Tempers flare over allegations of corruption in Skokie’s legal department: ‘I’m so angry I can’t think’

As the Skokie Village Board at its Dec. 18 meeting read through a routine ordinance establishing how much appointed officials should earn, tempers flared over allegations of impropriety leveled by the board’s sole independent trustee, James Johnson.

For his part, Johnson said he would walk out in protest if the proposed ordinance passes at the next meeting

Johnson said he was concerned that the proposed ordinance, which would need a second reading at the next village board meeting on Jan. 2, would take place before annual employee performance reviews. He urged his colleagues on the board to table the ordinance and asked if they wanted to recuse themselves from voting on the process, accusing them of having a conflict of interest with the village’s corporation counsel and assistant corporation counsel, Michael Lorge and James McCarthy, respectively.

Johnson has for months alleged conflicts of interest on the part of Lorge and McCarthy, accusing them of using village resources and time to protect the Skokie Caucus Party, Skokie’s dominant political party since the 1960s. He has made four ethics complaints to the village’s ethics commission since being elected in 2021; the commission has unanimously dismissed all four.

Johnson’s motion to table the ordinance died after not receiving any support from other village board members.

“I think it is so telling that this board is unwilling to do a performance review at this moment,” Johnson said.

Johnson accused the rest of the village board of having a conflict of interest in keeping Lorge and McCarthy employed because the two have made political contributions, solicited political contributions, sponsored fundraisers, volunteered and petitioned for their campaigns.

“If you vote to approve this ordinance, you will be voting for political hiring,” he said.

He also has accused Mayor George Van Dusen and Trustee Ralph Klein of sending Lorge and McCarthy to bribe and threaten him when he was running for trustee as an independent candidate.

“Did I hear that right? That I sent them to you? Is that what you’re saying?” interrupted a visibly displeased Klein.

Johnson continued, “All of you are aware that last year, Mayor Van Dusen collaborated with Lorge and McCarthy to attempt to block an entire voter-initiated referendum campaign from the ballot. All of you are aware that members of this board misappropriated the services of the village’s attorneys for political purposes. If you reward these attorneys with continued employment and pay increases, you will be actively covering up misconduct in our legal department.”

Johnson also maintained that the board should not vote on the ordinance because the legal department “often fails to give us the legal advice that we actually need,” citing investigations from the state’s attorney’s office on Open Meeting Act violations in January and on Oct. 2.

“There is a widespread and fair perception in our community that our legal department serves political interests over the interests of the community as a whole. This perception is accurate,” said Johnson.

“Colleagues, how many of you will be recusing yourselves from this vote due to your conflicts of interest with members of our legal department?” asked Johnson.

“There are no conflicts of interest,” said Van Dusen, after a brief pause.

“I’m so confused,” said Trustee Alison Pure Slovin. “It doesn’t make a difference if I’m a registered Republican or Democrat in the state, so it’s irrelevant. But, state representatives, state senators, the treasurer, the governor ... always solicits from me ... excuse me, um, a donation — I’m so angry I can’t think— a donation.”

“I sign petitions,” continued Pure Slovin. “It is within our legal democratic right to be supportive of candidates and as far as I understand it, the attorneys for the village are still residents, so they can support, outside of the office, any candidate they want, whether it’s a ...Caucus, Republican, Democrat— (sic) don’t care what party you identify with, it is allowed within this party.”

Johnson told Pure Slovin that he was bribed and threatened by Lorge and McCarthy when he ran for trustee. “What are any of you doing to prevent something like this from happening again?” he questioned.

Trustee Khem Khoeun said, “I’m really troubled by the accusation that we are continuing to try to cover up misconduct that— the notion that there was any bribery that took place at all — and that is your perception, that is your experience — but this has come up repeatedly. And in my position here as a trustee, I have never used this dais to talk about any affiliation I’ve had with the Skokie Caucus Party or used it to pursue any political agenda, and I feel like these attacks that continue to happen is you pursuing your own personal political agenda here.”

Johnson acknowledged that his accusation of the bribe and threats from Lorge and McCarthy are more of a “he said, he said encounter.” He then countered, “What have you done in response to their collaboration with Mayor Van Dusen that was very public when the three of them tried to block an entire referendum campaign from access to the ballot? There were over 100 people in this room that witnessed an attempt at voter suppression.”

“It never went forward,” responded Khoeun.

“It was not an attempt at voter suppression. It was perfectly legal,” said Van Dusen. “You had an opportunity; you presented it to the ethics commission. They voted unanimously to dismiss the charge because everything that was done, was done legally. It was done ethically and within the powers that the mayor has. You might not agree with that. But that, you have a — You seem to think that because someone doesn’t agree with you on something that therefore makes it a conflict of interest.”

Johnson asked, “Are we going to enter the new year perpetuating the misconduct in our legal department?

“That’s your accusation,” interrupted Pure Slovin. “I don’t see where that’s happening; that’s your lens.”

“And how long do we subject ourselves to you continuing to be (sic) accused of all these things?” asked Khoeun.

“I am going to be advocating for a nonpartisan legal department until we have a nonpartisan legal department, and members of this board no longer appoint their own campaign leaders to high-paying positions in our legal department. That’s when I will stop,” said Johnson.

“Within state government, there is not a nonpartisan legal department,” said Pure Slovin. “Everybody knows if they are Democrats or Republicans or what — who they’re running under, so I don’t understand why we have to be different here.”

Toward the end of the discussion, Klein said that Johnson’s claims of corruption and bribery have grown and have not stayed consistent with when he first started making them.

Johnson accused Klein of being aware of the bribes Lorge and McCarthy made to keep him from running as a trustee. Klein said, “Quote properly. I said I knew about it, and I said I thought it was a good idea because you know nothing about local government.”

Van Dusen tried to wrap up the discussion, but not before Johnson could interject, “If this board votes to perpetuate the political corruption in our legal department, I am walking out in protest. Mark my words.”

The relationship between Johnson and the rest of the village board has been rocky at times.

After Johnson’s fourth ethics complaint, Johnson’s colleagues on the village board, including Van Dusen, filed a motion to dismiss his claim, calling the complaints “frivolous” and recommending he be sanctioned $5,000. The ethics commission did not approve sanctions, and Johnson was not fined.