the only candidate for Village Administrator presented for interview.  The Trustees did not have a search committee, the position was not posted through South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association, nor was it published so it would appear that this hire is once again a politically motivated.

Hurckes held a political position with the failed Illinois Congressman Daniel Lipinski, who recently was defeated.  In fact, Hurckes, according to published reports had been seeking to become the Village Manager in Oak Lawn since sometime in 2019, his hometown.  Hurckes also ran unsuccessfully for Mayor in Oak Lawn. 

The Village Board is already poised to change the job description apparently to make accommodations for Hurckes.  Debbie Williams is no stranger to changing job descriptions to help friends and family get jobs, she was on the Village’s Library Board before taking office as Village Trustee when that board effectively "dumbed down" the qualifications so they could hire her daughter as Head Librarian.  Head Librarian’s and Director typically require a Master’s Degree; Williams’ daughter did not possess the required degree but she got the job.  The Library Board also voted to require any candidate be a resident of Sauk Village, the prior librarian lived in Indiana for years.  For the first time in the Library’s history they have an unqualified Library Director thanks to Debbie Williams. 

Hurckes, who is white, currently works part-time in the Village of Summit and earns about $35,000 according to

Resignation Letter Printed with Permission

public records.  Sauk Village has been without a full-time Village Administrator since the five Trustees fired their hand-picked guy, Christopher Williams.  Christopher Williams, who is black, was only on the job for 9 months after the Trustees fought Mayor Derrick Burgess on bringing him on.  Mayor Burgess at the time stated that he objected to the process by which the Trustees created the position of Village Administrator taking away the Mayor's ability to make the appointment like virtually every mayor has had in Sauk Village's history.  Christopher Williams offered his "involuntary" resignation claiming "There have been significant breaches of the terms of my contract, false allegations about my performance, and a steady resistance to my decision-making authority...."  Rumor has it that Debbie Williams would routinely put undue pressure upon Christopher Williams barking orders at him about firing or taking unwarranted action against certain employees of color as if she were herself alone his boss.  All of the abusive, intimidating and hostile work environmental actions by Debbie Williams went unchecked by the four Trustees which include Bernice Brewer, Linda Todd, Sherry Jasinski and Gary Bell.

 

It was reported that Debbie Williams held a pow-wow with her friend this past weekend and that she intends to run for Mayor in April, 2021.  She has been supported in her quest to shut down the progress Mayor Derrick Burgess has made from 2017 to 2019 by fellow Trustees Bernice Brewer, Linda Todd, Sherry Jasinski and Gary Bell.  Debbie Williams and her team have made some very bad decisions and it took them 6 months to put a budget together last year.  The Budget was due before the start of the fiscal year May 1^st and once again, Debbie Williams and her group of Trustees have been focused on politics over policy.

 

Only Trustee Rodrick Grant has been the voice of reason throughout this political mess that Debbie Williams has brought to the Village Board.  Williams has once again brought a circus atmosphere back to Village Hall as she did during her tenure as Village Clerk before losing in 2017. 

“Everything that Debbie and her bobble heads have done has completely lacked transparency which is what these five dunderhead Trustees complained about and lied to residents to get elected.  Funny how what they complain about their doing the exact same thing” a long-time resident said after reading the agenda. 

CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION SOUGHT IN SAUK VILLAGE

Christopher Williams- Village Administrator

***Criminal Fraud Investigation Sought*** 

Calls and inquiries to the US Attorney, Cook County States Attorney and to the Better Government Association (BGA) to begin a criminal investigation for ghost payroll by Village Trustees are being made as Village Administrator Christopher Williams is paid for over 35 days of work missed at the apparent direction and/or knowledge of Fanatical Five Trustees!  Ghost payrolling is when employees are paid but have not actually worked or did not exist.  The Administrator's contract calls for no such time off, as all employees have to wait 12 months for vacation time and are not afforded 35 personal days when hired.  Taxpayers paid out $16,019.06 in salary and benefits for absentee Village Administrator.  No other Village employees are allowed to take such paid time off nor have any been permitted to do so like Williams has been allowed. 

