No disclosure: Fire board trustee votes to seat son-in-law

When a trustee on the Fox River and Countryside Fire/Rescue board voted to support a candidate to fill a vacancy, neither man disclosed that they were in-laws.

Thomas Kennedy, newly elected to the fire board, voted at the June 4 meeting to appoint Michael Spencer, his son-in-law.

The four trustees voted 2-2 twice, so neither Spencer nor the other candidate, Nicholas Manheim, were appointed. Three votes are required to appoint the fifth board member so the board is scheduled to try again at its July meeting.

Spencer defended not disclosing the relationship, saying it was not a secret.

“I guess I’m a little taken aback,” Spencer said. “This is no secret. There is nothing nefarious occurring here. There is no ethical violation.”

Spencer said because there is no financial benefit for himself or his family, there is no conflict of interest or ethical lapse.

“It’s a non-issue,” Spencer said.

The district established itself in 2007 after splitting off from St. Charles. It serves more than 25,000 residents over 38 square miles in Kane and DuPage counties and in the unincorporated areas of St. Charles and Campton Townships and the incorporated villages of Campton Hills and Wayne.

Kennedy did not respond to a message left with his wife, nor to a voicemail seeking comment.

Trustee Jim Gaffney – also newly elected and sworn in with Kennedy that night – said he did not know about the in-law relationship then.

Trustee T.J. Seiffert did not know until a reporter told him.

“That’s pretty bizarre,” Seiffert said. “To have that and not to disclose it. ... It’s truly kind of aggravating to me, to be honest. ... I’m not sure how he thinks that could fly.”

Gaffney said Kennedy should have disclosed that Spencer was his son-in-law and recused himself both from nominating and voting for him.

“I find it hard to believe that a newly elected trustee could be so deceitful, have such lack of integrity, not to mention the dishonesty when he deliberately, my opinion, did not divulge to the trustee and public that Mr. Spencer was his son-in-law,” Gaffney said.

State law does not address the issue of family or in-laws supporting each other for appointments to unpaid board positions.

Instead, state law prohibits conflicts of interest involving financial gain, either through contracts or other means. The Illinois Governmental Ethics Act only addresses a public official receiving an economic benefit.

Spencer said that when Gaffney voted for Manheim, he was voting for a friend without disclosing that relationship.

“Jim Gaffney having his friend apply (for the vacancy) is the same conflict of interest he’s suggesting,” Spencer said. “Manheim is friends with Gaffney.”

Gaffney said he and Manheim are acquaintances, not friends.

“I didn’t cover anything up,” Gaffney said.

Manheim said he and Gaffney know each other after serving together on the St. Charles School District 303 school board.

“Acquaintances – that is a fair statement,” Manheim said of his relationship to Gaffney.

As to the Kennedy-Spencer in-law relationship, Manheim said he did not have an opinion.

“At the end of the day, when you’re on a public board, you should look at the qualifications of that candidate,” Manheim said. “You’d like the person who would vote in the best interest of the taxpayers. That is what I did when I was on the school board for 10 years.”

Trustee Nick McManus did not respond to voicemail and text asking whether he knew of the in-law relationship.

Kennedy and McManus both voted for Spencer while Gaffney and Seiffert voted to appoint Manheim.

Because no one was appointed, the board is expected to reconsider appointments at its next meeting, 6 p.m. July 10 at 34W500 Carl Lee Road, St. Charles.

The district posted a new deadline of June 20 for applications for the vacancy left when former board president Jason Parthun resigned. Parthun was elected to a six-year term in 2021.

Manheim and Spencer are still among those to be considered for the appointment, along with four others: Kimberly Abatangelo, Cathy M. Camm, Bronson Flannagan and former trustee Pam Turriff.