Algonquin Township – Missing records confirmed – Clerk should resign!

McHenry Co. (ECWd) –

The public has a right to know how their money is spent, and with proper supporting documentation. In the case of the former Algonquin Township Highway Commissioner Bob Miller, a questionable document was presented by Miller to justify a claim that he is owed for 263 sick days from over twenty years ago.

Over a month ago we wrote about these questionable documents in this article.

December 6th I submitted an FOIA request that included this record:

“A copy of the Audit referenced in the February 25, 1997, Memorandum from Tom Schober.  This audit is reported to have been done regarding Rober Miller’s past employment and reports a claimed sick day entitlement”

Any guess on the existence if this Audit referenced in Miller’s claim of owed sick days?

“There is no responsive document” – (Lukasik response here)

So once again we have a questionable document used to extract money from the taxpayers of which those documents cite other documents that do not exist!

Why should Lukasik resign?

As if the video evidence of her taking documents out of an office and not producing them as well as taking pictures of records and claiming they don’t exist as exposed in this article is not enough, her excuses for noncompliance to our FOIA law is unacceptable.

Hello Mr. Allen

I realize there are many outstanding FOIA requests and I am working on finding those this week as I am in the office this entire week.  Please understand how time consuming these tasks are as I do not have any employees and I am slowly obtaining what I can with the outstanding requests.  There were several requests in which I did not receive however they may have gone into my junk folder as I will be viewing that after this email is sent.  I did not receive any FOIAs regarding the gift cards I will try to find any information regarding those that I can.  I also do not have any information regarding any sick time to Bob Miller.  I have asked the Supervisor’s office to supply the annual reports as those reports were housed in that office prior to my taking office from what I have been told.  I am not the only FOIA officer and I have been forwarding your requests to others if I do not have the documents or do not know where they may have been moved to.

Karen Lukasik ran for office to be the Township Clerk, who is, in fact, the custodian of all records.  I have FOIA requests that were submitted in November that are still not complied with and now she claims she is going to be in the office all week working on these?  Why is she not in the office every week doing her job?

She says she is slowly obtaining what she can?  The law mandates a time frame and her “slow” pace has placed the Township in a legal dilemma as she has violated FOIA by not complying with the statutory obligations.

The next excuse is a doozy!  She will be viewing that (junk folder) after this email is sent?  So instead of viewing her junk folder first, she takes the position that she did not receive those emails and that they may have gone into her junk folder?  Would it not make more sense to view the junk folder first, before making excuses?

What type of an educated administrator continues to ignore the law and take steps that defy logic when it comes to searching for records?

She said in her excuse email January 3rd, 2017:

“I did not receive any FOIAs regarding the gift cards I will try to find any information regarding those that I can.”

Anyone willing to bet that during Discovery a forensic audit of her email account it will prove this to be a false statement?

Ms. Lukasik, do the citizens of Algonquin Township a favor and resign before you dig your hole any deeper and cost the taxpayers more of their hard-earned money.

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