She was fired after reporting contracting issues at metro-east agency, ex-board leader says
The former chair of the East St. Louis Housing Authority’s Board of Commissioners says the city fired her in November for refusing to resign after she reported contracting issues, including shoddy remodeling and repair work on some apartments.
Shonte Mueller, the former board chair, said the city also retaliated by forcing her husband to retire, or be fired, as assistant police chief. Nick Mueller told the BND he was not ready to retire.
Shonte Mueller said she had reported issues at the housing authority first to city representatives and then the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development after, she says, the city ignored her.
“I called HUD because it’s my fiduciary duty,” she said in a BND interview “I sent them all the evidence of what was going on.”
East St. Louis City Manager Robert Betts disputed Mueller’s allegations.
He said Mueller lost her seat on the board because she was ``interfering with day to day operations” at the authority. He denied that Mueller’s husband, Nick Mueller, was forced to retire. And he said the work by the contractors was fine.
HUD is saying little about the situation. Asked if the agency is investigating any allegations of wrongdoing, Ashlee R. Strong, the HUD public information officer, issued this statement to the BND:
“With the safety and well-being of the residents being at the forefront of our thoughts. HUD is involved in continued discussions with the office of the mayor, city manager, the Board of Commissioners, and the Housing Authority of East St. Louis to ease stability in governance, fiscal and financial soundness, procurement, integrity and the consistent operations and management of the Authority”.
Mueller’s removal from the board
Mueller’s termination as board chair in November was the fourth major leadership shakeup in the housing authority within six months. One authority director, an acting director and an interim director also left in 2023.
City officials would say little about the turnover, citing personnel reasons.
Mueller said in her case, it all started after a housing authority employee came to her with information about what the employee said was shoddy work by contractors working to renovate some apartments. HUD had provided money to pay for the renovations, she said.
Mueller was concerned about other issues as well. She questioned the hiring of some contractors, saying they had not previously worked with the city. She alleged some contractors hired by former interim director Jacqueline Powell were related to Powell. Mueller said there were also excessive change orders.
In addition, she said some contractors missed work deadlines. She said that people in one complex were repeatedly getting stuck in elevators, but nothing was being done about it.
She said she reported her concerns to a city leader, who she initially would not name. Later she told the BND the official is East St. Louis Democratic Central Committee Chairman Michael Collins.
She said Collins told her city officials didn’t want to investigate or do anything about the issues. She says she was told “to resign, not report the allegations and it would all go away.”
She said she reported the issues to HUD anyway, and the board under her leadership voted 3-2 to fire Powell. She could not be reached for comment for this article.
Fox 2 News reported Powell defended her performance as acting director. In a text to Fox 2, she is quoted as saying: “ “I know the media likes to shed negative light on East St. Louis because of the foolishness. This is just a distraction plot. This is not true. I promise you.”
Collins says he wasn’t involved
Collins denied advising Powell to resign or discussing her allegations.
“Who am I? I am not a city official. I do not have a title,” he said.
Collins was a key backer of Mayor Charles Powell III in the 2023 election. But Collins told the BND he does not speak for the mayor. “I don’t work for the city. And, I am not a liaison for the mayor,” he said. The mayor and the former interim director are not related.
Betts told the BND he stands behind the contractors.
“All work done by contractors is inspected by city of East St. Louis building inspectors. So far we’ve been comfortable and pleased with the work they’ve done,” Betts said.
He said there are no problems with the contractors’ work.
“A lot of that stuff she was alleging happened was unfounded,” Betts said.
Betts said he is in contact with HUD everyday and things are fine between the city and the agency. ``We are on great working terms,” Betts said.
He said he and other city officials welcome any investigation.
The East St. Louis City Council replaced Mueller as board chair in November. Vice Chair Daphne Brown-Wright became chair.
Before Mueller was replaced, one of the board’s last acts under her leadership was a Nov. 7 vote to appoint an interim executive director - Theresa Johnson - to replace Powell, according to meeting minutes.
Nick Mueller says he was forced out
Mueller and her husband, former Assistant Police Chief Nick Mueller, said he was fired because she did not ignore the issues at the housing authority.
Nick Mueller said in a BND interview that Betts called him into his office and terminated him after 32 years with the police department.
Mueller said he was not ready to retire, but the Betts gave him only two options.
“The city manager gave me the ultimatum. I did not want a termination so I took the retirement. I was not ready to retire. I am only 54 years old. I wanted to do at least one more year,” Mueller said.
Betts denied the former assistant chief’s account.
He said Mueller wanted to retire under former Mayor Robert Eastern’s administration, but “we asked him to stay on a few months until the city got its administration in place.”
Betts said Mueller agreed.
Shonte Mueller said she is infuriated with city leaders for firing her husband. She said they showed no respect for the more than 30 years of his life he dedicated to the police department all while always doing two or three jobs everyday while he worked there.
Mueller said her husband was not given the proper retirement and that is not sitting well with her.
And, she said her husband was well-liked by the men and women of the police department.
“This was a shock to them,” Mueller said.
Mueller is hoping right will prevail and she and her husband will get justice. She said it simply is not right to get fired or forced out of your job for doing the right thing.
“Housing Authority residents deserve the best and HUD awarded the money for their residences to be done properly,” Mueller said.
