East Dundee Village President Dan Pearson was formally censured by the village board Monday for inviting two Republicans, one of whom was gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey, to give political speeches during the village’s Oktoberfest.
The censure was unanimous and also cited other actions and comments Pearson has made, including his endorsement of a candidate’s social media page comment stating the “language in America is English” and “inappropriate and distasteful comments” made mostly toward women during the Oktoberfest stein-holding contest.
“Whether or not you agree with this motion, I would just encourage you to read the entirety of (the resolution),” Trustee Scott Kunze said. “It’s not simply about the actions of inviting political candidates on stage. There is a list of things that have been done that have cost this village a lot of money in legal fees.”
A censure has no legal penalties and doesn’t remove an official from office. It’s a formal statement of disapproval against an official for inappropriate or unethical behavior.
The Kane County state’s attorney’s office has confirmed last week it received a complaint about Pearson’s Oktoberfest actions, charging he violated state elections laws prohibiting the use of public funds to promote political candidates or parties.
The censure resolution stems from Pearson’s decision to allow Bailey and Jennifer Davis, who is running for the 8th District Congressional seat, to take the stage at Oktoberfest on Sept. 26. During his comments, Bailey urged voters support him in his Nov. 3 election bid against Gov. JB Pritzker.
Pearson also referred to another candidate running for Kane County Board District 21 during his comments at the event.
There were other candidates and elected officials at the fest, but only some of them were invited to the stage, “creating the appearance of preferential treatment of particular candidates,” according to the censure resolution.
Pearson was not in attendance at the Monday night meeting due to a prescheduled, out-of-town vacation. He issued an apology at a special joint meeting of the village board and other committees and commissions on Sept. 28.
Trustees denounced his use of a village-funded event as a platform for political candidates regardless of party affiliation, the resolution said.
Pearson’s behavior created a “huge negative impact on our community,” Trustee Matt Oclon said.
“I do feel we need to hold ourselves to a level of professionalism that we chose to do when we ran for these positions. I am for the censure,” Oclon said.
Residents who spoke at Monday’s meeting thanked the board for taking a stance against Pearson’s action but said they didn’t think it went far enough.
Longtime resident Karla Burke said she strongly supported a censure, saying it was needed to demonstrate that ethical standards apply to everyone no matter their position or politics, and urged Pearson to resign.
“East Dundee deserves better,” Burke said.
Allison Moe, who has lived in the village for eight years, voiced her concern about Pearson’s support for English as the language of America and questioned whether someone who believes that is representing “all of us,” she said.
“I do believe he should resign,” Moe said. “I don’t think he will. I hope he does grow from this and learn from this.”
As for Pearson’s apology, the censure resolution states that he did not “adequately take ownership” for what happened at Oktoberfest.
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The “expectations for future conduct” states Pearson should refrain from using village-funded events, resources or authority and visibility of his office to promote or provide “preferential access to any political candidate or campaign” and to communicate “in a manner consistent with the dignity of the office and the village’s commitment to serving all residents in an impartial manner.”
Pearson should coordinate in advance with the village administrator and appropriate village staff, including the village attorney, “regarding planned public remarks at village-funded events” and “acknowledge the impact of the conduct described in this resolution and demonstrate a commitment to corrective action.”
What happened at Oktoberfest, Trustee Andy Sauder said, generated the most email he has received during his time on the board. It’s become a divisive issue, but local government is not about red versus blue, he said.
“We really need to correct this and not have either party bring polarizing politics into the local scene,” he said.
East Dundee has taken steps to put a system in place, which includes training for village staff, to prevent such partisan actions from occurring again, Sauder said.
Other trustees charged that Pearson’s actions took away from Oktoberfest’s success.
“The village has become known for our community events and the actions around that day have really overshadowed and taken a bit of the shine off the hard work of our police department, public works, staff and volunteers, who put their hearts and souls into putting some great events on,” Trustee Kathleen Mahony said.
Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The (Elgin) Courier-News.