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?”

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. 

WHEELS COME OFF THE BUS: CONSPIRACY AGAINST PROGRESS

Victory at what cost? It's Costing YOU

Opinion Editorial
Shortly after their election victory in April, 2019 the newly elected and the one chosen by a “coin flip” trustees Debbie Williams, Sherry Jasinski and flip-flopper Gary Bell conspired and created a scheme with Trustees Bernice Brewer and Linda Todd to:

• First- get rid of Mayor Derrick Burgess’ hires and shut down the progress the Village made from 2017 to 2019. ---CHECK! 
• The second part of their plan was to get things back to the “old ways” on how things were done at Village Hall.  ---CHECK!
• The third part of their scheme was to bring in a hired gun someone who could lay down the law and be the antagonist to Mayor Derrick Burgess. ---UM...WELL....

The new Fanatical Five Trustees, as they have been collectively called by residents (the new BOBBLE HEADS), settled on Christopher Williams, the former Village Administrator from Hazel Crest.  Christopher Williams worked at Hazel Crest and as a Village Administrator for five whole

Social Media Post:  July 18, 2019  Note- Trustee Rodrick Grant
was the only "NO" vote to hire Christopher Williams

months before they brought him to Sauk Village.   Christopher Williams clearly did not have the requisite experience to do the job.  Mayor Derrick Burgess had clearly seen this fatal flaw from day one.  Not to mention Mayor Derrick Burgess, who earns $20,000 per year to serve as Mayor was running the day to day operations of the Village just fine for two years at that salary in order to save Sauk Village money.  Never the less, the Fanatical Five led by Debbie Williams hired Christopher Williams for a Salary and benefits exceeding $112,000 per year.  Additionally, they even allowed him to work less than 8 hours per day and less than 5 days per week without questions nor accountability.  

Mayor Derrick Burgess tried to reason with the Five Trustees stating he did not ask for a Village Administrator to which Sherry Jasinski smugly chimed in during the election “you’re going to get one anyway”. Burgess attempted to block the measure vetoing the ill-written Ordinance that they passed to create the position to no avail as the 5 Trustees over-rode his veto. 

Social Media Post:  August 10, 2019
So PROUD the small minded
political opposition was on the hollow
judicial victory that cost taxpayers
TENS OF THOUSANDS!

Then these five trustees, led by Debbie Williams the whole time, sued Mayor Burgess to force the mayor “from interfering with the hiring of the (Trustees’) new administrator…” (Christopher Williams).  Of course all this cost taxpayers of Sauk Village tens of thousands of dollars to fight the Mayor.  The five Trustees prevailed in court and Christopher Williams was imposed in August of 2019.   Debbie Williams said following her hollow victory in August, 2019: “What we need is a ‘Kumbaya’ moment, because we need to get the politics and the personalities out of the village. It’s hurting us.”- Courtesy Chicago Tribune August 11, 2019. No kidding Debbie!  You’re the biggest political mess that has dropped on Sauk Village.  You’re an opportunist who will not just simply go away!  But that’s ok we will remind the residents of what you really and truly are! 

Now, what did Mayor Burgess say after the court room follies in August, 2019:  “What else can I say?” Burgess said Friday of the judge’s decision. “It is what it is.” He said he was willing to work with the new village administrator, but did not agree with the way he was hired, and expressed concern about what it might portend for Sauk Village’s future.  “I hope it doesn’t become a political bonfire, which it seems like it might,” said Burgess, who has repeatedly criticized what he views as the new board’s efforts to take power from him and diminish his authority as mayor. - Courtesy Chicago Tribune August 11, 2019

Even then Mayor Burgess knew that the hiring of Christopher Williams would become a “political bonfire…”  The same Fanatical Five Trustees that voted to bring him in as administrator now delivered to him an ultimatum, resign and walk away quietly or they will fire you.   Bernice Brewer, is crying “not me…. Not me…”  Brewer and her friends even tried to play the “race card”!  But Let us remind you residents, taxpayers and voters of Sauk Village this crazy big mouth woman supported Debbie Williams, Sherry Jasinski and Gary Bell during their election in 2019.  Yes she supported Gary Bell, the same person that put out more racist posts on social media that Bernice Brewer sat silent about.  But Bernice Brewer is on her own mad dash for power to clash with Debbie Williams once again over that elusive office of Mayor.  It slipped through Bernice Brewer’s fingers in 2013 and was denied Debbie Williams daughter by a two to one margin in 2017.  They thought they had this in 2019, but clearly this message speaks for itself.    

