A former McLean County official said he plans to contact the Illinois Attorney General’s Office regarding an ethics complaint he's lodged against the county administrator.
Trevor Sierra, who until recently was the lead civil attorney in the McLean County State’s Attorney’s Office, alleges County Administrator Cassy Taylor used her role to fundraise on behalf of a ballot initiative to eliminate the county’s elected auditor position.
That referendum failed in the November election, despite having mostly bipartisan support from McLean County Board members.
In an email sent to county board members and obtained by WGLT, Sierra claimed Taylor approached him on three occasions to ask if he would make a personal donation to a political action committee [PAC] in support of the referendum. The funding was to pay for promotional materials, Sierra said.
Sierra, who was working in the state’s attorney’s office at the time, would not discuss the nature of his employment ending with the office. He said he gave $298 on behalf of himself and his wife. He was told that was the maximum amount he could give without having his name published. Sierra said he later gave another $200 and has since asked for his money to be refunded.
“No promises or threats were made regarding these contributions. I regret my participation in these activities and offer my sincere apologies to County Auditor Michelle Anderson, each of you, and most importantly, to the taxpayers of McLean County,” Sierra said in an email to the county board.
Taylor has not responded to a request for comment.
McLean County State's Attorney Erika Reynolds said in an email on Sunday her office is reviewing "next steps" and anticipates an external investigation "which our office welcomes."
"Of course allegations such as these are taken very seriously by both the [county] board and my office," said Reynolds, adding she became aware of the allegations Sierra raised in his email to the board after his "separation of employment" from the state's attorney's office.
Sierra said Taylor indicated on two occasions that county board vice-chair Elizabeth Johnston would be coming through the county administration office to collect donations for the PAC.
Sierra said on Sept. 19, Taylor asked him to call Reynolds to “inquire whether Circuit Judge Don Knapp or other allies would be willing to contribute to the PAC.” He said Taylor said, “If asked about this conversation, I will lie.”
Sierra said Reynolds had questions about the PAC that he could not answer. He said Reynolds then asked him to ask Johnston for a contact, which he said Johnston provided.
McLean County code forbids any county employee from engaging in political activities during work hours and any violation is grounds for suspension or dismissal.
“No county employee shall use his or her position or the authority of his or her office to solicit contributions or any other support of partisan political activities,” the code states.
Sierra said he felt he was “probably wrong” in making the contribution to the PAC, and said Johnston also was “probably wrong” in accepting the contribution.
“I lay the fault on both of us in that realm,” Sierra said.
Sierra said he's not jumping to any conclusions about what actions, if any, should be taken in the matter, but he believes the public has a right to know.
"In my opinion, what has happened was wrong and it’s important for the public and for any authorities that may be interested to look into these facts and make their own conclusions about what should happen thereafter,” Sierra told WGLT.
Johnston said she would support an investigation into the matter.
“Given the nature of the allegations, I think it’s proper for an investigation of the facts to be initiated following the proper channels,” Johnston said.
Outgoing Republican county board member Chuck Erickson also has called for an investigation. He blamed county board leadership, including Johnston and board chair Catherine Metsker for lacking better controls.
“The end does not justify the means. You guys got sloppy and you thought the law did not apply to you and you thought you were above it,” Erickson said. “You thought your pursuit of that auditor’s referendum was more important than any other consideration.”
Metsker said via email that the matter was a personnel issue.
"I will not make comments regarding any topics involving current or former county employees," she said.
Several county board members and candidates advocated for the auditor's office to be eliminated, claiming it would save the county money without sacrificing any financial oversight, given that the county also hires outside auditors.
The McLean County's Board unanimous vote in June to leave the issue up to the voters came after several county officials claimed Anderson was responsible for several late county payments.
Anderson, who was been the county’s auditor since 2007, was re-elected in November. Her office has now survived two public votes to eliminate the office.
“I have no comment beyond looking forward to an independent investigation of these allegations,” Anderson said via email.
