Politics & Government
Dolton 149's Wilbur Tillman Hit with “Abuse of Office" Allegation
School Board member's acquisition of district vendor list for campaign fundraising letter is focus of investigation.
(Calumet City, IL) – South suburban Dolton School District 149 has officially opened an investigation into one of its seven school board members, Wilbur Tillman, over alleged “abuse of office” regarding Tillman’s acquisition from the district administration a list of school district vendors in order to solicit vendors for campaign contributions.
The Dolton 149 Board of Education held an emergency board meeting on March 8, 2021 and voted 5-1 to hire special counsel, Montana & Welch, LLC, to investigate Tillman’s possible violation of school district policy regarding Tillman’s February 19, 2021 campaign fundraising letter to district vendors, using a vendor list obtained from district’s administrative personnel.
Tillman voted against hiring the special counsel.
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“Obtaining the school district vendor list from district personnel for the express purpose of soliciting vendors for campaign cash is potentially a serious abuse of office allegation that the other board members and board president want thoroughly investigated,” said Dolton 149 spokesperson David Ormsby. “The board majority wants the special counsel to pursue the facts wherever they may lead and present their findings to the board or, if necessary, to law enforcement for any potential criminal investigation.”
Tillman’s February 19 fundraising letter was explicitly addressed to businesses with contracts with the district: “Dear Valued Vendor … I cannot continue the work that I have set out to do without your help. May you please donate the amount of $1,000, $500, $250, $100 … Please make your check payable to ‘Friends & Residents of 149’ and mail your generous donation to: PO Box 1461, Calumet City, IL 60409.’”
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“Tillman has a first amendment right to solicit campaign contributions,” said Ormsby. “But there is bright, red, legal line when it comes to an elected official leveraging their government office to obtain government resources, in this case the school district vendor list, for the explicit purpose of raising cash for a political campaign.”
The Dolton 149 expects to receive the results from special counsel’s investigation in the coming days.
davidormsby@davidormsby.com