Laid-Off In Country Club Hills Suing

CHICAGO (STMW) - With Mayor Dwight Welch's blessing, a group of former Country Club Hills employees — including the mayor's girlfriend — are suing the city and his political opponents with claims of gender discrimination, stalking and retaliation.

It's the latest maneuver in a struggle where, in a town of 16,000 people, city officials from two political factions are grappling for control of the city's power and money.

Six recently laid-off employees, and another who was given a pay cut, are suing the city and Welch's opponents in federal court, following a letter from the mayor where he encouraged them to settle in court. Among other things, the lawsuits claim Ald. Vincent Lockett (2nd) and other city officials used racially charged words in the presence of white employees. Another suit also claims Lockett and Ald. Steven Burris (4th) harassed Welch's girlfriend, Michelle Garner, prompting her to file a police report.

Welch says he supports the lawsuits and is looking out for the former employees' rights. He even wrote them a letter in April urging them to seek legal action if the city followed through on a plan to eliminate their jobs through budget cuts.

"These proposed cuts are not based on any reason other than pure political retribution," Welch wrote in the April 29 letter. "I would not blame any city employees who would protect their rights against wrongful termination by filing lawsuits in federal court."

Welch's letter came four days after the city council rejected a plan that could have saved the employees' jobs.

Lockett, who lost April's mayoral contest to Welch, said the layoffs were legal and needed to trim the budget.

"It doesn't sit well with me that you are the mayor of the city and you want to sue the city," Lockett said. "I just don't see where they have a case at all. This happens all over. A new administration comes in, they make budget cuts and you're out of a job."

Claims of harassment

Garner was the first to file suit in the matter.

Garner, who worked for the city from September 2008 until mid-June, is suing the city, Ald. Frank Martin (5th), Leon Williams (2nd), John Edwards (1st), Cynthia Singleton (1st), Anthony Davis (5th), Lockett and Burris.

She claims they voted to layoff Welch's supporters because he defeated Lockett in the mayor's race.

Garner's attorney as well as Williams, Edwards, Singleton and Davis did not return calls seeking comment. Martin said he follows the law and doesn't "do anything at anything to try to get back at anyone."

Garner's lawsuit claims Lockett and Burris harassed her after she was laid off June 10. She filed a police report five days later, on June 15, claiming Lockett on multiple occasions had parked near her home to spy on her.

Lockett denied Garner's claims.

"She's a liar, liar, and her pants is on fire," Lockett said. "That's all made up and make-believe stuff."

Garner also told police Burris followed her while she ran errands June 15. But Burris told police his run-ins with Garner were a coincidence.

Burris claims he first saw Garner that day when he drove to city hall to drop off a letter. He saw Garner second time when he pulled into the Country Club Hills Theater's parking lot because its gate was open. He saw her a third time when he pulled up to a stoplight at 183rd Street and Pulaski Road.

Garner's lawsuit also claims Lockett approached her mother and promised to give Garner her job back if she dropped the claims about political retaliation.

"That's a lie. I never approached her mom or said anything about giving her job back," Lockett said. "That's totally ridiculous."

Race and layoffs

But another lawsuit against Lockett, Burris and the city — filed by former officials Wanda Comein, Henrietta Turner, Margaret Seltzner, Alison Brothen, and Paula A. Smothers — claim Lockett and Burris used racially charged statements in their pursuit to unseat Welch, who is white.

The lawsuit claims Burris in 2007 said, "Why do we need a white mayor, a white city clerk, a white treasurer, and a white finance director controlling African American money?"

Burris doesn't dispute he said that, but questioned why something that was uttered four years ago should come into play: "There are African American towns that have the same thing and they control their money," Burris said. "Why can't we control our money?"

Meanwhile, Lockett denies claims in the lawsuit that he told Seltzner not to use Welch's "ugly white face," on city materials, and saying he 'would remove all white faces from City Hall.' "

"What I did say is that residents are telling me that they are tired of looking at Welch's ugly white face on the (Country Club Hills Theater) billboards," Lockett said.

"Nothing about removing white people from city hall. That's a lie."

The lawsuit also references a city funded summer camp uncovered by the SouthtownStar, which found 34 children — including the those of a few alderman — were paid up to $1,000 each to attend. The lawsuit claims Ald. Thomas Comein (3rd), Wanda Comein's husband, asked Burris how he would pay for the summer camp, to which Burris replied, "with your wife's salary."

Burris said he doesn't remember saying that.

Another city employee and Welch ally, Chanay Mackey, is suing over her pay being slashed from $88,000 to $44,000.

"We felt like it wasn't needed," Lockett said of the salary downgrade. "She's making a lot of money for that position. She should be thankful."

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