Nothing In Writing: Ex-Elmhurst D205 Official Never Corresponded On Misspending

ELMHURST, IL – The former top finance official for the Elmhurst school district never put pen to paper – or the technological equivalent – to write about what happened with a subordinate's credit card misspending.

That's according to the results of Patch's public records request to the district.

Last month, Patch sought any correspondence or documents from Chris Whelton, former assistant superintendent of finance, addressing the $50,000 in credit card misspending that happened on his watch. The district said it had no such records.

In mid-January, the board approved a severance agreement with Whelton. It stated he would stay working for the next month and a half. Meanwhile, his office's practices would be investigated, according to the document.

For the two months after Whelton's departure, he was required to make himself available for the superintendent's requests for information related to the district's business operations.

To this day, the district has not revealed who, if anyone, approved the credit card spending by the former facilities director, Todd Schmidt.

Schmidt used the district's credit card to buy booze, cigars, restaurant meals, airfare, groceries, and payments to sororities and country clubs. He regularly reimbursed the district with checks, meaning he essentially got short-term loans on the taxpayers' dime.

In late November, Schmidt was arrested on charges of stealing tens of thousands of dollars from his mother. A month later, Patch reported on the credit card spending.

Last month, in response to Patch's inquiry, the Elmhurst Police Department said Schmidt's credit spending was "under active review." At that point, the district had not sent any Schmidt-related documents to the police. Patch, however, did.

In another Illinois town, an official was convicted of similar credit card practices.