Saturday, April 6, 2013

Johnsburg mayoral race - heating up

What's up in Johnsburg? 

The following was received from Charlene Bliss-Beier, former mayor of Round Lake Park. She is Maggie Haney's sister, too.

If you live in Johnsburg (or know someone who does), read this and forward it to Johnsburg area voters.

MISTER HETTERMANN’S NEIGHBORHOOD

            Friday April 5th residents in Johnsburg received a Political Campaign piece from the Johnsburg First group headed by incumbent President Ed Hettermann. It reminded me of a twisted version of the kids show aired on PBS called Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood that if played out in his favor on Election Day will have a devastating outcome for all Johnsburg residents.
            When citizens exercise their Constitutional Rights to participate in the election process and face retaliation, threats, and thuggery to deter the Liberty to support, express and eventually vote for certain candidates every Citizen must remain vigilant. In Mister Hettermann’s Neighborhood that scenario is being played out. In the little town of Johnsburg there is a wonderful history of lineages from certain families which adds to the character of this wonderful town. When a sense of entitlement appears and the “neighborly” history dictates that anyone outside of that specific group is a target for retaliation, threats and thuggery to maintain political control I believe that that Neighborhood must be stopped.
            Elections normally comprise of debates, issues, platforms, literature, and then getting out the vote. This campaign in Mister Hettermann’s Neighborhood has not followed that normal path. I believe that path was avoided because of Grand Jury Subpoena(s) and an ACTIVE and ONGOING Criminal Investigation.     
            The laws in the State of Illinois as they relate to taxing bodies are not discretional, optional, selective or arbitrary. They are mandates to protect the assets on behalf of all of the citizens. Equally, the laws do not allow for Mister Hettermann’s Neighborhood to be exempt from the laws. Segregation of Duties is not complicated but mandatory. Years and years of accounting in Mister Hettermann’s Neighborly Administration ignored that law and one person collected, expended, and reported all the funds. This concept clearly outlined in Generally Accepted Accounting Standards not only was ignored, but the signer of the reports tendered on behalf of Mister Hettermann signed as a TREASURER when there was NO TREASURER in the Village of Johnsburg. By the way, the “Treasurer wan bee” was the same person who had complete control of all of the money.  The mandate of Segregation of Duties for taxing bodies is to prevent fraud while protecting the assets. To make it simple, think of an egg, it is one object, but it has 3 parts, the shell, the yolk, and the white. Segregation of duties is the same! When a taxing body is operating following the laws then at minimum 2 people have to be authorized to handle the money. In the Village of Johnsburg, Mister Hettermann’s Neighborhood, for years and years this law was ignored placing serious risk to taxpayer money. Mister Hettermann has EGG all over his face on this one.
            When Mister Hettermann’s Neighborly Administration received FOIA requests with a theme of identifying the Segregation of Duties and Laws in the State of Illinois as they relate to municipal financing, reporting, and Public Documents, he did not like that uncomfortable realization. Who would? In his “Neighborly” world everything was fine, just like Mister Rogers neighborhood.
            When the nightmare story unfolded in Dixon Illinois, questions were asked as to how millions of dollars had been stolen and nobody knew. The answer is they had a similar Neighborly Administration. Everyone knew the criminal who stole millions of dollars for years. Knowing someone is one thing, allowing laws to be ignored as they relate to money is inexcusable.
            The person who exposes the problem is not the problem. If a taxing body, its elected officials and appointed officials have the privilege to serve the citizens of that taxing body, they have an obligation to follow every law, every procedure as they relate to the money entrusted to them. Fiduciary Responsibility and Fiscal Responsibility are not subject to Neighborly exemptions.
            The State and Local Records Act identifies that every public document held within a taxing body are PROPERTY OWNED BY THE CITIZENS IN THE STATE OF ILLINOIS. The guardianship of those documents is only given to the elected officials for the term of their office. Again, Mister Hettermann’s Neighborly Administration continues to struggle with releasing documents to not only the citizens but “certain” elected officials who are not part of his “Neighborhood”. Poor record keeping confirmed by the Secretary of State’s Office appeared through the Citizen Investigation initiated by Maggie Haney. Likewise, serious financial discrepancies also appeared through the Citizen Investigation initiated by Maggie Haney. Confirming those is the GRAND JURY SUBPOENA(S) and the CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION. Obviously she is not a part of Mister Hettermann’s Neighborhood so she not only is an outsider but she has now become an agitator.
            Mister Hettermann’s Neighborhood even goes so far as to defame, lie, misrepresent his opponent and uses the Village of Johnsburg taxpayer website for email distribution, press releases and “reports” to continue the “Neighborly” business of Johnsburg. Abuse of power in the name of a “Neighborly” atmosphere is unacceptable and must be stopped. In this Political Piece that the residents of Johnsburg received Mister Hettermann is so bold to even put the Village of Johnsburg’s website on to further the abuse of power in his “Neighborly” Administration.
            Johnsburg residents who fought so valiantly against the SSA project are now struggling financially with forced connection fees (In the thousands) as well as extra taxes. Their “Neighborhood” is now also outside of the Hettermann Neighborly Administration because they dared to fight.  Every Neighbor in Johnsburg should stand together with these neighbors and cry foul. When Haney finally found Hettermann’s mandated Annual Treasurer Report(s) in the Newspaper (you know the one signed by the Treasurer from the VOJ who had no Treasurer, who had SOLE control of all the money) she was shocked to find that Hettermann’s Neighborly Administration had conveniently BORROWED 2 MILLION DOLLARS from the Water/Sewer Fund which is a restricted fund. Do you think that borrowing money from a restricted fund is “Neighborly”? But you see when you are outside of Hettermann’s Neighborhood what is right doesn’t matter.
            On Tuesday April 9th every voter in Johnsburg has a choice, to re-elect Mister Hettermann and his “Neighborly” Administration who are under a CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION who takes care of his little group of “Neighbors” or they can take a stand and elect an “Outsider” who truly is their “Neighbor” the one who dared to ask to see the proof of the Village of Johnsburg’s compliance with Illinois Laws.
            I am a citizen in the State of Illinois, a former Mayor, a former Oath Keeper, who served my residents by following all of the laws protecting all of the assets while upholding the Constitution for all of the residents. I am the sister of Maggie Haney and I support her for President of Johnsburg because I know that she too will take serious her Oath of Office. I have seen her sacrifice and commitment to all of the Johnsburg residents in spite of the retaliation, defamation and lies and she will end this “Neighborly” Administration of abuse.
            Is Mister Hettermann’s “Neighborly” Administration any different than the Dixon “Neighborly” Administration?

Charlene Bliss-Beyer

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