From Nunda Township Road Commissioner Mike Lesperance:
The Parrish Brothers’ Attempted Political Smear Campaign Fails Miserably, Wasting Taxpayer Resources
Nunda Township, IL – The fraudulent and illegal attempts by Rob Parrish and his allies to weaponize local government offices against Nunda Township Highway Commissioner Mike Lesperance have ultimately failed.
After more than a year of baseless accusations, taxpayer money spent, and countless resources diverted from important work, it is now clear that this was nothing more than a desperate, politically motivated smear campaign.
For twelve years, Rob Parrish has relentlessly attended Nunda Township meetings, fixated on discrediting the man who defeated him in the race for Highway Commissioner.
His search for an excuse to tarnish Commissioner Lesperance’s reputation has come up empty time and again.
With the next election approaching, Parrish grew more desperate and resorted to fabricating a claim.
The fabricated accusation alleged that Commissioner Lesperance had used taxpayer funds to install a storm sewer intended to protect his personal property from flooding.
The reality?
The property in question had been sold 15 years ago, long before Mike Lesperance even took office as Highway Commissioner.
When presented with irrefutable evidence of this fact, Parrish continued to press the baseless narrative.
The situation escalated when Parrish and his brother Tim, alongside their ally Johanna Donahue, illegally hired an attorney to push forward with the complaint.
They sought to drag the State’s Attorney’s office and the Sheriff’s Department into the matter, despite knowing the claim had no merit.
Over the course of more than a year and at a cost of over $100,000 in taxpayer dollars, multiple government agencies investigated the matter, only to conclude that the entire case was a complete waste of time and resources.
The final verdict? FN 1
A 30-page sheriff’s report confirming what had been clear from the start—the accusation was entirely unfounded and the investigation unnecessary.
The conclusion is clear: Rob Parrish and his associates, have proven themselves to be self-serving individuals, more concerned with advancing personal vendettas than serving the public.
Their actions demonstrate a blatant disregard for taxpayers and local government resources, all in the pursuit of their own political agenda.
“Despite their public claims of being tax watchdogs, the Parrish brothers have shown they are willing to waste public resources to further their own selfish objectives,” said Mike Lesperance.
“This was never about the taxpayers or the public good—it was about Rob Parrish’s inability to accept defeat and his willingness to go to any lengths to harm those he perceives as standing in his way.”
As this matter concludes, one thing is abundantly clear: the people of Nunda Township deserve leaders who focus on serving the community, not on petty political games and baseless attacks.
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FN1 – McHenry County Sheriff’s Office, Report Number SO-24-012757 is available by FOIA request.
