Perry councilman tells Lake County commissioners to investigate alleged "shameful lies," demands apology

Perry Village Councilman Rick Walker told the Lake County Board of Commissioners during a year-end workshop that county elected officials publicly accused his council of politically motivated decisions tied to a proposed Perry data center and the removal of a local planning commission member.

"Mister Beveridge's unethical behavior needs to be investigated," Walker said during public comment, adding that the accusations against the council were "shameful lies" and that the official named in the record "owes this council a public apology." Walker also accused other officials of making false statements that a council member had threatened bodily harm.

A responding commissioner who spoke during the meeting said he regretted any misinterpretation of his remarks but defended his right to speak and characterized his intervention as a request that the village delay transformative actions until newly elected officials were sworn in. The meeting chair cautioned Walker that he was "skirting the edge" by challenging officials' ethics but allowed him to finish his remarks.

The chair later returned to the topic in closing remarks, saying he was concerned the Perry data center debate had been politicized and noting that "the sheriff's daughter, Heather Lee and Bruno was unfairly treated as a commissioner in the planning and zoning commission" according to the transcript. He emphasized that, where possible, major changes should wait for the incoming governing bodies so the officials who must live with decisions can vote on them.

No formal investigation or motion was recorded at the workshop. Commissioners did not take a vote or direct staff to begin an inquiry during the session; the complaint and calls for apology remained claims in the public record at adjournment.