(The Center Square) – McLean County school districts asked voters to approve a 1% sales tax on their taxpayer-funded websites, a move that has one resident accusing officials of a criminal offense.
Dean Fletcher, an Illinois resident, lodged a complaint with the Illinois State Policy Special Investigations Unit and the Attorney General’s Public Integrity Bureau. Both agencies declined to investigate.
“They have a public integrity bureau and they specifically investigate ethics complaints and illegal activity by elected officials, publicly appointed officials and government entities.
“They’re infamous for not investigating Mike Madigan,” said Fletcher. “They basically said they, even though the verbiage is on the website and it was very explicit there, they said they thought it was an accident that they asked voters to approve [the referendum]. They didn’t do it intentionally even though they [the Attorney General] did no investigation, and had no evidence to support intent at all whatsoever. They basically just told me to shove it and that they weren’t gonna do anything about it.”
The McLean County Sheriff’s Office is now investigating Fletcher’s complaint of alleged election interference. Sheriff Matt Lane said the main issue has to do with internet posts but there may be “more to it.”
Fletcher has accused area school districts of illegal intergovernmental coordination with the “Yes for McLean County Schools” PAC established to pass the referendum. He hopes the McLean County sheriff’s office looks at that aspect.
“The detective I spoke with is in charge of it. He said they do have to go and do all their subpoenas and right now they’re focused on that illegal election interference wording, asking voters to approve,” said Fletcher.
Fletcher explained that an email exchange between Regional Office Of Education #17 and Bloomington District 87 officials is proof that the government is coordinating with the “Yes for Schools” PAC.
“I think this is evidence that [an official] was operating with the committee, with government officials to try to get this sales tax passed, to try to work on media strategy, talking points and ideas for the school boards to pass resolutions,” said Fletcher.
The McLean County Sheriff’s Office’s election interference investigation focuses on a website that was featured on several schools districts’ taxpayer funded websites, but Fletcher hopes law enforcement will look into the alleged illegal intergovernmental coordination between superintendents and the PAC.
“He [the detective] did say he would give all their evidence, everything they collected to state’s attorney Erica Reynolds, and she would be the one to make the final call on whether or not to prosecute based on the evidence they’ve gathered,” said Fletcher. “Whether or not it passes or fails, hopefully we can hold some elected officials, some government officials, and some political action committees accountable for their immoral and unethical behavior.”
Lane confirmed the alleged crime being investigated is a Class B misdemeanor.
Unit 5 and District 87 have pledged to use a portion of the tax revenue to ease property tax burdens. In February, the school boards passed a resolution committing one-third of the district’s revenue from the sales tax for property tax relief for the next five years.
According to Effingham Unit 40 school district, 57 of 102 Illinois counties have a tax exactly like or similar to the proposed County Schools Facility Tax. Voters decide in McLean County April 1.
