Champaign Co., Ill. (ECWd) –
The Illinois State Police (ISP), investigation report of the Mahomet Township Road District Highway Commissioner, Christian A. Doenitz, has been released after the Attorney General chose to ignore the findings in the report.
With shocking admissions by Doenitz, documented by the ISP, one can only wonder what laws matter anymore in Illinois.
Shocking and confusing findings in the report:
- Doenitz said there is not a detailed account as to what time employees arrive at work, leave work, or what duties they did during each day.
- Doenitz pays overtime (time and a half) to employees who work over eight hours.
Can anyone explain how you pay overtime when you have no detailed account as to what time employees arrive at work or leave work?
- Doenitz admitted Rob Harper works full-time for him on his farm, as well as at the road district. Doenitz also admitted that Harper has worked for him on his farm while getting paid by the township. Doenitz said Harper is paid full-time for both places at the same time. So, when Harper is getting paid to work at the road district Harper is also doing work on Doenitz’s farm and getting paid by Doenitz. Doenitz believes it’s legal and acceptable for Harper to be paid by both places at the same time (double dipping), because Doenitz pays Harper an hourly wage accordingly from both places: Harper is paid $ an hour by the township and by Doenitz. Doenitz said Harper gets paid considerably less than Paul Christie and Greg Richardson. Plus, Harper is on-call all the time. Doenitz said this is done at his discretion.
So, in Illinois, it must be OK to use government funds to pay people to work on your private farm.
- Doenitz denied ever using Township or Road District money to pay for anything that he uses for personal use.
- Reference the purchase of 80 large concrete blocks in 2015 from CSI Concrete Supply in Tolono, Illinois. Doenitz admitted the Road District purchased those blocks to make bins to hold cold patch (used for road repairs) and other things. Doenitz admitted not all of those blocks are at the Road District: Blue Ridge Township (in Mansfield, IL, Piatt County) and Newcomb Township (just north of Mahomet, in Champaign County) borrowed some of them. When Newcomb Township returned them, it was after hours and delivered them to Doenitz’s residence/farm and used Doenitz’s backhoe to unload the blocks. Doenitz admitted approximately 15 blocks are still sitting at his residence and have been for about 2 years just because he hasn’t taken the time to move them to the Road District facility.
- Doenitz said Blue Ridge Township still has “several” of the blocks. Doenitz denied ever using the blocks for personal use. Doenitz said Blue Ridge Township may have used the concrete blocks for a tractor-pull track in Mansfield under the water tower.
- Doenitz did not have a written agreement as to how long the other townships would borrow the blocks for, what they would or could use them for, nor when they would return them. Doenitz has not charged the townships rent for the blocks, and neither township have offered to purchase any of the blocks from Mahomet Road District.
I wonder how the taxpayers feel when their tax dollars are being used to provide materials to other townships rent-free so they can use them for private purposes.
- Doenitz denied ever having any Road District or township equipment, supplies or materials at his residence or property.
So he confirms he has Road District materials (concrete blocks), that have been at his residence for about 2 years in one statement, then denies there are any Road District materials at his residence.
- Doenitz verified he has a son, Christopher Ryan Doenitz and he goes my Ryan. Ryan works at the Road District on a part-time, winter basis, but used to be full-time until this past March. The Road District has a laptop they use for diagnostic tests on their trucks that Ryan would use. Doenitz admitted Ryan would keep the laptop in his personal service truck and use it for personal use because Doenitz “didn’t care.”
So even when confirmed government property is being used for private purposes for a for-profit business the Attorney General does nothing. So much for the Illinois State Constitution, specifically Article VIII Section 1.
What signal is being sent when there is no accountability for an elected official who uses government funds to pay people whom he has no detailed account of actual work hours, uses government funds to pay people to work on his private farm, purchases concrete blocks with road district money that just happen to be at his private residence for about 2 years, and even allows his son to use the government computer for his private business?
Nope, nothing to see here folks, move along.
Doenitz ISP Interview (003)
