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.  

 

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.    

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".  

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. 

VILLAGE OFFICIALS FILE FALSE TREASURER'S REPORT

SAUK VILLAGE |  Village officials may have falsified the Village's Treasurer's Report according to official Village records.  Village Clerk Debbie Williams certified the Village's Treasurer's Report which apparently was void of two individuals who have been on the Village's payroll since 2015.

JW Fairman and his assistant former Northlake Mayor Reid Paxson are nowhere on the most current year's Treasurer's Reports.  Fairman and his consultant company JW Fairman LLC or perhaps JW Fairman LTD were hired by Mayor David Hanks in the wake of the Village election in 2015 during the lame-duck session.  Fairman or his consultant company are reported earning $100,000 per year while his part-time "assistant" is paid $25,000 per year.  Fairman, his company and Paxson are not found on the most recent Treasurer's Report.  "All employees and vendors" earning over $25,000 are required to be listed on the report according to Illinois law.

 

Fairman receives a state and Cook County pension, and it is unclear if his "full-time" employment with Sauk Village would impact those pensions and if the omission was intentional.  Fairman was a prison administrator for Cook County jail and retired.  What is clear is that village officials did not list Fairman and Paxson on the Treasurer's report, yet all other Village employees, contractors and vendors are listed out on the report (***CLICK HERE TO VIEW REPORT***)

Both Hanks and Williams have been criticized by residents and three of the six Village Trustees for the lack of transparency and in 2016 both were admonished with a petition of No Confidence signed by 652 residents.  Williams most recently had her petitions challenged for Village Clerk among many other reasons, because she accepted a check from a village vendor for her so-called "personal trip" to Washington DC in 2013.  Williams said on July 23, 2013 at a Village Board meeting that she paid for the trip with her own money, however, a Freedom of Information Act request clearly showed she did not.  The Electoral Board in January of this year, which included Hanks and her daughter Rosie Williams, voted 2 to 1 to keep Williams on the ballot. 

Williams may still face charges from the Cook County States Attorney for failing to report money she received on her Statement of Economic Interest which is required under Illinois law.

"I do not understand how they keep getting things so wrong" a long-time resident said.  "The Village Treasurer gets indicted and pled guilty to Federal charges and these guys keep getting away with crap like this" they said.

The Village Treasurer, James Griegel appointed by Hanks in May, 2013 was arrested in January, 2016 and later Federal charges were filed against Griegel for embezzlement of Police Pension Funds.  The Village has not had a Treasurer in place doing the job since January, 2016 when Hanks put Griegel on "paid" administrative leave.

***UPDATE*** March 28, 2017:  At Tuesday's meeting JW Fairman's advised the public that we were correct that there was an omission was corrected and the Village has filed an amended Treasurer's Report!  We applaud their effort at Financial transparency in government!  

CONTROVERSIAL CANDIDATE DEBBIE WILLIAMS FACES CHALLENGES

CHECK PAYABLE TO DEBRA WILLIAMS

Copy of Exhibit from Anderson v Williams

obtained from FOIA and Illinois Attorney General

Binding Opinion

PETITION CHALLENGER SAYS PROCESS IS RIGGED

SAUK VILLAGE |  The incumbent Village Clerk Debra Williams faces a formal challenge being filed by former Village Trustee Francine Anderson against Debra Williams's name being certified to be placed on the April, 2017 ballot.

Anderson states in her 33 page objection, among several other matters, that Williams accepted a check for $500.00 from the Village's Attorney Odelson and Sterk for her trip to Washington DC. for the Building One America Summit which began the "Travelgate" scandal.  Anderson contends that since the Office of the Illinois Attorney General  determined that the trip was in her "official capacity as Village Clerk" that the money should have been rightfully deposited with the Village and consequently, Williams owes the money to the Village.  Anderson cites the Illinois law and Illinois Supreme Court ruling stating that a person cannot be a candidate for office if that person owes the Municipality money.

Anderson also objects to certain notaries on the petitions filed by Williams as Williams notarized some of her own petitions as did another notary who signed Williams's petitions a violation of State law according to Anderson.  Anderson claims in her objection that this would leave Williams without the requisite number of signatures to have her name as a candidate for Village Clerk and she should not be certified for the ballot.

