Ethics Commission Investigates Complaint Against Skokie Candidate

SKOKIE, IL — The Skokie Ethics Commission is investigating a complaint lodged against Village Clerk candidate James Johnson, which alleges Johnson used their position on the Village Board to promote their campaign.

Johnson, who has brought complaints before the Ethics Commission in the past, is accused of violating the Village Code ordinance that states public office should not be used for personal gain. According to complainant Elline Eliasoff, this claim, which was initially filed at the end of February, stems from times Johnson gave public comments during board meetings while they served as Trustee.

"Trustee Johnson has consistently and repeatedly used their position on the Village Board to attack and disrespect their real or imagined political opponents, and anyone they deem insufficiently in alliance with their ideas, including but not limited to elected officials, private citizens, commission volunteers, and clergy," the complaint read.

According to Johnson, they didn't mention their campaign for Village Clerk in any of the instances where they took the stand during public comment. Johnson said each time they took the stand, they urged the Board to acknowledge and rectify perceived corruption in Skokie's legal department.

The complaint included 10 accusations of misconduct against Johnson. All but one of the allegations were dismissed by the commission due to some items being out of the statute of limitations.

A final hearing was scheduled for March 19 to determine the outcome of the case against Johnson, but in the days just before the hearing, Eliasoff amended the complaint to add more examples of Johnson giving public comments during Board meetings. The amendment pushed the final hearing to April 2, the day after the election

In an interview with Patch, Johnson said they believe the complaint is politically motivated by people who have a history of misinformative campaigning against them. Eliasoff serves as campaign manager for Trustee Alison Pure Slovin, who is a colleague of Johnson's on the current Skokie Board of Trustees and is running for District 2 Trustee in the April 1 election.

"This situation represents a major violation of the IL Code of Fair Campaign Practices, but also a major breakdown in our municipal ethics procedures. If you care about the integrity of our local electoral culture, you should care about this situation," Johnson said in a statement.

Eliasoff told Patch the amendment was necessary to add more examples of Johnson allegedly violating the Village Code and to build a stronger case. Eliasoff said the postponement of the meeting was disappointing, as she preferred for the situation to be resolved before the election.

"Integrity and accountability are fundamental to public service. Sadly, James does not uphold these values," Eliasoff said.