DeKalb Alderwoman Zasada says state rep. campaign solicited funds from city employees by ‘mistake’

DeKALB – DeKalb County State’s Attorney Rick Amato this month ordered DeKalb Alderwoman Carolyn “Morris” Zasada, who’s running for state representative in Illinois’ 76th House District, to stop sending emails soliciting money for her campaign to city of DeKalb employees, which Zasada said Sunday were sent by mistake.

Zasada, who represents the 1st Ward on the DeKalb City Council, told Shaw Local News Network that her campaign team pulled emails from a list of contacts she had compiled from her personal email.

Zasada said some of those contacts were city employees. Mass fundraising emails were sent by her campaign using that compiled list, Zasada said.

“I just want to assure city employees that this was a mistake and an error, and I had no intention of making them feel uncomfortable or any sort of wrong way,” Zasada said Sunday.

Zasada, a Democrat, is facing off against two others – DeKalb Mayor Cohen Barnes and the aide of state Rep. Lance Yednock, D-Ottawa, Amy “Murri” Briel – in the March 19 primary.

Yednock is not seeking reelection. Voters will choose which Democrat will head to the November general election and go up against either Liz Bishop or Crystal Loughran, who are both Republicans.

On Sunday, Zasada said she was working with legal counsel on a drafted apology that she intends to send out.

In the draft, Zasada said, her campaign team went through an email list exceeding 2,000 people to unsubscribe city emails once they became aware of what she called an “unfortunate and inadvertent error.”

An apology was posted to Zasada’s campaign Facebook page Monday.

The 76th District covers La Salle, Bureau and DeKalb counties, including Ottawa, La Salle, Peru, DeKalb, Spring Valley and Ladd.

Emails detail donation requests

Multiple “Carolyn for State Rep” fundraising appeals were sent to multiple city employees in January, according to emails obtained by Shaw Local News Network through public records requests.

An identical review by Shaw Local News Network of public records between Nov. 27 and Jan. 30 for Barnes’ campaign did not reveal any emails sent by his campaign to DeKalb city employees soliciting campaign funds.

Those who received the emails from Zasada’s campaign included DeKalb City Manager Bill Nicklas, DeKalb police Chief David Byrd, 6th Ward Alderman Mike Verbic, 5th Ward Alderman Scott McAdams, a human resources employee, an employee in the city manager’s office, two internet technician employees and multiple employees in the DeKalb Police Department.

On Jan. 18, an email with the subject line “I need your help” was sent out at 10:52 a.m. by Zasada’s campaign to more than a dozen city employees, records show.

Minutes after receiving the email, Verbic used his city email to ask Zasada to redirect personal emails to his personal email account.

“I use my city email for city business only. Thank you, Mike,” Verbic wrote.

Nicklas also responded to the Zasada campaign fundraising email, forwarding it to Zasada’s own city email and cc’ing City Attorney Matthew Rose, records obtained through the Freedom of Information Act show.

“Good morning, Carolyn,” Nicklas wrote in a Jan. 18 email sent at 11:03 a.m. “This fundraising letter was sent to my city email, and a similar letter has been sent to other city hall employees. This letter is in violation of state statute, and you should inform your team that electioneering in a government workplace puts you and your campaign at risk.”

Zasada responded to Nicklas three minutes later.

“Yes – I’m so sorry for the error! I think the issue was that the emails were pulled from my real estate email account, and we failed to delete them. It will not happen again. Truly sorry!” wrote Zasada, who is a real estate agent.

Three more fundraising emails for Zasada’s campaign were sent to city employees after Jan. 18 and between Jan. 30, however, records show.

At 10:39 a.m. Jan. 23, another request for funds was sent by Zasada’s campaign to city employees with the subject line “My opponent just put $30K into the race.”

A third was sent at 10:26 a.m. Jan. 26 from Zasada’s campaign to city employees with the subject line “Knock knock!”

In the email, Zasada’s campaign wrote, “I’ve sent you a ton of emails asking for money, and you’re probably sick of them. I’m sure sick of writing them. But the only obstacle we’re facing in this race is fundraising.”

At 10:17 a.m. Jan. 30, Zasada’s campaign again sent emails soliciting donations to multiple city employees with the subject line “Do you believe in miracles?”

Amato’s office sent a cease and desist letter dated Feb. 7 to Zasada’s home. Shaw Local News Network obtained a copy of that letter. Amato wrote that his office had been made aware of Zasada’s campaign emails to city of DeKalb employees.

Under the State Officials and Employees Ethics Act, adopted by the city of DeKalb on Aug. 24, 2020, city officials and employees seeking elected office are prohibited from soliciting or accepting gifts from employees of that city.

The actions are prohibited because of potential conflicts of interest. Zasada’s role on the City Council gives her statutory authority over city employees, including the city manager.

“As the city’s alderman for Ward 1, it should initially be clear to you that solicitation of campaign funds from those who answer to you and the remainder of the City [Council] is at the very least unethical,” Amato wrote. “Employees of the city should not be made to feel that their jobs are dependent on providing funding for a political campaign. This should go without saying, yet we are now driven to remind you of this activity’s implications.”

Zasada said that by the time she received Amato’s letter, her campaign already had realized the emails had been sent to city employees and worked to remedy it.

“We complied with the state’s attorney’s request well before receiving it,” Zasada said. “It was an accident and a mistake, pure and simple, and we attempted to correct it immediately.”