Elmwood Park trustee is school district's go-to plumber

 By Matthew Walberg

Whenever a pipe bursts or a toilet starts backing up at an Elmwood Park public school, the phone rings at Carmen Forte's plumbing company.

School district officials admit they have repeatedly used Forte's company over the years, saying he is quick to respond and does good work.

But the arrangement has drawn fire from critics who question whether Forte's position as a village trustee explains why the district doesn't routinely seek out other plumbing companies when an emergency strikes. Forte, they say, receives preferential treatment, a charge he denies and attributes to sour grapes from political rivals.