When the budget for the Algonquin Township Road District was considered by the Township Board on Monday night, the Board voted 4-1 to reduce the line item for legal fees from $250,000 to $150,000.
David Chapman reviews the history of Highway Commissioner Andrew Gasser’s lawsuits.
Trustee David Chapman made the reduction motion, saying, “I can;t in good conscience vote for $250,000 for legal bills with no end in sight..
Jim Kelly explained why he disagreed with Andrew Gasser’s attorney Robert Hanlon’s opinion that the Board did not have the authority to cut a line item.
Dan Shea, longest serving Trustee, asked, “Do we have authority to reduce it?”
Attorney Jim Kelly advised that a zero in the line item for salt would be a problem, but he believed ILCS6-501(c) gave the Board the authority to reduce the amounts requested in line items.
He said that he had reviewed a memo from Gasser attorney Robert Hanlon advising the opposite and disagreed with it.
“Unfortunately, there is no really good case law on this,” Kelly said.
The vote was 4-1 for the reduction, with only Trustee Rachael Lawrence voting against the motion.
Chuck Lutzow
While voting with the majority, Supervisor Church Lutzow said he “wasn’t going to disarm Mr. Gasser.”
Trustee Melissa Victor characterized the lawsuits as Gasser’s “playing detective.
“I believe these are all meritless lawsuits.”
She pointed out that both suits had already been “dismissed twice.”
Comments about the legal fees were sprinkled through out the meeting with the most dramatic portion being an attack by Township Clerk Karen Lukasik.
Karen Lukasik attacking Andrew Gasser.
You’ll have to watch the recording of the tirade, if her assistant, Monique Miller, a previous Democratic Party candidate for the McHenry County Board, didn’t turn off the recorder, to be able to gauge its intensity.
Highway Commissioner Andrew Gasser stood calmly during it all.
During Public Comment period, which occurred after the vote, former McHenry County Board member Lou Anne Majewski berated the board majority for having “an ongoing vendetta against Mr. Gasser, “evidenced in the second guessing of his legal bills.
“The Local 150 suit is here because [former Algonquin Township Road Commissioner] Robert Miller brought Local 150 to Algonquin Township.
“You ought to have a time out room for the lot of you,” the long-time Republican Precinct Committeeman said.
“If you continue to do this, this will be the reason that this township will be abolished.”
Her daughter, McHenry County Coroner Anne Majewski, followed up:
“Every official should be embarrassed for not questioning the [expenses] of the former [Road Commissioner].
“Why isn’t Bill Prim investigating this?
“Why isn’t the Stat’s Attorney [doing more]?”
Algonquin Village Trustee Jerry Glogowski sat in on the meeting.
Jerry Glogowoski
He spoke during Public Comment period.
“I’ve heard so many complaints. It’s getting a little tiresome.
“You don’t realize how many people [disapprove of the fighting].
“They don’t understand why intelligent people can’t get along.
“This is worse than when the Western Bypass was going on.
“You have to engage in professional behavior.”
He predicted that continued dissension would lead to the abolishing township government.
“This type of action is proving [Bop Anderson’s] point.
Brilliant! These dummies just bought another lawsuit.
They lack the power and because they listen to the self interested Township Attorney they will get more of what they ask for, another lawsuit.
These board members don’t have a clue as to what their powers actually are.
Oops there goes another lawsuit.
Oops there goes another one.
Why, because the board members just do what bob tells them to do.
Na na na na, na na nah, say hey hey –
good by, Algonquin Township!
Chapman is brilliant, he actually accepted and voted for the contract with Gasser’s Attorney now he wants to take an approach to have him breach the contract already signed sealed and delivered.
I also find it interesting that the Township has been paying for the legal defense of Anna May even though she never worked for the Township, but rather the Road Dist.
This whole board, except for Mrs Lawrence needs to go.
OMG, Cal, that picture of Lukasik is priceless!
I can almost hear the fake waterworks pouring out now.
I’m sure that any reasonable person would quit under the circumstances, but since she had to file for bankruptcy not once but twice, I think she’s sticking around for the money.
Cal can you post the letter Kelly disagreed with.
What did it say?
There are so many issues here…
Not saying it’s right but the board cannot do what they did.
They need to take some time on their own to learn the law, stop listening to Miller and whoever else is leading them and find a new township attorney.
These are children.
Grafton Township is happening all over again#
Why do we need this?
This will be great news for the McHenry Township Board of taxpayer patriots when they line out the Supervisor’s many assistants!
Here are the three teams:
–
Cal, Gasser & Company; Their goal? Keep townships, keeps redundant government, obfuscate the truth for optimum political outrage.
Their effectiveness so far: 7/10
-Algonquin Township sans Rachel; Their goal? Keep townships, get rid of elected officials with malicious intent, stay long enough to get a pension. Their effectiveness so far? 8/10
-The Taxpayers; their goal? Try not get bilked further for superfluous legal bills, outrageous pensions and increases taxes. Effectiveness? 2/10 Why?
Because we have not stormed the Bastille and taken our government back or shrunk it town to the size where it can be drowned in a bathtub.
When are people going to wake up?
Call for a referendum to end redundant township government!!!!
Anything involving Jim Kelly is doomed to be one big screw up! He was Miller’s bagboy and fixer. Why the hell would they keep him?????
Every time I see Victor in a photo she looks clueless.
What do the numbers stand for?
No way Cal, Gasser, Rachael, Bob & Company want to retain township form of government.
That was the most uneducated comment all day.
Onve Jack Franks joined the Company is when the game really took off. 9/10
Interestingly the audio of the township budget hearing prior worked fine.
The audio of the township monthly meeting worked as usual.
However, there is no audio for the township road & bridge budget hearing in between the two?
It’s so obvious that Dave Chapman say’s what Melissa Victor wants him to say.
They may be sharing a brain cell?
They will be what sways many to vote for elimination.
There’s such disrespect on display some of the board should be ashamed, but they’re not.
That’s disturbing.
I’ve been to many meetings, over many years, and probably watched more on video.
I have never before witnessed such vitriol.
As Jerry said, this is worse than the Western Bypass feud.
There goes the 2nd vacation house for Hanlon. Drats.
It’s a brilliant move.
Let the Highway Commissioner litigate the authority of the Board.
Sum total of legal spend would be the same if they just rolled over and gave the Highway Department the full budget request.
But given the split of legal authority, it’s as likely as not that the Highway Department will lose that litigation.
In which case every dollar they spend on litigating that question is one less dollar spent on other, stupid litigation – all of which will exhaust the reduced legal budget line that much faster.
Unrelated: so the township board battle lines are drawn with Lawrence using a silly lobbying trip to publicly say “I’m not like the others”.
Gotta give her credit, she didn’t let a post-election minute pass before starting to claw her way up the ladder of local politics.
I’m not sure it will work, as it seems like the reputation she’s getting is more Delores Umbridge than Maggie Thatcher.
Plus, she’s hitched her wagon to a Highway Commissioner who, right or wrong, is starting to feel like more trouble than he’s worth. YMMV, of course.
I see we have a new progressive basher with a dumb screen name to boot. I am insulted by the immature attempt to use internet “text” language to insinuate they are chichi. Please don’t try to degrade the beautiful, rich and diverse language we have with your banal inappropriately placed acronyms. It exposes your complaisant high handedness.