Williams, who could not afford to pay for the trip to Washington DC on her own dime in 2013, has  apparently hired a high profile downtown Chicago attorney to defend her to keep her on the ballot.  Anderson is stating that there is a blatant show of conflict of interest in the Electoral Board process if they should allow Clerk Williams' daughter, Trustee and now Mayoral Candidate Rosie Williams to continue to be a part of the Electoral Board process with charges against her mother.  Anderson filed a motion to recuse or exclude Rosie Williams from the Electoral Board and Debbie Williams is fighting that challenge as well.

"At what point do you say that this entire process is rigged" asks Anderson?  "When you have the daughter sitting in judgment over her mother, you know which way that is going to go", Anderson said.

Williams's attorney filed a motion to dismiss the entire matter at last week's hearing and Anderson expects that the Electoral Board will likely vote to dismiss the matter.  "Well, when you have an electoral board that is clearly biased, the results are a foregone conclusion" Anderson said.

"We will immediately appeal the electoral board's decision if they vote to dismiss the matter.  Rosie knows better, but this goes to show you what kind of ethics that this family has", Anderson said. 

The matter is being presented before the Village's Electoral Board at 6pm tonight at Village Hall.  The Electoral Board is comprised of David Hanks, Rosie Williams and Trustee Derrick Burgess who will also act as the "temporary clerk" during the proceedings since Clerk Debbie Williams is the subject of the challenge. 

Marva Campbell-Pruitt

While Williams may be on the April ballot, she will face a formidable candidate and the outcome of the election is anything but certain.  Marva Campbell-Pruitt has filed proper nomination petitions for Village Clerk and will challenge Williams one-on-one this April.   Pruitt did not challenge the validity of Williams' nomination petitions; however, she does intend on beating her at the ballot box.  Williams failed to gain 50% in a crowded field of candidates in 2013 but won a majority of the votes cast for her re-election bid.  Pruitt believes that the residents have "Williams fatigue" and are ready for change and to restore faith and trust in the office of Village Clerk.

Pruitt is running as an independent candidate for Village Clerk and said she is ready to restore confidence in the office of Village Clerk once more.  Pruitt plans on running a "progressive" and grass roots campaign for Village Clerk.

Pruitt currently serves as Vice President of School District 168 and revitalized the Village's current Beautification Committee in 2009 bringing back the time-honored "Hootsie Award" and annual village-wide clean up campaign. 

CLICK LINK TO READ MORE

CLICK LINK TO READ BINDING OPINION ISSUED BY ATTORNEY GENERAL

GRANT REINSTATED FIRST ON BALLOT FOR TRUSTEE

RODRICK R. GRANT

Independent Candidate

Village Trustee

SAUK VILLAGE |  Village Trustee candidate Rodrick Grant has been restored to his first position on the April, 2017 ballot following an unprecedented election blunder by Village Clerk Debra Williams.

Grant's name was originally drawn from among the candidates who filed at 8am on the first day to file nomination petitions by Williams.  Williams failed to pull the remaining three candidates names to determine the ballot position instead held an unprecedented "do over" later that day re-pulling for first ballot position.

Grant filed a formal objection and complaint with the office of the Village Clerk and Cook County Clerk David Orr's office demanding that he be put back in first ballot position again and then the remaining three positions.

Earlier Tuesday Williams, for reasons unknown but certainly after consulting with the Village's attorney, reinstated Grant to his original first ballot position according to another candidate. 

Marva Campbell-Pruitt, who is opposing Williams for Village Clerk said she will "get it right the first year" she is in office.  "It will not take two terms" Pruitt said.  Pruitt blasted Williams for costing taxpayers money in attorney fees for not knowing her job.  "We must find a way to conduct our own investigations without paying attorneys to tell us how to do our jobs" Pruitt said.

Grant's name will appear first for the office of Village Trustee as an independent candidate.  Bernice Brewer-Houston, Independent Candidate will appear next followed by the former Village Clerk and now Independent Candidate Beth Zupon third.  The remaining candidates will follow.  The seats of Rosie Williams and Lynda Washington will be open as they are not running for Village Trustee in April.

Williams confirmed she will certify the ballot with Grant's name being first on the ballot for Village Trustee according to Grant Tuesday night.

"I'm very pleased that we were able to resolve this without having to seek other relief.  We only wanted what was fair and what was originally done according to the law" Grant said.

Grant is 27 years old and is youngest candidate seeking election and should he be elected as Trustee in April, 2017, Grant would be only the 7th youngest in Village history.

