Clerk’s office didn’t include treasurer’s report or mayor’s order for public removal in city records

Harvey’s record keeper didn’t document a chaotic public comment session at a City Council meeting where the mayor ordered police to remove the audience from council chambers.

Since coming into office in 2019, Arambula’s office has consistently included public comment in its meeting minutes, designed to keep record of official business during municipal convening.

But the clerk is breaking her own habit after a City Council meeting last month flew off the rails. Mayor Chris Clark ordered police to remove the entire audience from City Hall after they clapped as a pastor accused the mayor of using police to retaliate against his church after speaking out against the city’s business license practices.

The Council votes to approve or reject meeting minutes at the following meeting. A copy of the July 22 meeting packet obtained by the HWH confirms that neither Pickett’s report nor the scathing statements community members made about Clark and his administration are included, at all.

The issue comes as residents rail against city officials over a lack of transparency in government operations. City Clerk Rosa Arambula’s office is under fire for poor record keeping, and Clark is criticized for using police rank-and-file to harass critics amid efforts to hyper militarize the department.

On July 8, City Treasurer Aisha Pickett delivered an ad hoc treasurer’s report during public comment, providing varying financial figures from a financial report read aloud by the mayor.

On July 19, Deputy Clerk Liliana Gonzalez sent the meeting packet to the Council. Packets typically include meeting minutes, bills lists, resolutions, and copies of contracts the Council could be discussing.

The July 22 finance committee and regular Council meetings were ultimately cancelled due to HVAC problems. But earlier that morning, Pickett sent an email to Clark and his staff, Deputy Administrator Chandralyn Ellis, City Clerk Rosa Arambula and her staff, alderpersons, and the city’s legal counsel noting a discrepancy in the meeting minutes of July 8.

“I did give a copy to Clerk Arambula, but it was omitted from the meeting minutes,” Pickett wrote of her treasurer’s report. Pickett’s email included a written version of her statements, dated July 8, 2024, and summary account statements she referenced in comments.

Pickett did not respond to requests for comment and her phone’s voicemail box was full.

In her public comment, Pickett stated the finance department fails to provide her critical financial statements to give monthly fiscal updates. Clark, in response to those claims, previously stated Pickett isn’t a certified public accountant, and the city relies upon expertise of Comptroller Louis Williams.

That back-and-forth about Pickett’s credentials undergirds a growing tension between the treasurer and mayor.

In March, Clark introduced a resolution to censure Pickett for allegedly using her office for political purposes after she attended a financial literacy workshop hosted by Alds. Colby Chapman (2nd) and Tracy Key (4th), who were also to be censured.

That evening, Clark moved to table all resolutions for censure. He has not re-introduced them since.

The Clerk’s Office didn’t include anything pertaining to the recess called before the mayor had chambers cleared or what followed as officials continued the meeting with residents outside.

City officials continued to call people to speak for comment. Law enforcement called them back in. But by the time residents came to speak, Clark had already adjourned the meeting.

Last week, the HWH left multiple voicemails on the Clerk’s Office phone inquiring into why the staff did not include public comment in the July 8 minutes. The clerk’s staff did not respond to requests for comment on that question by press time.

Both elected in 2019, Arambula and Clark ran on the same ticket in 2023 that included Ald. Shirley Drewenski (1st) and a former mayoral staffer for the treasurer position.

Arambula and a family member donated a total of $5,550 to Clark’s mayoral bid that year, the HWH found in a 2023 campaign finance analysis of city officials’ donation behavior. 

Illinois State Board of Elections requires a candidate begin filing disclosure statements once the amount raised or spent meets $5,000. Arambula didn’t file statements, according to state records, so it’s unclear if Clark donated to her own campaign.

The next regular scheduled Council meeting is Monday, August 12.