Bensenville Leader Blasts Park Board President

BENSENVILLE, IL – Bensenville's village president is calling for the local park district board to publicly reprimand its president over his treatment of the village.

At a park board meeting last month, Village President Frank DeSimone said the board's president, Richard Johnson, seems to think it's fine to "speak ill will against me and falsely represent me in public."

"I know many residents have heard him on several occasions tell stories to paint myself as a criminal and the village as corrupt," said DeSimone, a retired Schiller Park detective.

Patch obtained DeSimone's written comment through a public records request with the park district.

Asked whether he wanted to comment on his statement Monday, DeSimone said he stood by it.

Johnson did not return an emailed message for comment.

In his statement, DeSimone said Johnson told representatives from different taxing bodies at a park district function that DeSimone was corrupt and that the village government was full of corruption.

"I know that members of this (park) board were at that table and heard it," DeSimone said. "What you do not know was I had friends at that table, who confirmed this took place."

DeSimone also said Johnson tells local senior citizens that the village pushed to sell the golf course. But DeSimone said it was the park board that took major legal steps to do that. (The park board later abandoned the idea of selling.)

He said Johnson was the reason that the village and district lacked a good working relationship.

"I stood by for years as he continually misrepresented me and the village board," DeSimone said. "He should know all about this as he is suing several residents for allegedly doing the same to him."

For his part, DeSimone said he did not intend to take legal action.

He asked the board to vote to censure Johnson, saying the formal reprimand would help mend the relationship between the two government entities.

"This relationship will not thrive while your president spreads misinformation against the village and its elected officials," DeSimone said.

Last year, DeSimone threatened to take legal action against a local critic, calling the resident a "keyboard coward."