WILLIAMS CANDIDACY CHALLENGED

TRAVELGATE SCANDAL COULD KEEP WILLIAMS OFF BALLOT

SAUK VILLAGE |  Shades of Travelgate, the so-called “personal trip” that Debra Williams and her daughter Trustee Rosie Williams took to a Building One America Summit in July, 2013, continue to plague the Village Clerk.  

Former Village Trustee Francine Anderson filed a formal objection to Debra Williams’s candidacy for Village Clerk claiming that she in fact owes the Village money from the trip.  Anderson in her objection claims that Williams solicited “donations and sponsorships” in her official capacity as Village Clerk.  That Williams accepted a check for $500 from a village vendor and provides a copy of the check to support her claim.  Anderson claims that Williams did not deposit the money into the village’s account, as required under law, therefore, owes the Village said money.  Under Illinois law, a person cannot be in arrears on any debt or owe money to a municipality and be eligible to run for office.  Anderson cites case law to support this claim in her objection.

To support Anderson’s claim, she included a copy of the Binding Opinion issued against Williams by the Illinois Attorney General stating Williams “acted in her official capacity as Village Clerk…” during the solicitation of funds for the Building One America Summit.

Anderson lists other objections to Williams’s candidacy along with several exhibits to support her claims.  Williams apparently notarized her own petitions, which Anderson cites that under Illinois law, that a Notary Public cannot notarize any document to which they are a party to within the document.

Attempts to reach Anderson for comment were unsuccessful; however, she did provide a copy of her 33 page objection to the Sauk Villager.

The objection further asks the electoral board for the recusal of certain members from serving on the board including the Village Attorney, David Hanks, Debbie Williams, her daughter Rosie Williams, Trustees Derrick Burgess, Lynda Washinton and Edward Myers for various reasons and conflicts of interest.  Typically Electoral Boards are not to have any conflicts of interest in the matter which they are to decide.  The Mayor, Village Clerk and the senior most Trustee which would be the daughter of Debra Williams, Rosie Williams, would serve on the Board.  Anderson claims all three have a direct conflict of interest in rendering a decision in the matter.  Anderson claims that Rosie Williams was a participant in the Building One America trip and that Debra Williams is her mother. 

Williams was first elected in 2009 as Village Clerk and ran with former mayor Lewis Towers.  Williams is being challenged for Village Clerk by Marva Campbell-Pruitt, who currently serves as Vice President of the School Board.  Campbell-Pruitt challenged Williams in 2013 in a crowded four-way race and Williams won with less than 50% of the vote.  Campbell-Pruitt promises rebuilding faith and trust in the office of Village Clerk.  Campbell-Pruitt promises not to solicit village vendors for personal gain.

VILLAGE CLERK DEBBIE WILLIAMS DOES ILLEGAL "DO OVER"

SAUK VILLAGE |  Anytime there is a simultaneous filing of nomination papers for the offices of Mayor, Village Clerk and Village Trustee there is a lottery to determine ballot position.  This lottery was called in accordance with the law for 1pm Wednesday, December 28th following proper notice to the candidates and to the public of the event.

At I pm on Wednesday, December 28th, the lottery to determine candidates' positions on the ballot was held.  The offices of Mayor, Village Clerk and the first position of Trustee were duly executed according to election guidelines.  

What happened next, defied past precedence and what is established as a guideline in the Candidate’s Guide published by the State of Illinois. Village Clerk Debra Williams, after drawing Rodrick Grant’s name for the first ballot position for Village Trustee, decided to "assign" numbers for ballot positions 2 through 4.  Williams claimed that each of the candidates who filed at 8am was given a piece of paper with a number on it and that will be how they will appear on the ballot.  Trustee candidate and former Village Clerk Beth Zupon openly objected.  I don’t believe that’s right, Debbie.  You're supposed to continue drawing for as many positions as had candidates at 8 am that first filing morning,” Zupon said. .  Williams said that was the way that she understood it to be done and said she would "check" with the Village’s Attorney and if there was a problem she would “let us know”.

Williams contacted Zupon later that afternoon via telephone that she was admitted to Zupon that she had “incorrectly conducted the Trustee lottery and she wanted to "redo” the Trustee lottery at 5pm at Village Hall.  Please note that Village Hall is closed at 5pm and no public notices were posted or given.  According to Zupon she conveyed to Williams that she felt that Grant should retain the first position since his name was drawn at the earlier lottery, during her phone conversation with Williams said she agreed with Zupon.

