1 ethics complaint to 3. The latest on allegations raised by Rockford-area politicians
ROCKFORD — Winnebago County State's Attorney J. Hanley now has three ethics complaints under review by his office, all stemming from allegations raised by county board members against each other and a political opponent.
It started last month when Winnebago County Board member Jean Crosby took issue with fellow board member Paul Arena's name appearing on an Illinois Lobbying Entity Registration Form filed by the Illinois Rental Property Owners Association with the Illinois Secretary of State.
Crosby asked Hanley to look into Arena's relationship with the association and whether it posed a conflict of interest for Arena on the county board. Hanley is expected to issue an opinion on Crosby's allegation this week.
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Meanwhile, Hanley's been asked by Arena to look into alleged ethical violations by both Crosby and Michelle Lewis, his opponent in the June 28 Republican primary, saying both Crosby and Lewis failed to disclose sources of income on their Statement of Economic Interest forms filed with the county.
"An examination of Mrs. Crosby’s Statement of Economic Interest (SEI) revealed that Jean Crosby failed to identify her income and assets as is required by law," Arena wrote in a June 6 statement.
Crosby, a real estate agent, listed her income above $7,500 as "none," Arena said, and that Lewis listed the same.
"The SEI is important because it is the document used to disclose any 'conflicts of interest' with the position that the individual holds," Arena said in his statement. "I have requested that the Winnebago County State’s Attorney investigate the ethical violation committed by both Mrs. Crosby and Mrs. Lewis."
Lewis said she is reviewing her SEI at the request of Hanley.
In a June 6 memo, Hanley recommended that elected officials, candidates for office and other qualifying employees review and, if necessary, amend their Statement of Economic Interest forms over fears that they may not have been filled out correctly.
The form was amended by changes to the Illinois Governmental Ethics Act in January, Hanley wrote, asking that forms be updated by June 30.
"If revisions need to be made, they will be by the June 30th deadline," Lewis said.
Arena said Crosby's attack is politically motivated to support Lewis, his opponent for the District 7 county board in this month's primary race.
"I have no issue with Mrs. Crosby supporting my opponent. That is her right," he said. "I do have an issue with her making a false accusation suggesting that my volunteer work in Springfield educating legislators on issues on behalf of rental property owners is unethical."
Jean Crosby is a co-owner of Prudential Crosby Starck REALTORS® and past Director of Real Estate for the State of Illinois.
As for Arena's assertions that she failed to disclose income, Crosby said, "I don't technically own anything. I don't own my company. I don't own the building. I don't own my home. I have put everything in a trust."
She added, "Berkshire Hathaway gives me a salary. They give me bonuses, but 100 percent of the profits go right back into the company."
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Crosby said she has asked that her questions about Arena go before a special prosecutor or the Illinois Attorney General's Office since Hanley's picture and a quote have recently appeared on a campaign flier for Arena.
Hanley dismissed the notion of conflict on his part and said, "I honor and I respect Mrs. Crosby and Mr. Arena's concern about the ethical policies and that they could bring this to our attention. However, there's no conflict between my office and either of those individuals."
Chris Green: 815-987-1241, cgreen@rrstar.com, @chrisfgreen
This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Rockford-area officials allege conflicts, failure to disclose
