Dupage Policy Journal

Former state Rep. Jeanne Ives, a Republican of Wheaton, expects things to get worse for William Mayer, the DuPage Township supervisor who resigned over allegations he misused government funds.

“I am shocked that the supervisor is not under indictment at this point,” Ives told the DuPage Policy Journal. “Nobody expected him to resign last night (Tuesday), but he must be feeling the pressure as more and more comes out about his personal financial situation and his self-dealing at the township.”

Mayer, who tendered his resignation on Jan. 15 during a monthly held Board of Trustees meeting, is accused of using township funds to grant personal loans and advance payments to himself without the knowledge of board members.

Jeanne Ives | jeanneives.org

According to Edgar County Watchdogs, he is also suspected of funneling DuPage Township business to companies he and his wife own or are affiliated with.

Ives, who represented the 42nd District for six years before relinquishing her seat to run against Gov. Bruce Rauner in the Republican primary, said she became aware of the accusations lodged against Mayer last summer and has made a point of staying on top of things.

“The township board and the auditors have been kept in the dark about much of it,” she added. “They need new internal controls to make sure tax money is only used as authorized by law.”

As it is, Ives said, the whole situation reflects poorly on the system and can at least partly be attributed to the state’s staggering more than 7,000 units of government.

“Taxpayers have a monumental task trying to keep track of it all,” she said. “There is a lot to question here, and even those who have participated in some of the questionable programs or received some of the perks should have doubted if it was government's responsibility to provide certain services. For example, they set up trips for seniors that went all around the country. They built a banquet hall for their senior programs and then rented it out for private parties and profited off of it. They had their own liquor license to do so. All of that is not a core function of a township senior program.”