The biggest victim of the scheme to defraud the residents of Sauk Village by Debbie Williams and her crazy cohorts of bubbling buffoons and their insane peanut gallery is truly the Taxpayers of Sauk Village!  You voted for this big sloppy mess that literally “fecal mattered” all over themselves.  There is no recovering from this one the taxpayers of Sauk Village!  You screwed up ROYALLY with these clowns in this circus!   You got hoodwinked AGAIN by Debbie Williams, now you’re going to pay the price. 

Social Media Post from Wednesday, May 13, 2020
COMPLETE VINDICATION for Mayor Burgess!

The residents voted for CHANGE in 2017, but in 2019 these Trustees conspired to stop all efforts of Mayor Derrick Burgess had promised, “Getting Sauk Village back on a pathway to progress”.  Burgess and his team worked very hard for two years from 2017-2019 to do just that despite the scheme that some fell for in 2019 which brought us the Fanatical Five.  Derrick Burgess was right all along!   We told you so!  And I’m not hating to tell you this time. 

Steve LaRock

Editor of the Sauk Village, Illinois Facebook Page

Oh, PS-  If you believe a FAKE name on Facebook is providing you with factual information, think again!  If you like FAKE NEWS, the antics of Lynda Washington a rejected candidate for mayor and rejected Trustee and you like bullshit?  You'll really love the fake Bob Murphy page!

PROGRESS OVER POLITICS BECAUSE PROGRESS MATTERS!

ENDORSEMENT- Let's Continue the Progress NOT go back to the Politics!

By Steve LaRock

SAUK VILLAGER NEWS

With the early voting ending Monday Sauk Village residents are urged to RUN... do not walk to the polls! You can get a head start on Tuesday's Municipal Elections by going to vote at the Lynwood Senior-Youth Center at 21490 Lincoln Highway, Lynwood, IL 9am - 5pm, This Monday, April 1st is the last day... and that is no April Fool's joke!  If you are not registered to vote, you will need 2 forms of identification; one with your current address on it and you will be able to register AND VOTE the same day!  You will not be able to register and vote on Election Day Tuesday, April 2nd; you must do so on Monday or you miss the boat!  Voters will be going to their local polling places Tuesday from 6am to 7pm Tuesday, April 2nd

Sauk Village has come a long way in just 2 short years under the leadership of Mayor Derrick Burgess.  We have come from the prior administration's "forward motions" which were really backward politics with a big case of do nothing for 8 long years.  Mayor Burgess promised CHANGE in 2017 and he certainly has delivered on that commitment thanks to Trustees Beth Zupon and Ronald Carter.  Zupon, Carter and newcomer Arnold Coleman embrace the Village's Strategic Plan for Progress and the new 2019 Comprehensive Plan.  

The opponents running for election and challenging Mayor Burgess are politically and personally motivated and they offer no plan of their own but are clearly about stopping Progress for Sauk Village, and frankly that's not good for residents.   

Beth Zupon, Ronald Carter and Arnold Coleman

BETH ZUPON, RONALD CARTER AND ARNOLD COLEMAN!  These three are TRUE "Independent candidates" who are the People United for Progress.  Willing to investigate and research each proposal before voting and doing the job to make sure that Sauk Village stays on that Pathway to Progress.  They will fairly represent all of the residents of Sauk Village.  They are the ONLY HOPE for continuing the Progress that Sauk Village has begun to make the last two years.  Admittedly they know that they have much more work ahead of them but they're committed to doing the job.  They will ensure that balanced budgets and lower taxes will continue, they will ensure more economic development and responsible spending with resident's tax dollars.

Zupon, Carter and Coleman will ensure that Village Government continues to be open, honest and transparent process. Sauk Village residents and taxpayers deserve these Trustees because they truly care about the community, not exacting vengeance and playing politics.

ZUPON currently serves on the Village Board of Trustees and who brings dialogue and a level of professionalism that had been lacking for many years.  Zupon is a no nonsense Trustee who is willing to listen to the opinions and concerns of others she may not agree with.  Zupon currently serves as chairperson of the Village Board's Public Safety Committee, has volunteered for many years for village events and recently brought back the Village's newsletter Sauk Talk and is working to update the Village's outdated website.  Zupon has been a homeowner for 19 years and is Vice President of a major Chicago Investment Bank. 

