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March 28, 2024

Video: Illinois Secretary of State v. Atlanta Public Library District –

By John Kraft & Kirk Allen

On February 7, 2018

SPRINGFIELD, IL. (ECWd) –

Mid-2017, we started our investigations of troubling activity within the Atlanta Public Library District.

One of the items uncovered was a “Live and Learn” Grant of $25,000 made by the Illinois Secretary of State Library to the APLD. This grant dealt with a faked lease/purchase agreement where no payments were ever made towards that agreement, and later, several leases, all of which financially benefitted APLD Trustee and Treasurer William “Bill” Thomas.

We met with representatives of the State Library last fall, filed a formal complaint, and this Hearing is the culmination of our efforts to hold Bill Thomas and the Library accountable for their actions pertaining to the grant.

It is abundantly clear they threw their former attorney under the bus for his horrible legal advice. We suggest they demand their money back from him – and as I told the board more than once, an attorney cannot authorize violations of law.

We would like to give a shout-out to Diane Benjamin (blnnews.com) and all of the concerned citizens of Atlanta, Illinois who assisted in many ways, including attending meetings, requesting public records, evaluating public records, researching people and activities, and helping us put all of the information in a format easily readable.

There are other issues still being worked on and our efforts will continue. For now, enjoy the Hearing in its entirety:

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2 Comments
  • Diane Benjamin - editor
    Posted at 16:40h, 07 February

    Just the opening comments by the library lawyer are making me sick. Did the library lie to him or is he lying to get them out of returning the grant?

  • Smack Down
    Posted at 21:59h, 08 February

    And they thought they were so prepared for this hearing. They just forgot to destroy the evidence to make sure all of their lies would not be uncovered. Again, they all need to resign including Cathy and Rachel

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