Warrenville censures alderman for alleged ethics violations

Warrenville's city council voted 7-1 to censure Alderman Christopher Halley for alleged ethics violations.

The lone vote against censure was Halley's.

He had no comment Tuesday about the outcome of the vote, but reportedly was defiant during the hourlong discussion Monday.

"He vowed to fight the issue using some of the same words Gov. Rod Blagojevich has used," fellow Alderman Dan Leonard said. "It was kind of strange."

City officials said DuPage County State's Attorney Joseph Birkett's office is investigating the claims of impropriety.

Halley was part of a unanimous council vote in 2007 to create the ethics ordinance he is now accused of violating. He is also a Winfield Republican precinct committeeman.

Among the bevy of accusations against Halley are attempts to get friends and family out of traffic tickets and intimidating police officers. The accusations date to May 2007, shortly after he was first elected and before he took office.

The council's vote is a formal reprimand but has no punitive powers. Leonard said Halley was asked to resign to avoid the public censure, but refused.

According to the council's resolution, Halley was advised in May 2007 that it was improper for an elected official to interfere with police after he was accused of trying to get a friend out of a traffic ticket.

In November 2008, Halley called Chief Ray Turano to complain about his brother's speeding ticket and later asked the city prosecutor to do him "a favor" and dismiss the charge during a court appearance, according to the paperwork.

Most recently, Halley was stopped by Warrenville police on suspicion of drunken driving and repeatedly asked the police officer and a commanding officer if they "know I'm an alderman in this town." The exchange was caught on a dashboard-mounted video camera, city officials said.

Halley was not cited, but an incident report indicates he failed some field sobriety tests.

In the past, the 25-year-old Halley has complained of discrimination by other council members and that his views were being discounted because of his age and because his father is a former alderman.

Shortly after he took office, Halley also accused unknown political enemies of creating a page on a social networking site aimed at discrediting him by posting his picture and a statement that read: "Yes I'm the Alderman, favors don't come cheap." Halley said he hired a private investigator to find out who created the page, but it's unknown if he ever learned the identity of the alleged prankster.