University Park Trustees Call For Resignation Of Mayor

UNIVERSITY PARK, Ill. (AP) -- The village board of a Chicago suburb is calling for the mayor to resign because of alleged financial impropriety.

Members of the University Park Board of Trustees say a federal investigation has been launched into the finances of the town of about 7,000. Trustee Joseph Roudez says village funds have gone missing, and the board blames Mayor Vivian Covington.

Covington said Thursday she has done nothing wrong with village finances. She says they were a mess when she was elected in 2011. And she noted the board blocked her attempts to fix the problem by cutting spending.

The board is accusing Covington of raiding the tax increment financing fund by setting up phony wire transfers. They also say she awarded village contracts to family and friends without board approval and refused to comply with an audit of village finances.

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