Wayne Co., Ill. (ECWd) –
A Wayne County Housing Authority commission member has sent a request to Wayne County State’s Attorney Kyle Ellis for a Quo Warranto action and official misconduct investigation into the Wayne County Housing Authority Board of Commissioners.
Resident Board Commissioner Ronald Baker alleges that the Housing board purported to remove him, a duly appointed Resident Commissioner, using a power they knew they did not possess, a power that lies exclusively with the County Board Chair under 310 ILCS 10/4. A County FOIA request affirms that he remains the Resident Commissioner of record.
Baker also says the board is continuing to exercise public authority while not lawfully constituted, in violation of 35 ILCS 5.18-101(1) and (5). Baker is requesting a criminal investigation into the willful misconduct of individual commissioners, the Wayne County Board Chair’s appointing authority, and the Executive Director of the Housing board Kim Musgrave. Housing boards are mandated to have a resident commissioner on their boards. Baker says the Wayne County Housing Board has been operating and spending tax dollars since last June without a resident commissioner, as he was put under threat of trespass and arrest for attending any Housing Board meetings. Baker says he fell out of favor with the board for calling out irregularities.
Baker has also filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) charging the Wayne County board with ACC noncompliance and defective Board composition. The threat of arrest has prevented his participation at board meetings, and Baker alleges the board has continued to approve HUD subsidies in violation of HUD board composition requirements. He is asking HUD to consider protective or corrective actions to halt expenditures by the board. These expenditures total more than $1.55 million at present.
Current members of the Wayne County Housing Authority board are Dixie Locke, Chairman; Tim McBride, Vice chairman; Doyle Hucker, Secretary; and Ronald Baker, Resident Commissioner. The Wayne County Housing Board met last Friday and Baker was invited to attend and speak during public comment time. A resolution to rescind the previous, allegedly illegal, resolution regarding Baker is on the agenda, as well as a new resolution to petition the Wayne County Board Chairman for Baker’s removal from the board.
Baker states, under these circumstances with the trespass order not vacated, commissioner rights not restored, and the defective board composition persisting, that no reasonable person would re-enter the boardroom absent a judicial declaration voiding the trespass and confirming lawful quorum restoration. Continued demands for Baker’s physical return without a legal cure could expose the board to more legal issues.
Published with permission from “The Villagers’ Voice“