Zupon has earned your trust and deserves to be re-elected.

CARTER stepped up to serve our nation as a US Army Veteran and he stepped up to serve the people of Sauk Village.  Ronald Carter has served as Village Trustee filling the vacancy when Kelvin Jones resigned from the board after moving from town in 2017.  Carter has volunteered in community and is willing to help out our veterans as well.  Carter is retired after having served in law enforcement his entire career serving as Chief of Police of a south suburban community and the Cook County Department of Corrections for many years.  Carter has proven he can make the tough decisions when he stepped up to serve Sauk Village.  Carter will definitely fill in where outgoing Trustee Cecial Tates is leaving off.  He will be the only veteran on the Village Board of Trustees and Sauk Village has always honored their veterans.  

CARTER has earned your trust and proven he is no fool!  He deserves your vote!  

COLEMAN is the newcomer among all the candidate seeking to become your Village Trustee.  Coleman is married, retired from the legal field where he served as a paralegal and process server for many years.  Coleman still balances his check book the old fashion way; using a check book ledger and not an iPhone! COLEMAN is known to be frugal with his finances and is fiscally responsible.  He will be just as frugal and financially responsible with the taxpayers money too!    COLEMAN has volunteered for many ongoing events in the Village.   He served on the Village's Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee offering very helpful insight into crafting the plan for Sauk Village.    COLEMAN will truly be the breath of fresh air with new ideas, which Mayor Derrick Burgess and his colleagues embrace.  

COLEMAN deserves a vote and will work hard to earn your trust and confidence!    

We hope you consider your vote for these three candidates for Village Board and please consider a vote for 

ALSO DO NOT FORGET:
TAMMY JONES, RaDONNA BROWN and BRANDIE JACKSON-WILLIAMS for School Board Member for Community Consolidated School District 168.  These three women are committed to the success of Sauk Village schools which include raising our standards.  

SAUK VILLAGE MAKING PROGRESS AND CHANGE UNDER BURGESS

BURGESS TAKES OATH IN 2017

By Steve LaRock

SAUK VILLAGE |  He retired from his job as an engineer from the University of Illinois, Chicago and works full-time as Mayor of Sauk Village at a salary of $20,000 per year.  He opted to forego a full-time Village administrator to save the residents more than $175,000 per year.  He is Derrick Burgess, a soft-spoken, 37-year resident and homeowner.  Derrick Burgess was elected mayor of Sauk Village in May, 2017.

How did he become mayor of 10,500 residents?  Burgess came armed with a charismatic style and aura that exudes sincerity and genuine concern.  Burgess crafted a positive campaign in 2017 focused on growth and getting Sauk Village on a Pathway to Progress.  He promised to get the Village’s finances back in order, focus attention on economic development and make Village government more efficient and better organized.  Burgess mounted a forward-looking campaign that also promised an end to negative rhetoric about past administrations and to put a stop to stagnation, status-quo and business as usual practice. He presented the residents with his Strategic Plan for Progress, a multi-point plan outlining how he planned to restore Sauk Village to a cleaner, viable community.  Burgess’ competitors, however, offered no real tangible plan but instead focused on backward thinking which would have continued the status quo which residents clearly did not want. Residents expressed they were tired of the negative politics and were ready for a leader that could save the value of their largest investment; their homes.  They wanted a leader that would deliver on what they promised, without lame excuses. Many residents told him of their frustration with the lack of community development, the deterioration of homes and the lack of property maintenance.  Burgess convinced the residents of his sincerity and determination to tackle  these challenges. After the 2017 election, Burgess hit the ground running and has delivered on these promises in just 21 short months!  

Burgess’ first initiative was to get the Village Board to adopt his Strategic Plan for Progress; the very first plan ever adopted by a Village Board in Sauk Village’s history.  The Plan called for much attention toward economic development and addressing the negative impact of vacant homes.  

A huge Standing Room only crowd came out to

 support Mayor Burgess for his Inauguration in 2017.

