Manteno’s village board may still be at odds after another contentious meeting with the two factions and their respective lawyers starkly butting heads.
Even though the July 22 meeting culminated on a positive note over progress with a Gotion fire protection agreement, the start of the August 3 meeting was an absolute free-for-all.
Earlier progress didn’t do much to repair fractured relationships or encourage board members to resolve any of the issues surrounding the village’s attorney and role of the mayor. One of the board’s factions, the mayor and the two dueling attorneys all seemed to take a stab at leading the charge, each arguing and talking over one another at nearly every turn.
There wasn’t much on the agenda that wasn’t the subject of an argument —not even the motion to adjourn, as even that came with its own fireworks when it was called early in the meeting, and when the mayor called for adjournment. Even bill payment was the subject of disagreement and ultimately failed.
The drama started nearly immediately when Mayor Annette LaMore and Trustee Joel Gesky began the meeting by arguing over what agenda would be used. Gesky called for an agenda he posted to be followed. LaMore rejected his effort and called his request out of order when he persisted.
Trustee CJ Boudreau made a motion to use Gesky’s agenda, but LaMore ignored them and attempted to move on with public comment.
As the commenter, Ann Gates, began speaking, the meeting unraveled. LaMore was banging the gavel, Gesky was continuing to argue for his agenda to be used, then Trustee Todd Crockett got into the mix. Gates continued to speak amid the commotion.
As if it couldn’t get any more unruly, a new lawyer, a representative from Joe Cainkar’s office, who later introduced himself as Gary Perlman, stepped in to argue on behalf of Gesky’s motion.
Not to be outdone, Vasselli Law lawyer Brian Miller, seated next to LaMore, advised Perlman he wasn’t recognized and asserted there was no vote on the floor.
Boudreau then said Miller wasn’t recognized. None of it mattered though because Gesky called for a roll call while Gates kept talking and LaMore banged her gavel.
Then, a new argument broke out over whether the village follows Robert’s Rules of Order, with Miller asserting the village does because it states so in the village code. Trustee Annette Zimbleman chimed in and said they didn’t. Boudreau, Crockett, and Gesky all participated.
And while this exchange was happening, Gates spoke even louder, attempting to restart her public comment. She raised her voice, said “Good evening,” and continued her public comment. Other members of the public were also shouting in the background.
At that point, Crockett abruptly motioned to adjourn. Miller said that was an allowable motion. LaMore called for a vote, but Crockett immediately recanted.
“I take that back; I don’t want to adjourn,” Crockett said. It was unclear why he motioned to adjourn, or why he immediately took it back.
Miller advised LaMore to call the question. Clerk Steven Orth, who stepped down at the June 15 meeting, according to LaMore and Boudreau, was present and called the roll.
No one wanted the meeting to end, so they continued with public participation.
Several speakers spoke on various topics including but not limited to Gotion, storm damage permits, situations at the trailer park, and the rapture.
Once they completed their comments, LaMore began the meeting once again with a statement, which she provided to update everyone on the status of who governs Manteno.
LaMore said she had suspended Administrator Chris Loracque without pay for a week for insubordination — a move that drew ire from the rival faction.
LaMore identified four “pertinent issues,” which included confirming the village attorney, and continued issues between the faction of Boudreau, Crockett, Gesky and Zimblemann against LaMore. She said there were “continued problems with paid village staff members defying requests to conduct village business.”
“Most of us hear the public requests to stop the conflicts within village government, so I am stunned that the four village trustees and now more enlisted village employees continue week after week to obstruct efforts for me and now the village clerk to do our jobs and to fulfill our responsibilities to the citizens of Manteno,” LaMore said.
Following LaMore’s statement, it was then the attorneys’ turn to argue over how an agenda gets established and who has the authority to publish it, as well as what could be on the agenda. Boudreau said that LaMore’s prior veto needed to be on the agenda, but it wasn’t and therefore was illegal.
Miller asserted the mayor didn’t break the law and then moved on.
LaMore brought up the donation to the Harbor House, which was also the subject of debate. The board bickered about it, and in the end, it ended up on the finance committee’s agenda for further discussion.
Toward the end of the meeting when the trustees were giving their reports, Peggy Vaughn had questions for Cainkar, which she addressed to Perlman.
She wanted to know if Cainkar was retained to advise the village independently or through the Kankakee Economic Alliance, whether Cainkar was aware there was no decommissioning bond for Gotion, why jobs tied to Gotion were never included in a “clawback” bond, who bears liability for environmental incidents at Gotion, whether he knew there were no provisions for emergency costs, why he didn’t make any of those recommendations, and, finally, whether he would advise those provisions to be made retroactively for future phases.
Perlman said he’d give the list of questions to Cainkar.
Later, the board argued over a $15,000 discrepancy between the dueling agendas, which turned out to be a cost for port-a-potties, which then fueled another argument.
Boudreau said the village intended to stop renting the port-a-potties once they built the pavilion with permanent bathrooms. He said if sports organizations wanted port-a-potties, they could rent them.
Barry said they were needed. LaMore and Boudreau argued over whether they were used and needed, the cost, and LaMore using executive authority to make the decision. The debate then turned to the forensic audit.
Boudreau requested the port-a-potties and the forensic audit be removed from the bills list.
Crockett asked if there were any reimbursables removed from the audit, and LaMore said no because there was a contract.
She quickly moved on, noting that there was a motion on the floor.
Crockett said the auditors cost the village money because they had to have checks reprinted and account numbers changed, which LaMore said wasn’t required and they didn’t have to do that.
This then quickly devolved into another argument with members talking over one another.
Barry called out Crockett by stating Crockett was the one who said contractors needed to be paid.
The arguing and talking over each other quickly turned into shouting, people from the audience yelling out, more gavel banging.
In the end, bill payment failed to pass.
“We’re not paying the bills this month thanks to the certain trustees in this room,” LaMore said, immediately calling for a motion to adjourn.
Barry and Vaughn motioned for adjourning, but when it came to all in favor, Gesky said “no.”
“No, it’s not adjourned. Mayor, you don’t have a majority,” Gesky said.
He asked Perlman if they should make a mayor pro tem if LaMore left. He was advised he could make the motion.
“Gesky, you don’t have legal authority to appoint an attorney,” Miller said.
Gesky ignored Miller, called the roll, receiving “yes” votes from Boudreau, Crockett, and Zimbleman. Vaughn refused to vote.
Miller said Gesky couldn’t make himself chair of the meeting.
Gesky ignored him and called for bills to be paid. Boudreau asked if they should make him Mayor Pro Tem, talking over Gesky, who was calling for bills to be paid.
Perlman said the veto had to be on the agenda, and at that point, Miller chimed in.
“There’s no record of these actions. The meeting has been adjourned,” Miller said.
Gesky, Boudreau, Crockett, and Zimbleman with Perlman’s guidance continued to discuss items from their agenda.
A motion was made to reconsider the motion to approve Louis Cainkar. Miller protested, even laughing at one point as Gesky continued the meeting.
“See, what you don’t understand is you didn’t appeal the ruling of the chair, which was the proper procedural motion. So, therefore, the ruling of the chair stands and the meeting was adjourned. So, none of these actions right now are binding upon the village,” Miller said.
Boudreau then announced the meeting wasn’t closed properly, and that’s why they continued.
The arguing continued as audience members intermingled with the board, some leaving, and then Perlman and Miller arguing over Roberts Rules of Order.
What actions will actually stand were undetermined at the time of publication.