Christopher Williams was given a contract by the Trustees to serve as Village Administrator to the tune of $112,000 with beneifts, yet Williams has not worked 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 Village Trustees 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.  Burgess did not appoint Christopher Williams and has stated that Williams lacks the requisite experience to do the job.  Burgess was working full-time at a part-time salary of $20,000 per year.    

Trustees who fought to hire Christohper Williams have refused to answer which one of them allowed him 35 days off with full pay?  Many residents have been asking who gets 7 weeks paid time off from the day they start?  

Exacertbating matters, the Fanatical Five Trustees (led by ringleader Debbie Williams, Linda Todd, Sherry Jasinski, Bernice Brewer and Gary Bell) said they couldn't afford Mary Klopp's annual salary of $9,600 who had performed many more duties including the "dreaded" time-consuming Community Center Rentals.  The burden shifted to the overtaxed current Village Clerk causing delays in getting minutes timely completed which has resulted in the Illinois Attorney General to issue rare binding opinions claiming Village Trustees are in violation of the Illinois Open Meetings Act.

FANATICAL FIVE TRUSTEES ACTIONS COSTING TAXPAYERS

$119,254 Missing In Action

$119,254-Administrator Missing in Action Where are you?  Taxpayers want to know!

A controversial closed and non-transparent hire In July last year on the heels of the Village Trustee election which saw opponents to Mayor Derrick Burgess swept into office which included Debbie Williams, Sherry Jasinski and Gary Bell.  The trio formed a coalition with Trustees Linda Todd and Bernice Brewer to not only shut down the progress made by Mayor Burgess but to also bring in their own Village Administrator to do their bidding.  They found an inexperienced and grossly incapable candidate in Christopher Williams who had only a few months of work experience in the Village of Hazel Crest.  Williams’ employment was terminated in Hazel Crest under the guise of “consolidation” but some of Hazel Crest’s Trustees and officials privately indicated there was much more to that story.   Mayor Burgess was brought to court by the Fanatical Five Trustees to impose their new administrator upon the Village.   The court did impose Christopher Williams on the taxpayers, despite Mayor Burgess’ fervent objections to avoid having more cost imposed upon the residents and not having the right to make his own appointment. 

Make no mistake, Christopher Williams does not work for or answer to Mayor Derrick Burgess or even the taxpayers of Sauk Village for that matter he is, however, at the beck and call of the Fanatical Five Trustees led by their ringleader Debbie Williams.   Christopher Williams was hired in at an expense to the taxpayers of $90,000 per year and we wonder if there is a relationship with Trustee Debbie Williams due to their very close relationship.  So far Christopher Williams has yet to give the taxpayers of Sauk Village a 40 hour work week since he was hired.  He has taken days off, despite the fact that he has not earned any “vacation days” according to the Village’s own policy.  Christopher Williams clearly does not work on Wednesdays at all, and during other “work days” sometimes shows up as late as 11am and leaving at 3pm.  Christopher Williams sequesters himself off all day in his office popping out to use the restroom or poke his head up around lunchtime.  

Union negotiations have been non-existent with the United Steelworkers for Public Works.  Many day to day tasks have gone undone at Village Hall, ignored and pushed to the side under Christopher Williams as the Fanatical Five Trustees placed him in charge of the “day to day operations of the Village” over Mayor Derrick Burgess’ objections.  In fact, Christopher Williams has given virtually no reports of any substance during Village Board meetings.   

Clearly taxpayers are not getting what they are paying for in Christopher Williams, nor have the Fanatical Five been delivering on their campaign pledges to those who voted for them.  Taxpayers are paying Christopher Williams $90,000 in salary and a total cost to residents of $119,254 with benefits but clearly are not getting what they deserve.  The Fanatical Five are allowing gross violations of Village policy as it applies to all other employees, but it appears it's just fine for Christopher Williams.  

The new regime, the Fanatical Five are now costing taxpayers of Sauk Village $20,000-$30,000 per month in legal fees each month but are not being transparent when it comes to the invoices to show what it is they’re actually doing.  Now the Village faces action by the Illinois Attorney General because Christopher Williams is serving as the Village's Freedom of Information Act Officer and clearly is not doing the job well.  Mayor Burgess had gotten that amount down to $7,000 per month saving taxpayers $312,000 from 2017 to 2019, but that all has come to a screeching halt and the savings out the window.