June 14th 2024.
During a City Council meeting, there were discussions about disputed charges made by Calumet City Mayor Thaddeus Jones on his municipal credit card. Despite some concerns raised by certain aldermen, the council narrowly approved these charges as well as some new line items on Thursday.
Last month, Mayor Jones had promised to reimburse the city for some of the $13,000 in expenses that were questioned by aldermen. However, he did not specify which expenses he would be repaying, nor did he explain the reasons behind the hotel stays, Uber rides, and meals. Alderman James Patton and Alderman Michael Navarrete expressed their disappointment as some of the disputed charges were still included in a $1.2 million omnibus bill that was approved during the meeting.
Patton, who has announced his candidacy for mayor in 2025, described the situation as "shameful" and chose not to comment further on it. According to the city's agenda packet, the approved line items included three payments of $930 each to the Sheraton Hotel in New Orleans, which Patton believed should not have been paid by the city. He also raised concerns about smaller charges, such as $410 spent at Chicago Cut Steakhouse and $200 spent at Hooters within a short period of four days in January.
Apart from these, there were also recent charges of $7,300 to Foot Locker and $5,200 to Spencer Leak and Sons Funeral Homes, which Patton felt required further explanation from the mayor's office. However, despite their objections, the payments were ultimately approved with a 2-2 tiebreaker vote by Mayor Jones, as two aldermen voted against the payments and two voted in favor. One alderman voted present, and two others had left the meeting before the vote took place.
Mayor Jones' spokesperson, Sean Howard, stated that the mayor was not involved in deciding which charges were included in the final bill list that was up for vote. "He was just as unaware as anyone else," Howard clarified.
The confusion arose because some of the items that were not recommended by the council's Finance Committee were still included in the omnibus bill. Patton pointed out these added expenses, which he believed were a result of "human error" on the treasurer's part. However, the bill was quickly moved to a vote by two other aldermen, Anthony Smith and Ramonde Williams.
Patton speculated that Mayor Jones may have taken advantage of the situation and saw an opportunity to get the bill passed once he noticed the added expenses. Due to concerns raised by aldermen about the mayor's spending habits, the City Council is planning to vote on an ordinance later this month that aims to protect city funds from being used for personal expenses by public officials. Both Patton and Navarrete have expressed their support for this ordinance, with Patton stating that it is necessary to safeguard against such things, even though it should be common sense. "But unfortunately, that's where we're at," he added.
In conclusion, despite some concerns and objections raised by aldermen, the disputed charges and new line items were narrowly approved during the City Council meeting. However, steps are being taken to prevent similar situations in the future, with an ordinance being proposed to safeguard city funds from being used for personal expenses.
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