Sexton Has Sharp Words For Mayoral Candidate’s ‘Speculation’

EVERGREEN PARK, IL — Mayor Jim Sexton is consulting with his personal attorney about filing a slander suit against a mayoral candidate after she attempted to walk back statements she had made on the EP Podcast when she implied that Sexton and other village officials had engaged in wrongdoing with a contractor to install red light cameras in Evergreen Park.

Sexton is retiring as mayor when his current term ends in May, after serving in the office for 34 years. Shawn Good is one of two candidates vying for mayor in the April 6 election. Sexton has endorsed her opponent — Kelly Burke — the state representative for the 36th District and an Evergreen Park village trustee.

The mayor was infuriated by remarks Good made on the EP Podcast, when she referenced SafeSpeed LLC, a Chicago-based red light camera company where several individuals involved with the company have been at the center of a federal probe. The investigation has ensnared various public officials from suburban Cook County. Mayor Lou Presta, who is running for reelection in Crestwood, was indicted last year on charges that he took a bribe so that SafeSpeed could expand in the suburb. The company’s chief executive has denied wrongdoing or knowing that bribes were being paid.

In an interview on EP Podcast that aired March 1, Good told host Chris Lanuti that she would apply her own “professional take” on the “ongoing complaints” she’s heard from residents and on social media since announcing her candidacy.

“I’m going to re-prioritize and go through each issue from the top number one issue all the way down the list to resolve ongoing complaints along with bringing new fresh ideas,” Good said. “I’ve had more than a couple of handfuls of people reaching out. ‘Did you know this happened,’ or my own personal experience. I don’t feel it’s had enough attention or handled properly.”

Pressed by co-host Hannah Kohut to be more specific about residents’ complaints, Good cited the red light camera at 87th Street and Kedzie Avenue which the village leases from SafeSpeed.

“I delved in. I’ve read as much as I could about [Redflex Traffic Solutions] and SafeSpeed,” Good said. “What I found out was that in 2018, as you know, there were four of them installed. If you watch what is happening other southwest suburbs you have to ask yourself at some point -- was Evergreen Park involved?”

“So you’re implying that Evergreen Park might have been involved in some wrongdoing when it came to the red light cameras,” Lanuti asked.

“I wouldn’t exactly say it that way,” Good continued. “I’m speculating only. The implication part is not up to me to decide.”

While gathering signatures to place her name on the April 6 ballot, Good explained that she met other residents who shared her concerns “because information was arcane, it was withheld, it was secretive.”

Good was also questioned about past insinuations she allegedly made that Kelly Burke was somehow involved in wrongdoing in Springfield concerning the SafeSpeed federal investigation.

“Do you have tangible proof?” Lanuti asked Good.

“I make no reference to the fact that I insinuated anything against Ms. Burke,” Good responded.

In other statements on the show, Good said she was ready to “step up.”

“People like me, you just have to be liked as a politician. This is something new, and I think people really like this,” she said. “I have no connections here. I don’t have any specific group that I favor. I can be completely impartial, and I think that states a lot not only about Evergreen Park but all of Illinois. People can see me out there and how do I connect with so many people — I’m pretty popular.”

Sexton was incensed by Good’s remarks. In a follow-up interview on EP Podcast that aired March 5, he described Good as someone who “crawls out from under a rock every four or eight years.” Good was booted off the ballot when she challenged Sexton for mayor in 2013 because she didn’t have enough signatures on her nominating petitions.

“The last time she ran was right after I had the West Nile virus [in 2012],” Sexton said. “She’s never volunteered for any position in this village, not the library, not the school boards, and none of the commissions here in the village.”

The village entered into a contract with SafeSpeed in June 2016, according to an ordinance available on the village website (not 2018 as Good stated). The red light camera company would supply photos of vehicles license plates running red lights. The Evergreen Park Police Department would have the final say whether to issue a violation.

“I have 34 years being elected in Evergreen Park, so I don’t believe for one second that the intelligent voters in Evergreen Park would have ever believed that I took a kickback or did something illegal with those red light cameras,” the mayor said. “I suggest that if the candidate [Good] and her campaign manager want to go to the FBI, they’re more than welcome to do that. Bring your facts and figures and your speculation to the FBI. I welcome any and all investigations.”

Sexton also told Lanuti that he was consulting with his personal attorney and would subpoena any and all tapes of Good’s March 1 interview “because we believe it’s very slanderous. Speculation is the same as defaming someone’s character.”

Later, in comments to Patch, Sexton said his attorney thinks he has a very good case.

“If [SafeSpeed] were going to bribe me, they would have sent something or solicited something from my campaign committee,” the mayor said. “They haven’t contributed to my committee. I wouldn’t allow it and I wouldn’t solicit contributions from them.”

Although SafeSpeed generously contributed $144,200 over the years to the campaigns of Lou Presta, Kim Foxx, Toni Preckwinkle and State Rep. Bob Rita, among others, no contributions turned up for Friends of Jim Sexton in the Illinois State Board of Elections campaign disclosures. Similarly, no contributions were received from Redflex Traffic Solutions, which in 2017 paid $20 million to settle a lawsuit with the City of Chicago arising from a bribery scheme between the firm’s former chief executive and a city transportation official, Reuters reported.

Sexton repeated his assertion that if Good has proof of any wrongdoing concerning the red light cameras or other malfeasance, to gather her documents and go talk to the FBI.

“I welcome any and all investigations. I’ll stand on my 34 years here and all the friendships I made with countless elections since 1987,” Sexton said. “If anyone has anything to say about graft or unethical things please give me a call and I will explain it.”

Good said she has spoken to an attorney about Sexton’s threat to sue her and claims she was assured any such lawsuit would be tossed out by a judge.

“These are false accusations,” Good said, before abruptly terminating a phone call with Patch. “He’s completely, you know, I would say just go and enjoy your retirement.”

CLARIFICATION: This story has been clarified to stress that several individuals involved with SafeSpeed are or were under federal investigation, not the company. The company’s chief executive has denied wrongdoing or knowing that bribes were being paid.