Hinsdale Officials OK'd Politician's Sign On Fire Truck: Emails

HINSDALE, IL – Top Hinsdale officials arranged for a state senator to ride in a fire truck and adorn the truck with what looked to be a campaign sign during the Fourth of July parade.

When questions later arose, the village manager told the fire chief not to comment.

Through a public records request, Patch obtained emails between village officials on the issue. The sign included the logo that Hilton uses in campaign materials.

In Illinois, public bodies are barred from promoting the campaigns of political candidates.

On June 23, Assistant Village Manager Andrianna Peterson informed fire officials that Sen. Suzy Glowiak Hilton, a Western Springs Democrat, would ride in a fire truck in the parade. Village President Tom Cauley, she said, would ride in a different truck.

"I will find out if we need signage," Peterson said in the email.

She then emailed Village Manager Kathleen Gargano whether the village needed signage for the fire truck that Hilton was riding on.

Hinsdale did not provide Gargano's response, which may have been verbal.

In an email three days later, Deputy Fire Chief Jon Carlson told other officials that Hilton would bring a banner and that the village would help her attach it to the fire truck.

On the night of July 4, John Kraft, co-founder of the Edgar County Watchdogs, emailed the fire department, the village president and trustees about the sign on the truck.

"How does a state senator get to (co-opt) the Hinsdale fire truck in the parade driven by Hinsdale firefighters and manned by Hinsdale firefighters on the Fourth of July?" he asked.

Fire Chief John Giannelli asked his boss, Village Manager Gargano, about the comment that the village should provide.

Gargano responded with one word: "None."

Hilton has not returned a call for comment on the matter. But her Facebook page includes photos of herself in the truck with the sign. One photo includes the inscription, "Ecstatic in the truck!"

In a July 5 interview, President Cauley told Patch that Hilton helped the village get the money for the fire truck. He said Hinsdale is not a partisan community and that the village wanted to recognize the senator for her help.

In its public records request, Patch asked for correspondence related to the campaign sign on the fire truck.

In an email, Village Clerk Emily Tompkins said the sign in question was not for a campaign.

"Senator Glowiak had a sign that merely identified her by name and her current position (senator) and did not include any campaign language such as 're-elect' or 'vote,'" Tompkins said.

In an interview earlier this month, Alisa Kaplan, executive director of the Chicago-based Reform for Illinois, said public property cannot be used for campaign purposes.

"If this is a public fire truck being used for campaign purposes, it is indeed a violation of the State Ethics Act," she said in an email.

In an interview, Kaplan said that while Hinsdale officials' action may have been unintentional, the state has rules against such promotions for a reason.