Calumet City, IL. (ECWd) –
UPDATE 8.14.2024:
According to Cook County’s Online Case Search, this lawsuit is scheduled for trial the entire week of December 2, 2024, in Courtroom 2408 at the Richard J. Dailey Center.
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Thaddeus Jones, Mayor of Calumet City, has filed a lawsuit for Declaratory Judgment and Injunction, and for a Restraining Order against Calumet City Clerk Nyota Figgs.
According to this lawsuit, Calumet City is in the process of conducting a forensic audit, and in that process, the Auditor instructed the Clerk and others to refrain from destroying any public records.
Shortly afterwards, the Clerk ordered a document destruction company to destroy public records, including financial records, of the city without the required approval from the Mayor of the Local Records Commission.
The records destroyed on August 11, 2021, included thirteen 96-gallon containers of records, which had a combined weight of more than ONE ton (2000+ pounds). The Complaint also alleges that Clerk Figgs admitted to the destruction of records while the audit was in progress.
From the Complaint:
- The City has filed this lawsuit seeking a declaration that the City Clerk has no authority to destroy City records without approval of the City, to enjoin her from the further destruction of City records
- To the extent that Defendant Figgs has destroyed public record, such acts are beyond the scope of her official duties and she is, therefore, also sued in her individual capacity
- To identify potential areas of concern and to gain knowledge about the City’s finances and financial practices with an eye towards improving them, the City embarked upon a forensic audit
- The City hired an outside auditor, Alyssia Benford, to review the City’s financial records
- Ms. Benford directed City staff and officials, including Defendant Figgs, to retain and preserve the City’s public records and not to destroy any documents, especially documents from the previous administration that could contain evidence of wrongdoing or criminal activity
- In June 2021, Defendant Figgs was given explicit direction by the auditor to refrain from destroying any city records while the audit was pending
- Notwithstanding this explicit direction, and further notwithstanding that the Defendant does not have the discretion to determine that the City’s records should be destroyed, Defendant Figgs surreptitiously and without approval from the Mayor or City Council disposed of and destroyed City approximately two truckloads of the City’s records without any legal authority to do so whatsoever. Upon information and belief, this action was undertaken to destroy evidence of wrongdoing by the previous administration
6 Comments
Droopy: Master Sergeant
Posted at 18:26h, 14 AugustPerhaps this is the parallel Shelby County First and Chris Boehm should report on. Sheriff department employee “destroyed” a record they was part of a forensic audit of payroll in the department. One difference is the department produced it AFTER the auditor produced a report and taxpayers paid for the incomplete audit.
Glad someone has the courage to stand up to the public corruption. Of course they will be lied about and put through the wringer but Joshua and Caleb stood as the other 10 chickens coward.
Droopy: Master Sergeant
Posted at 18:29h, 14 AugustPublic corruption and bad government actors look like giants but they will fall! Those who hide it and are complicit will answer.
Lincoln
Posted at 19:36h, 14 AugustJones has no legal merit to waste taxpayer dollars on a trial lawsuit. This is his attempt to remove Figgs from office due to their alleged past personal grievances. He is also trying to remove a duly elected clerk to stack City Hall with his cronies to further his unscrupulous agenda.
If the media would look further into his antics, they will see he is no different than Dolton’s Henyard and is following the same marching orders from their political party’s higher-up’s. He, too, has made questionable purchases, spent tax dollars on personal trips, made decisions on large financial matters improperly and without board approval, and has passed unethical agenda items with the assistance of his four “yes men” (although some have slowly come around to questioning him and voting “no” due to the spotlight on Dolton).
Before Jones accuses past administration’s of wrongdoing, he needs to take a look at himself in the mirror. He is far from honest and honorable. He is not transparent. And despite what he thinks, he is NOT a CEO. Politicians are SERVANTS who ANSWER to the PEOPLE. They DO NOT enrich themselves through corruption.
People who run for public office should be required to pass a financial literacy exam, a constitutional exam, and an IQ test. They should also undergo a credit check and background check. This would save municipalities both time and money, and prevent local and national embarrassment.
After all, one needs to begin to question the legality of those mayoral positions. Were they “elected” or “selected?” The slow and calculated destruction of the south suburbs points to the latter. Someone or some entity wants the prime real estate. They intend to decimate the area and drive people out. But for what purpose? The answer is right within reach.
Scott L
Posted at 16:34h, 15 AugustThank you Lincoln for giving an accurate version of the chicanery of Mayor Jones instead of the biased reporting of these “watchdogs” not from our communities. They make the headline look like the mayor is above board and all about transparency when he is in fact not. Compare that to their misogynistic reporting against the mayor of Dolton and it shows they are truly not journalists and watchdogs but misogynists against strong women. And thanks, Lincoln< Mayor Jones is just as bad as Mayor Henyard they just haven’t got that far yet. But the Edgar county watchdogs won’t get there because they don’t want to.
John Kraft & Kirk Allen
Posted at 17:44h, 15 AugustYou are obviously still clueless. We reported strictly on the case as filed and what was on the docket. Nothing in our reporting on Dolton’s Mayor is misogynistic.
Scott L
Posted at 11:22h, 16 August“We reported strictly on the case as filed”, yes that’s exactly what you did in this case of Calumet City, which is professional watchdog journalism and thank you for that. If you would do the same for Dolton, we would applaud. However, there is always an opinion and a slanted comment when covering Dolton. That is not professional and as we see it, based on the fair facts presented for example in Calumet City case, must be based on some sort of bias. It happens with other certain communities also. If you would report each as you do for Calumet City we absolutely respect and applaud you as professional journalists and not to be an opinion of 2 men from Edgar County. Also, your professionalism definitely comes into question as you can’t even spell the name of Chicago’s most famous mayor correctly …. “Richard J. Dailey Center”…it’s Richard J. Daley as just about everyone knows. Typical anti-Chicago ignorance once again. Just stay down where you’re from….we don’t want or need you!