Burgess with the help of the progressive Village Trustees Beth Zupon, Ronald Carter, Rodrick Grant, Cecial Tates and his staff have forged ahead and have realized successes in:

• ·         obtaining a grant to mow the grass of 178 vacant homes.  Some of the vacant homes had not been mowed in 10 years.  Burgess plans on working collaboratively with the South Suburban and Cook County Land Banks as well as private investors to get the 360 homes back on the tax rolls and filled with families.

·         Eliminating and consolidating staff positions position from the prior administration, netted out a savings of over $275,000 in salary and benefits.  

·         Making great strides with the Village’s finances: 

o    replaced the hold over Director of Finance,

o    virtually eliminated the Village’s aging report, 

o    balanced the Village’s budget, 

o    meeting current budget projections by living within the Village’s means, 

o    refinanced existing bonds and obtaining a new $2 million dollar bond which saved money on interest at no cost to homeowners, 

o    Received the GFAO Budget Award for the first time since 2008.  

Burgess and the Trustees who support getting Sauk Village on the Pathway to Progress have applied, received or worked on over $1.7 million in grants and assistance in less than two years!  Grants for road repair, engineering, maintaining vacant homes, demolition of abandoned homes, police equipment and other critical matters.  

Burgess and the Trustees who support moving the Village in a new direction have supported increasing our housing standards by proper enforcement of the Village’s codes.  They have taken on many projects aimed at updating and bringing Sauk Village into the 21^st century.  The Village is finalizing a new Comprehensive Plan which will help the Village with growth and planning for the next 10 to 20 years.  The most recent plan was completed in 1985 and updated in 1999.  The new plan was funded by at $135,000 grant and recently the draft was discussed at an Advisory Committee meeting which calls for a New Town Center on the site of Surreybrook Plaza and a new concept for a Central Park, Community Center and Fire Station.

The progress the Village has made under Mayor Burgess’ leadership was so impressive that the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning has provided the Village with a fully funded staff Planner for the Village for the next two years.   The goal of the planner is to assist the village with the objectives in the new Comprehensive Plan and to assist with grant opportunities among many other tasks.  

Mayor Burgess spoke about all the “progress” the Village has made during his recent State of the Village address and a $350,000 grant the Village received for a Phase 1 Engineering Study for expansion of rail spur access and roadways in the LogistiCenter Industrial Park.  Burgess also spoke about the $10 million investment that Gas-N-Wash is making in Sauk Village bringing a 12,000 square foot convenience store, a new Dunkin Donuts, gasoline station, Pops Roast Beef, Browns Chicken and a Truck Stop on the Northwest Corner of Sauk Trail and Illinois 394.  The Village sold the 32 acres of land to the developer Leonard McEnery for $1.35 million.  The Village owned the property for 14 years and did nothing to market the property until Burgess took office. Burgess and the Trustees who support the Strategic Plan for Progress did not wish to squander the profit the Village made on the land but instead put some $800,000 in reserve for a rainy day.  Recently the Village Board approved a budget amendment to allow the Police, Fire and Public Works departments the opportunity for some long overdue capital purchases and improvements.

Recently a local paper recently printed a retraction to a story in which a lone and rogue village trustee politically and personally opposing everything that Mayor Burgess and the group of progressive Trustees have been trying to achieve made untruthful, unverifiable and inaccurate information.  This last week that same publication ran their retraction in which they said “it was acknowledged that many things were said that ha been off base and inaccurate.  Allegations made against Mayor Burgess did not reflect that of verifiable truths…”  We applaud the South Suburban News for the retraction, clarification and printing the truth. 

Another local publication, with an apparent vendetta against Mayor Burgess and the progressive Trustees who support his Strategic Plan for Progress continuously puts wild inaccurate headlines and quotes only what politically motivated audience members ramble on about at the Village meetings but nothing of the content of the meetings and sends no reporter to the meeting. 

So, despite the personal attacks and wild allegations made during official Board meetings by a Trustee who has voiced her aspirations of challenging Burgess for mayor in 2021.  So this rogue trustee along with one lone publication that apparently enjoys printing negativity and misinformation created by those who politically do not support this administration, the Burgess administration will continue to focus on the progress for moving Sauk Village ahead and the objectives in the Strategic Plan for Progress. Burgess does not comment on the negativity because there is no truth to give it credence.

