'Ostracized' Villa Park Official Says Retaliation Drove Her Departure

VILLA PARK, IL – A former Villa Park official described her departure as a "forced resignation" because she had been "ostracized" after a secret recording.

On Oct. 16, the village's finance director, Suzy Mika, resigned immediately.

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In a two-page letter to Village President Kevin Patrick, Mika blamed village Trustee Khalid Sabri's secret recording of her in December.

She labeled the recording illegal, citing the state's eavesdropping law. But DuPage County prosecutors cleared Sabri. They said the trustee was apparently looking into possible financial problems, falling under one of the law's exemptions.

Mika also pointed the finger at Patrick for releasing the recording's AI-generated transcript publicly at a meeting and giving officials 20 minutes to review it.

"Since the illegal posting of the article, the Village has also retaliated against me," Mika said. "I have been denied access to the channels necessary to do my job"

She also said Village Manager Michael Rivas has failed to communicate with her.

"This retaliation escalated since my lawyer sent a letter to the Village regarding its illegal conduct with respect to the tape and transcript," she told the mayor. "I have been ostracized and placed on an island. Others within the village have told me that you are seeking to drive me out of the Village. You have succeeded."

She said the "illegal dissemination" of the transcript has had ramifications for her far beyond Villa Park, resulting in the public's comments about her.

In response to Patch's records request for the letter, the village said it blacked out a section that involved medical information.

After that section, Mika said she has missed work because of "these problems." She said the village was determined to make her working conditions so intolerable that she must quit.

Mika said she helped put the village's finances in better order. Before the recording, she said the Village Board praised her work and gave her a bonus.

"I am disappointed that the Village has engaged in illegal and retaliatory actions against me and has driven me out of a job which I formerly loved," Mika said.

In her recorded conversation with Sabri, Mika bashed a subordinate, accusing her of being a "gold digger" and having affairs with co-workers. She said the woman drove a $120,000 BMW.

Mika complained that the woman should have been fired long ago. But Mika said she was stopped from doing so.

"She is a secretary at best. She is a vulture," Mika said. "I see red every time I see her."

In the conversation, Mika said her boss, Rivas, had been good to her, but was "wishy-washy" and "not strong" on some things.

At the time, Mika, who said she was 50, had expected a long career with Villa Park.

"I have at least 15 years," she told Sabri. "I don't plan on going anywhere. I want to retire here. I want my legacy to finish here."

She started in May 2025. She previously worked in the same position in La Grange.