Lawmaker, Lisle Mayor Give Conflicting Info On Parking Ticket Talk

LISLE, IL — Rep. Terra Costa Howard (D, IL-48) and Lisle Mayor Christopher Pecak have shared conflicting accounts of a conversation they had about a constituent's parking ticket at a National Night Out event in Lisle in early August.

What Pecak Says

Patch recently received an email that was obtained via a FOIA request, in which Pecak claims Rep. Costa Howard "asked who she could intercede to on behalf of a constituent who received a parking ticket in downtown Lisle."

Pecak's email, which was sent to Kathleen Elliott at Robbins Schwartz, a Chicago law firm, claims that Costa Howard spoke with Pecak and Licko at the Aug. 2 National Night Out event and said the constituent received a citation after parking for 17 minutes in a 15-minute unloading zone.

Per the email, Mayor Pecak writes that he told Costa Howard the matter should be settled in traffic court. Pecak continues to say Costa Howard then asked the name of the village's prosecutor, Michelle Moore, and said she had ties to Moore and "felt confident she could get the ticket dismissed [through] those connections."

Moore did not respond to Patch's request for comment Wednesday afternoon.

In his email, Pecak wrote,

“I want to ensure that we prosecute all violations of law in an equal manner and that favoritism
and inside connections are not utilized as political currency. I am offended at being put in a potentially compromising position and want to prevent anyone else from inadvertently finding themselves put in a similar compromising situation.”

Patch asked Pecak who was present for the parking ticket conversation. Pecak told Patch via email Friday that he, Howard and Licko were the "only remaining persons left in the conversation" after Sen. Ellman (D, IL-21), who had been talking with them earlier, left.

He said, "During the conversation, I felt as though I was being set up and tested. I established a record of the conversation with the village attorney, copying the Police Chief as soon as I could. I did not want to affect the outcome of the judicial process in resolving the ticket, so allowed the rest of the process to follow its course."

He continued, "I find it inappropriate, and offensive, to have a public official intercede in quashing a prosecution. Actions such as this weaponize the law enforcement and judicial systems into political currency."

Licko told Patch he was "in proximity to" the conversation, but not "fully engaged in since [his] focus was on the hundreds of attendees at the event that night," and thus, would not provide comment.

What Costa Howard's Team Says

Costa Howard's spokesperson, Elizabeth Austin, denies any claim that Costa Howard implied to Pecak she wanted the constituent's ticket dismissed. Austin said the representative shared the constituent's story with Pecak and said it reflects a greater problem with parking in downtown Lisle that needs to be fixed.

Costa Howard's spokesperson told Patch Thursday, "Terra never contacted the prosecutor. Terra never took further action except to talk to business owners who say parking is a problem in downtown Lisle and it’s ruining [their] business."

According to Austin, an intern named Luke Martin was also present during the parking ticket conversation, along with Ellman, Costa Howard, Pecak and Licko. Martin told Patch that he, Costa Howard, Pecak, Licko and Ellman were present.

Ellman did not immediately respond to Patch's request for more information Friday.

Martin told Patch that Costa Howard spoke with Pecak and Licko about a constituent's parking ticket. Martin said Costa Howard mentioned that a business owner whose shop is on Main Street received a ticket after parking in a 15-minute zone "for too long." He said the business owner needed to park there because access to the back entrance was not available.

Costa Howard's spokesperson added that the business owner has a chronic knee issue and that there were no back stairs to the business available at the time the ticket was issued. She told Patch this was the third ticket the business owner and their partner received while the back of their business was inaccessible.

According to Martin, the story Costa Howard shared "seemed to resonate with the chief of police for sure more than the mayor, as he indicated that he had had similar complaints from other business owners on the same road."

Martin added, "[Rep. Costa Howard] then explained that there must be some way that this problem the business owners along that street have dealt with, such as a hanging parking pass for the business owners to use when parking in the 15-minute parking spaces for business reasons or something like that. She gave this as an example of a solution to a problem that they were discussing. At no point did Representative Costa Howard ask for the removal of the ticket for the constituent, nor anything which could reasonably be mistaken for such a request. "

Austin said the business owner sent documentation to Lisle Village Manager Eric Ertmoed regarding the ticket. Ertmoed told Patch the business owner did contact him and that he directed them to the "proper channels" for appealing a parking ticket.

Costa Howard's spokesperson told Patch that Pecak has been an "outspoken supporter" of Stefanie Hood, who is vying for the representative's seat in the upcoming Illinois house race. A Tweet, shared by Greg Hart, shows Pecak attending an Aug. 27 "Day of Action" event presented by Hart and Hood.

On Friday, Pecak told Patch via email,

"I am interested in hearing from all candidates. I have not made any endorsements. I support honesty, integrity, transparency and public safety."

What Pecak Said At Lisle's Sept. 19 Village Meeting

At Lisle's Sept. 19 village board of trustees meeting, Pecak acknowledged Lisle struggles with parking issues, calling Main Street "a parking lot" and adding that there is "confusion in signage."

He added, "I think we could go a long way in reviewing the parking restrictions, reviewing public parking policies, educating business owners and everyone else."

Pecak then mentioned that he recently had "an elected official intercede on behalf of a constituent asking to waive a parking ticket because we are ticketing more aggressively." He did not mention Terra Costa Howard.

He continued, "I think those parking issues need to be worked out, but coming to the mayor to ask a parking ticket to be quashed, I think is outrageous."

“I explained the appeal process to the person that interceded," Pecak said. "I don’t believe the request came from the constituent, so I will leave it at that, but I want everyone to understand that parking violations will be meted out and dues or fines are expected to be paid.”