Calumet City Aldermen Seek Legal Action Over Mayor’s Spending

After nearly a year of seeking documentation for expenses incurred by Mayor Thaddeus Jones, all seven Calumet City aldermen voted Monday to pursue legal action to obtain records for $76,000 in spending. Alderman DeAndre Tillman of the 3rd Ward expressed that the situation had escalated unnecessarily. In September, Jones accumulated $44,000 on a city credit card during the Congressional Black Caucus’ annual legislative conference in Washington. Despite regular requests from aldermen for documentation linking these expenses to city business, the receipts remained elusive. The mayor has since relinquished the credit card, but the City Council still awaits the receipts, even after hiring legal counsel in December.

Tillman was inspired to scrutinize Jones’ spending more closely after the mayor pledged to reimburse the city $25,000 spent during the Washington conference. The check that Jones provided came from a local business already indebted to the city. “No council member was happy with that — it felt like a blatant lie,” Tillman commented. “If someone is so eager to sweep this under the rug, what else might be hidden?” Meanwhile, Jones claimed he sent the requested receipts in July, labeling the City Council vote as politically motivated. He forwarded pages of receipts for 2023 and 2024, along with justification statements for items without receipts. “They got the receipts, and they got everything,” Jones stated. “They want to continue this for media coverage.” He accused the City Council of being complicit in approving his past expenses.

Aldermen criticized much of the spending as unauthorized. Calumet City 2nd Ward Alderman Monet Wilson spoke during a special City Council meeting on Dec. 8, highlighting plans for a meeting on Sept. 8 to select an independent firm for litigation against Jones. She acknowledged that suing the mayor would incur additional taxpayer costs but emphasized growing concern among residents and aldermen about city spending.

While Jones denied wasteful spending caused the city’s significant budget deficits, Wilson argued for accountability in taxpayer spending. “It all adds up when we have storms like we’ve had, causing basements, alleys, and garages to flood, trapping residents in their homes with fallen trees — and lacking funds for immediate repairs,” Wilson explained. She clarified to a resident that the City Council’s goal is not to label the mayor as a criminal but to enforce checks and balances.

The mayor argued that the City Council lacks authority to retain its own attorneys, a point contested in a lawsuit he filed to prevent the firm Odelson, Murphey, Frazier & McGrath from representing aldermen. Judge Alison Conlon recently denied the firm’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit, with the next hearing scheduled for Sept. 3.