From the Tribune:

Oak Brook officials deny 'shadow government' charges

Watchdog alleges plot to fire cop chief
By Steve Brosinski | Special to the Tribune

An Oak Brook community watchdog group accused current and former officials of secretly spending nearly $20,000 on legal fees in a clandestine attempt to fire the village's top cop.

But the officials named by the group, including former Village President Kevin Quinlan, denied allegations of a plot to terminate Police Chief Thomas Sheahan's contract and hide the billing statements from members of the village board.

"Nobody set out to fire the chief. That was not the purpose at all," Quinlan said Wednesday in a phone interview.

Richard Allison, a member of the Oak Brook Citizens for Better Government, on Tuesday confronted the board with $19,929 in unpaid bills from the Chicago law firm of Laner Muchin.

Under village code, the manager can spend up to $10,000 without board approval and the president has no spending authority. Trustee Kathryn Manofsky said she was shocked that she was not told of the expenditure.

Village President John Craig didn't respond to Allison's charges, saying he didn't know enough about the bills. He said the village has contacted Laner Muchin to explain the purpose of its services.

Allison said he obtained the statements, dating from June 2006 to May 2007, through a Freedom of Information Act request after they were discovered in former Manager Rick Boehm's desk.

Each bill has a heading "Village of Oak Brook, Re: Sheahan, Thomas Matter." A note on the June 2006 statement reads "telephone conference with attorney K. Kubiesa re: termination of employment." Ken Kubiesa served as village attorney until Craig was seated in May.

"It seems like a concerted effort of a shadow government," Allison told board members during the televised meeting.

Along with Quinlan, the names of Boehm, Kubiesa and Trustee Jeffrey Kennedy appear on billing statements.

At Tuesday's meeting, Kennedy called Allison's accusation an "outrageous fabrication."

Quinlan said he hired Laner Muchin after conferring with Kennedy, Trustee Robert Sanford and former Trustee Asif Yusif. All three men confirmed that Quinlan told them of his plans to seek counsel but they said they did not learn of the outcome of the consultations.

Quinlan said he didn't reveal his plans to the entire board to protect Sheahan's reputation. He said legal experts were needed to help resolve major problems between Boehm and Sheahan. Quinlan wouldn't say what those problems were.

Boehm, who now works for an engineering firm and didn't attend Tuesday's board meeting, said Laner Muchin was hired to seek advice on an "extremely sensitive personnel issue." Boehm would not say specifically what that issue was.

"There were a series of incidents which I thought were extremely serious," he said.

Kennedy said his name appeared on legal bills only once -- on April 30, 2007 -- days prior to a special board meeting called to decide Sheahan's future with the village. Kennedy said he sought advice from Laner Muchin on a legal question. Sheahan's contract was automatically renewed because the special meeting was canceled for lack of a quorum.

Sanford said board members learned of Laner Muchin's unpaid bills in June or July of this year, he said.

"It shouldn't be paid until we get documentation for what they did," he said.

Oak Brook Citizens for Better Government was formed in 2004 during Quinlan's tumultuous administration. It has had contentious dealings with the village, most notably a federal suit alleging harassment of two members by village staff. Those members, Frances and Casey Gaik, successfully sued the village and received a $2 million settlement last year.