All in all Mayor Burgess has been doing the job and apparently well enough that he has landed a commercial development not done since 1998.  So apparently no matter how good of a job this Mayor does, there will always be politically motivated people who want to stop progress or they are simply C.A.V.E people (Completely Against Virtually Everything).

MEET RADONNA BROWN- Candidate for School Board District 168

RADONNA BROWN, M.S.

BY STEVE LAROCK, EDITOR

RaDonna Brown is running for School Board in Sauk Village's School District 168, election is April 2nd.   This information was provided by the candidate for this profile. This is not an endorsement for RaDonna, but we want to take this opportunity to showcase a series of candidates running in School District 168 to help educate residents of Sauk Village.  School Board members serve without compensation and are the watchdogs for your tax dollars and for the success of Sauk Village's Schools!  We hope you familiarize yourself with these candidates showcased in this series.  GOOD LUCK RaDONNA:

Meet RaDonna Brown, MS is an 13 year resident of Sauk Village, Illinois and mother of 2 children currently attending School District District 168 schools. RaDonna has owned and operated a state-licensed home daycare for the last 12 years. She provides a fun, safe, reliable, and nurturing environment for children of working families in the community. RaDonna also provides home care services for the Illinois Department Of Human Services for children with disabilities. Anyone who knows RaDonna, will undeniably know that she has a passion for children.

RaDonna recognizes the importance of education and often encourages others. She received her undergraduate degree in 2006 (BOG/Early Childhood Education) from Chicago State University and her graduate degree in 2014 (Human Behavior) from Capella University. Throughout the years, RaDonna has earned many credentials and certifications from the Illinois Department of Human Services which includes Infant and Toddler Specialist LV2 and Early Childhood Educator LV2. She actively pursues new training and learning opportunities. As a result, RaDonna serves as a great resource for others.

RaDonna actively sits as the secretary on the board of the No Excuses Foundation, a 501(c)(3) public charitable organization, dedicated to job readiness training, criminal justice education, advocacy, and charitable services. RaDonna has engaged the needs of the community by hosting community events such Community Harvest Dinners, Community Summer Fests, assisted with Back-To-School Bookbag Supply Drives, and On-the-Spot Homeless Food Provision Services.

As a candidate, RaDonna has a personal interest in preserving and improving the quality of Community Consolidated School District 168. Her efforts as a board member would center on serving all children in the community; one child is no more important than another. Sauk Village is a diverse community and deserves board members who celebrate that diversity by catering educational needs that serve the all children of the community.

As a school board member, RaDonna pledges to advocate for every child's overall educational experience. She plans to engage and inform students, families, staff and the community. RaDonna will make sound decisions based upon sound data, all while building strong partnerships with board counterparts.

RaDonna will engage the community and allocate resources according to the needs. She kindly requests your support in her efforts to become the new voice on the Community Consolidated School District 168 School Board. Stay tuned for more candidate profiles.

SAUK VILLAGE - DO NOT LET MONEY GO DOWN THE TOILET

Don’t let your money go down the toilet!  Literally!

Steve LaRock- Editor-in-Chief

Did you know that a running toilet can waste 2 gallons per minute, but a silent toilet can literally leak 200 gallons of water per day or 6,000 gallons of water per month or 12,000 gallons before you get the water bill?  If you live in Sauk Village, one leaky toilet could cost you about $107 and your money literally would be going down the drain!

So what can you do to check if you have a leaky toilet? 

For illustration purposes may not look

like your meter.

TEST #1:  Before going to bed check your water meter reading (it’s like a little odometer reading); write down the numbers you see.  If you see that the numbers had changed, then you may have a leak (of course if you have a water softener and it decided to regenerate in the middle of the night, then be sure to repeat the test the next night to rule that out as the culprit).   If the numbers did not change you may not have a leak but be sure to recheck this using this method periodically if you suspect a leak.  Also if all of your water fixtures are shut off the dial should not be moving at all, if it is you may have a leak.

TEST #2:  Remove the toilet tank lid carefully, drop 10 drops of food coloring into the water, and put the lid back on.  DO NOT FLUSH, wait 15 minutes, and then look into the bowl if you see colored water you have a leak.  HERE IS A VIDEO SHOWING HOW THIS IS DONE (Note Sauk Village does not have the dye packs just use food coloring it's the same thing):  CLICK HERE

We hope that this tip will help you identify whether you have a leak that is costing you money unnecessarily.