JUST THE FACTS, PLEASE

As the various Kane County Government sagas play out, it's a good time to ask for the facts to be made public; we taxpayers paid - and continue to pay- for these fiascoes, so we should demand answers.

Few facts have been made public since Rob Sauceda was unceremoniously ousted from his post at Animal Control. The taxpayers have the right to know how this man, hand-picked by Chrissie Lauzen and vouched for by Chrissie's Yes Men on the County Board, suddenly fell from grace.

Oh, it's not that most of us don't know most of the details; it's a story common throughout history involving the most basic of human frailties. However, Chrissie and his gang want to keep us in the dark as long as possible - a dumb move as we'll all hear the details as they emerge in court proceedings. Furthermore, Sauceda's behavior will more than likely end up costing the county (as in the taxpayers) a pile of money to settle what is sure to be a nasty lawsuit.

The other issue cloaked in confusion is the goings-on at Jack Cunningham's office, particularly the resignation and subsequent sweet deal given to his pal, Jeff Ward. Though the newspapers correctly identified Ward in only his county post, most of us know him from his scathing blog posts and columns, where he often blasted the "insiders" and "cronyism." It was a shock to some and evidence of karma to others when Ward ended up as a central figure in the scandal at Jack's office.

Whether laws were broken, beyond the use of county resources to aid in Jack's re-election, remains to be seen. However, of utmost concern to county taxpayers now is the separation deal that pays Ward 12 weeks pay (after holding the full-time job for about 10 months) and promises to not object if he files for unemployment. In short, this is an outrageous misuse of taxpayer money and must be stopped.

According to the State's Attorney's Office, the deal was Jack's to make, and neither they nor the county has the  power to stop it. If that's so, then a citizen needs to step up and file a complaint. One anti-tax activist has offered to do so, and we should all hope he does. 

And when he does he should ask for all the files, including Ward's job application to check for discrepancies. Ward is currently facing court appearances regarding a disorderly conduct charge, and is the subject of an Order of Protection claim by the other side of that beef. His guilt or innocence will be determined in court, and he is being represented by D.J. Tegler, the apparent victor in the G.O.P. primary for judge. 

However, Kane County  records show Ward has had disorderly conduct charges against him before, and it appears he was convicted. If so, that should be listed on his county job application, but on copies made public, it does not. Perhaps that omission is enough to scuttle this separation deal.

To thoroughly understand the cost to the taxpayers of this county, Chrissie and his crew, and Jack Cunningham need to stop playing cover-up, and give us the facts. After all, we're on the hook for their mistakes and cronyism hires.