CH Park District Officials Question Expenses After Library Audit

CHICAGO HEIGHTS, IL — Chicago Heights Park District Commissioners are questioning expenses made throughout 2020, after the city's library officials announced they are planning to take two former officials to court over $440,000 in "mishandled funds," according to a news release.

An independent forensic audit conducted by the Chicago Heights Public Library had officials asking for a criminal investigation.

According to the library, former director Kelley Nichols-Brown made thousands of dollars worth of credit card purchases, payments and petty cash transactions that appear to have been personal in nature. Former board President Lori Wilcox was tasked with overseeing Nichols-Brown, but did not hold monthly oversight meetings as required. The library says it will sue to get that money back, and current officials are calling on the Cook County State's Attorney's Office to investigate.

"A forensic accounting services report from an independent auditing firm, BKD CPAs & Advisors, has concluded that former Chicago Heights Library Board President Lori Wilcox and Library Director Kelly Nichols-Brown have allegedly mishandled over $400,000 in Library funds," current board President Jamie Paicely said in a statement. "Therefore, the library has a fiduciary responsibility to initiate both civil court action to recuperate unauthorized spending, as well as make a formal referral to the Cook County State's Attorney for a criminal investigation."

Park district commissioners are questioning the same. Commissioners Jessica Mangiaracina and Curtis Straczek submitted a motion to the board to conduct a forensic audit of park district spending and contracts. The commissioners also called upon the Cook County State’s Attorney to include the park district in any criminal investigation that it undertakes at the library.

Mangiaracina and Straczek's motion to the board was blocked at a regular monthly meeting on Monday. They were also denied again on Thursday, saying it was due to the "majority’s parliamentary maneuvers."

According to the release, one target commissioners were hoping to find more information about is janitorial company Clay Custodian, LLC. The company is at the center of the library investigation, and was hired by Park Superintendent Frank Perez and Wilcox to clean two golf course buildings in January 2020.

Clay Custodian is owned by the husband of Park District Commissioner and former library director Nichols-Brown, according to Mangiaracina.

The commissioners said the company contract was never approved by the park board, and that Clay Custodian started receiving payments of $1,440 per month to clean both buildings. After the library terminated its contract with the business in April 2020, the commissioners said the company's pay at the park district was increased to $3,600 per month.

Perez brought the Clay Custodian contract to the board in September 2020, nine months later. Both Mangiarcina and Straczek voted against hiring Clay Custodian.

“There was no need for Perez and Wilcox to hire a janitorial company to clean the East and West Course Banquet facilities because the facilities were closed to the public due to the pandemic,” Mangiaracina said. “Why should we be paying $3,600 per month to clean facilities that are closed to the public?”

At the time of the contract vote, Mangiaracina said she was unaware Clay Custodian’s owner was the husband of Nichols-Brown, until the release of the library audit.

“This is very disturbing, and Commissioner Nichols-Brown has some explaining to do,” Mangiaracina said. “It didn’t make sense to me before, but now it is clear that the hiring of Clay Custodian at the Park District, and then increasing their payment in May 2020, is nothing but a corrupt scheme by Wilcox, Commissioner Nichols-Brown, and Park District Superintendent Perez to funnel Park District money to friends and family.”

The commissioners said the contract has brought Park Commissioner Jimmy Kyles into question.

According to the commissioners, Kyles was an independent contractor who was terminated at the library and later began working for Clay Custodian. They said Kyles was presumably assigned to clean the park district’s golf course buildings, and that he was already working for the company when he voted to approve the contract at the Park District in September 2020.

“Commissioner Kyles’ employment status with Clay Custodian and his vote to approve Clay Custodian’s contract are complete conflicts of interest,” said Mangiaracina. “Conflicts of interests, like those of Commissioner Kyles and Commissioner Nichols-Brown cannot continue, and that’s why we need a forensic audit and the Cook County State’s Attorney to investigate.”

Patch reached out to Wilcox, Nichols-Brown and Kyles, but did not receive an immediate response on Friday.