County board member faces harassment complaints
Feb. 18—Vermilion County Board member Jerry Hawker is facing harassment allegations from another female county employee.
County Board member Kevin Green passed out information packets to fellow county board members at this week's board meeting.
In addition to bringing attention to the allegations against Hawker, a packet of information signed by county board members Green, Shelly McClain and Bruce and Becky Stark also brought up the financial conflict of interest with county board member Steve Miller on committees, and reinstitution of a standalone personnel committee.
The information packet stated, "The following issues are extremely important to the integrity, and legal liability, of the Vermilion County Board. Avoiding discussions of these matters could result in financial liability for each and every Vermilion County Board member."
The four county board members have suggested removing Hawker from all county board committees, removing Miller from the Finance Committee and Committee on Committees, and creating a personnel committee to work directly with the Vermilion County human resources director.
They stated this is a last chance to fix and control these situations locally.
The next step would be to refer all matters to the Illinois Department of Human Rights, and/or the Federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and/or the Illinois State Bar Association.
They asked that the county board vote on the proposed resolutions next month.
A complaint in December by Kasey Snyder, director of the county animal control department, was the second sexual harassment complaint county officials had received on Hawker. The first was in August 2021 from Danville Election Commission Executive Director Sandy Delhaye, in which the county oversees the election commission.
Both had raised the issue that the harassment was in part due to their gender.
Delhaye complained that Hawker during the previous approximately eight months had communicated with her in an aggressive and demanding manner, with him interested in closing the commission.
Snyder's complaint of Hawker asserting direct authority over the department also was deemed valid and in need of action.
Snyder's complaint involves intimidation as a form of sexual harassment, with Hawker singling out Snyder, using aggressive and abusive communications to her, even after Vermilion County Board Chairman Larry Baughn advised Hawker to have no contact with Snyder.
Hawker, former county animal shelter director himself, denied the allegations.
He said board member Green has "an axe to grind" with him due to Hawker being appointed and taking over from Green as chairman of the health and education committee, which oversees the shelter.
Hawker said this week was the first time he'd seen Snyder's official complaint. He said a "sexual harassment" complaint gives more connotations to it than something dealing with the opposite gender. He said county officials also had been discussing Snyder receiving a salary above what is budgeted and the animal control budget being in deficit by about $80,000.
A recommendation from Snyder's complaint would move the animal control department to the oversight of the county board's Public Safety Committee and away from Hawker.
With regard to Miller's potential conflict of interest on county committees, Miller, who is an attorney with clients and municipalities having an interest in American Rescue Plan Act funds, addressed his questioned conflict of interest in January. He said he won't participate in any deliberations or discussions of ARPA funding awards regarding any entity with which he is financially associated.
Other allegations stem from wind farm issue meetings in violation of the Open Meetings Act with majority of the Executive and Legislative Committee and the Committee on Committees. Miller is finance chair and Sidell Township attorney.
Baughn could not be reached for comment on the issues.
