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March 19, 2024

Algonquin Township Clerk captured on video removing records and more!

By Kirk Allen & John Kraft

On January 15, 2018

McHenry Co. (ECWd) –

A simple Freedom of Information Act request has now lead to yet another denial of records, however, the video evidence is going to be problematic for more than just Karen Lukasik.

FOIA Request 11/29/2017:

“A copy of any records that the current Algonquin Township Clerk removed from the offices of the Highway Commissioner, Township Supervisor, and Township.”

Lukasik FOIA Response 12/06/2017:

“There are no documents responsive to your request.  The FOIA officer for this response is the Algonquin Township Clerk, Karen Lukasik.”

If there are no records responsive to my request then I guess the video that shows her taking records and saying I’ll take “this”, and “this”, as she grabs records and walks out is just a fabricated video using state of the art video editing?  No, the video is real and the Clerk denied an FOIA request for copies of the records she took out of the Township Supervisors office which is going to be very problematic for her. (see 13:09 mark of the video below)

FOIA Request 12/17/2017:

“A copy of all digital images of public records taken with a mobile device, such as a cell phone, tablet, and/or other similar device between May 15, 2017, through June 3oth, 2017.  The request applies to digital images of public records made by the Supervisor, Highway Commissioner and Clerk during the above-referenced timeline.”

Lukasik “late” FOIA Response 01/04/2018:

“There are no documents responsive to your request for the Township Supervisor and Township Clerk.  I have forwarded your request to the Highway Commissioner for his office to answer.”

NO documents?  Really?  Then what happened to the digital images of public records that she took in the video beginning at the 6:58 mark of the video?

Now for what should be a serious concern for the citizens of Algonquin Township as well as those of Fox River Grove.

Why would Jennifer Curtiss, a Village of Fox River Grove Trustee, be going through files and a person’s desk in the Algonquin Township Supervisors Office?  Not only is this trustee from another community going through Algonquin Township records, she is left alone in an office she has no business being in.

At the 12:17 mark of the video, Curtiss asks the Clerk: “Karen, do you have the authority to be going through this stuff?” Lukasik responds with: “I can do whatever I want”.  Then, as if the Clerk’s authority is all encompassing to her, she admittedly starts going through Township employee Ryan’s “stuff”.  She even tells Clerk LuKasik at the 13:16 mark of the video that she is going through “Ryan’s” stuff, which generated a response of; “I don’t give a shit…….go through it all”.  By asking if the Clerk had authority to go through stuff you would think she would understand that the same authority question would apply to her.

This video provides clear indicators that the Clerk was not honest with her responses to our FOIA requests and is not a trusted keeper of the records. Additionally, as statutory custodian of the records, her response of “I don’t give a shit……go through it all”, is sufficient to call for her immediate resignation in our opinion.

Any Clerk that brings in another person from another community and allows them to have free access to records to include leaving them in that office alone with those records is not protecting the records of the Township.

What kind of trustee thinks it’s OK to be going through other communities records?

We urge the voters of Algonquin Township and Fox River Grove to make special note of the behavior of these two people and realize they have no place in public service.

REPOSTED VIDEO after it was first censored:

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9 Comments
  • Cindy
    Posted at 13:58h, 15 January

    What movie are they acting out? Looks like bumbling Watergate burglars taking photos like Get Smart. Do these two share a brain? Who do they think they are? Why on earth are they doing this?

    • Frank Sturgis
      Posted at 14:45h, 15 January

      Maybe they’re auditioning for an upcoming Fusion GPS production…

  • James Wilson
    Posted at 16:35h, 15 January

    Is that her personal phone she’s taking pictures of documents with? Would she not herself need to fill out a FOIA to make copies for herself?

  • Don't call me Francis
    Posted at 16:51h, 15 January

    America’s Funniest (and saddest) Government Videos.

  • Mark
    Posted at 17:17h, 15 January

    These two belong behind bars!

  • anonymouse
    Posted at 17:32h, 15 January
  • Patrick J. Peters Jr.
    Posted at 04:47h, 16 January

    Freedom of Information is only applicable to who THEY deem as “terrorists!” Patriot’s get beheaded and my neck is achin’!!!!!!!

  • CJ Pee
    Posted at 06:36h, 16 January

    Where the hell is Edgar County & why are they interested in our local issues? Why don’t they know that Fox River Grove is in Algonquin Township instead of calling them different communities?

    • Kirk Allen
      Posted at 07:29h, 16 January

      It was corrected within minutes of publication. I KNOW there is no Township of FRG as I used to live in Algonquin, Sad that a typo is your only concern.

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