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Resident urges forensic audit after sexual-harassment settlement; residents question $1M museum allocation
Summary
At the Dec. 15 West Chicago City Council meeting, Kim Santiago urged a forensic audit after a reported taxpayer-funded sexual-harassment settlement and called for transparency; another resident criticized a proposed $1 million City Museum allocation and urged fiscal restraint.
Kim Santiago urged the West Chicago City Council to order a forensic audit after she said she read about a taxpayer-funded sexual-harassment settlement involving an employee named Michael Guttman.
"Please do a forensic audit because where there's smoke, there's usually fire," Santiago said during public comment, asserting the settlement had cost taxpayers "hundreds of thousands of dollars" and questioning oversight of city spending.
The comment came during the public-comment period, when resident Kurt Jaros also criticized recent downtown spending. Jaros said he was surprised the city's budget allocated up to $1 million to repair the City Museum building and called the figure "shocking," urging the council to pursue more fiscally shrewd approaches or transfer some city-owned properties to private investors.
Mayor Bovey responded to both speakers, saying he had "shared as much as I was able to legally share" about the settlement and reaffirming the city's commitment to transparency and accountability. He described the City Museum — the former city hall and hotel — as historically significant and said the council is not willing to lose the structure despite its structural issues.
Why it matters: The public's questions tie directly to city spending and personnel accountability. A forensic audit, if requested and authorized, could require staff time and public funds; the council has not recorded a formal vote to order such an audit at this meeting.
What was said and what comes next: Santiago named the former employee she referenced and requested the audit; the mayor said the administration is taking action within legal limits but did not announce further investigatory steps. Jaros's criticism of the City Museum's budget allocation joined earlier council discussion about downtown properties. No motion to start an audit or to change the museum allocation was made at the Dec. 15 meeting. The council proceeded to routine business and later approved the consent agenda of contracts and budget items.