When the candidates arrived at Village Hall at 5pm for the “do-over” lottery, for which no public notice was given nor any official notice to all candidates that were present at the 1pm lottery, Clerk Williams apparently "changed" her mind and conducted an entirely new lottery for the ballot position claiming that it was in accordance with approved Illinois State Board of Elections process.   Williams re-pulled for the first ballot position for Trustee displacing Rodrick Grant from the first ballot spot.  Grant and Zupon objected to no avail.  A candidate who filed Williams’s nomination papers was pulled for first ballot position.  

Grant indicated late Wednesday that he will file a formal objection with election authorities as he was the candidate who drew first ballot position at the legally constituted lottery drawing.

We will provide updates as they are received.

FEDERAL INVESTIGATION: HAS THE VILLAGE MISAPPROPRIATED GRANT MONEY? PAY TO PLAY?

ILLINOIS ATTORNEY GENERAL ISSUES DETERMINATION- VILLAGE VIOLATED LAW... AGAIN!

SAUK VILLAGE | The Illinois Attorney General has once again issued a determination that the Village has violated the Freedom of Information Act.

A request through the Freedom of Information Act for documents was made to the Village on May 11, 2016 for documents pertaining to a grant the Village received from the Illinois Public Risk Fund to purchase bullet proof vests for members of the Sauk Village Police Department.  We requested “all receipts, invoices, purchase order/requisitions, communication and correspondence showing the use and expenditure of these funds from said grant”.

On June, 2, 2016, the Village finally responded and furnished a one-page accounting which appeared to be an account ledger.  The Illinois Attorney General determined that the Village violated the Act because it did not respond to the request nor did it ask for additional time to complete the request as the law states.

On July 7^th the Village submitted a response to our Request for Review to the Attorney General’s office.  The Village stated that Mohan Rao, the Village’s Finance Director, is the “record keeper for grant materials”.  In the Village’s response they provided additional information that they submitted to the Attorney General in confidence and the Attorney General therefore could not provide us with copies of that confidential “information”.

Our response to the Village at that time was that the Village did not deny they received the grant and therefore it should maintain additional records related to its receipt and expenditure.

The Illinois Attorney General’s office determined that the Village violated the Freedom of Information Act because their response was “untimely” that it did not conduct a “reasonable search” for the documents we had requested. 

The Village’s official response was that the Village Finance Director “cannot locate the records, nor the specific measures the Finance Director took to search for them.”  Additionally the Illinois Attorney General stated that the confidential correspondence with the Village Attorney “does not adequately describe the scope of the search…”.  According to the Attorney General “The records related to a State grant recently received by the Village, and it appears likely that additional records exist regarding the application, award and expenditure.”

It appears that the Village has once again "lost" pertinent records regarding the details of the grant.  Accordingly we have reported this information to higher authorities.

The Illinois Attorney General had issued a rare binding opinion ordering the Village of Sauk Village to turn over “all documents” we requested with respect to Village Clerk Debbie Williams and her daughter Rosie Williams’ “personal trip” to Washington DC, which we have referred to as the Travelgate Scandal. ***CLICK HERE TO VIEW BINDING OPINION*** The Williams duo had used the Village’s website and Village resources to solicit “donations” from Village vendors, yet the Williams duo claimed “this was a personal trip”.  Both Debbie Williams and Rosie Williams spoke at a Building One America Summit in Washington DC in July, 2013.  Village vendor Pat Couch, now a Police and Fire Commissioner was appointed shortly after the trip to the Police and Fire Pension Board which may have been a “quid pro quo” or “this for that” or more commonly referred to as “pay to play”.  After the documents were finally disclosed two years later, it revealed that Couch actually paid for the dynamic duo's, Debbie and Rosie Williams, airfare to fly to Washington DC for this “personal trip”.  Couch actually attended this conference with the Williamses.  No documents were provided showing that Debbie and Rosie Williams reimbursed Couch for her money.

The Village Administration, supported by Rosie Williams and the votes she cast, has established a pattern of blocking the public’s access to documents and overall transparency.  The Village sued the Attorney General in order to block production of the documents concerning the “Travelgate” scandal.  Hanks and the Williamses spent thousands of tax dollars in their failed attempts to block the production of these documents.  

It is only due to the persistence of information can we find the answers we seek from this administration.  The big question for Sauk Village residents is WHY? WHY CAN'T INFORMATION BE FORTHCOMING WITHOUT BEING MADE TO DO SO?

For more information on Travelgate ***CLICK HERE***