Elmhurst-Area Agency Dodges Scrutiny — At Least So Far

ELMHURST, IL — The "paper" fire district that serves unincorporated residents between Elmhurst and Bensenville is accused of using its resources to help a Republican politician.

Bensenville Fire District No. 1 has yet to answer the charge. But it has made one thing clear: Addison Township has no legal right to review the matter.

The district provides no actual fire service. Instead, its sole job each year is to send checks to two other entities for that function.

Recently, resident Jim Brill filed an ethics complaint against the district with Addison Township, which appoints the district's trustees.

In his complaint, Brill presented a flyer that contained an invitation for residents to attend a fundraiser last September for state Rep. Deanne Mazzochi, an Elmhurst Republican. The flyer featured what appeared to be a stamp from the fire district.

The flyer contended Mazzochi was working with the district to fight a bill that would dissolve the district and put the area under the jurisdiction of Bensenville Fire District No. 2, one of the two agencies that gets Fire District No. 1's yearly checks.

Under Illinois law, public bodies are barred from using their resources to help political campaigns.

On Wednesday, an Addison Township committee was ready to hear the case against the fire district. But the district's attorney, Pat Bond, walked in to present the letter, saying the district would not recognize the township's jurisdiction. Then he left.

Brill was given a week to respond to the letter.

In his letter, Bond said the fire district was a separate entity and does not operate under the township's ethics ordinance. As such, he said, the township had no authority in the matter.

Under Illinois law, every local government entity must have an ethics code. On Tuesday, Patch filed a public records request for the fire district's.

In an interview, Brill contended the fire district had no ethics code.

"They're supposed to have their own code in place, which I know they don't," Brill said. "This whole thing is a farce. It's incredible they are allowed to get away with this stuff."

Earlier this month, the district's president, Paul Guerino, said he did not authorize the flyer.

Bond and the township's supervisor, Dennis Reboletti, did not return calls for comment.

Paul DeMichele, the fire district's controller, has not returned messages for comment. DeMichele, who is in charge of the district's paperwork, may have access to the stamp in question.

Lately, the fire district has been mired in controversy. It has yet to explain why it gave a $50-a-month travel payment to one of its three board members for years.

Last year, it mailed a fake "official ballot" on whether to dissolve the district, giving residents only one side of the issue.

Recently, Patch reported that the district spends about $30,000 annually — or 12 percent of its budget — on overhead. All this is related to the sole job of sending $200,000 in checks to agencies that actually provide fire service.