Candidates battle over shoddy cemetery work

A candidate for Dundee Township Supervisor says his rival abandoned her responsibilities to the township taxpayers after she found out a former employee was doing work for another company on the taxpayer's dime.

Don Rage claims Supervisor Sue Harney was "derelict in her duties" for failing to alert the Kane County State's Attorney's office back in 2007 that the head of maintenance for the Dundee Township cemeteries, Jerry Marshall, was using township money and equipment to install monuments for Warner Monuments of East Dundee.

"It is illegal to use public funds like that," Rage said. "There are instances where people have gone to jail. (The township) should have known better."

Rage said monuments in the township's East and West cemeteries are now shifting and sinking. The Republican candidate for Dundee Township Supervisor filed a complaint with both the Kane County State's Attorney's office and the office of the U.S. Attorney.

However, Harney, who is seeking her third term as supervisor, says the problems have been corrected and the matter was dealt with by the township and local police.

"The matter was handled in house when we found out about it," Harney said. "I don't think we have any issues. It was never taken to the state's attorney, but a police report was filed with East Dundee police. There was no loss to the township."

A police report filed with East Dundee Police in January 2007 states that Harney spoke with Police Chief Terry Mee regarding the matter, but no complaints were signed.

Township Clerk Liz Gade said Marshall was setting monument markers for a local company while on township work time. The township later found that Marshall had failed to install an adequate foundation, which caused dozens of monuments to sink, Gade said.

Gade said fewer than 100 monuments were affected and that the owner of Warner volunteered to install each monument free of charge for the township.

That work, Gade said, was completed last summer.

Still, Rage said he wants the state's attorney to look into the matter.

"It's like robbing a bank and giving the money back," Rage said. "If you give the money back you're OK. This is very serious if it did occur and it should have been viewed by the state's attorney if it did occur."