Avon Twp. to decide on ex-supervisor's settlement offer
Avon Township officials are expected to decide tonight whether to accept a proposal by former Supervisor Shirley Christian to pay part of a $2,000 bill related to computer file destruction that happened before she left office last year.
Township Supervisor Sam Yingling said trustees are to discuss Christian's offer to pay $1,200 at a closed-door meeting. He said officials will decide whether to take Christian's money and release her from all liabilities or pursue a lawsuit against her for the full $2,000.
In September, the township sent a letter to Christian demanding the $2,000 in restitution for repairs to the damaged supervisor's office computer, a replacement model, file restoration for backup tapes and attorney fees.
Lake County prosecutors began looking into the computer file erasure at Yingling's request after he took office May 18. The state's attorney's office concluded the files were accidentally destroyed, but suggested Christian pay for the computer damage.
Avon Township Trustee Sherry Ridge said it's unlikely she'll settle for less than the full $2,000 from Christian.
"I think it's quite frankly ridiculous that she thinks she can negotiate," Ridge said. "But I am only one vote and one voice. I do not agree with accepting one penny less."
Christian's attorney, Rudolph Magna, said he's hopeful a majority of the five-member board will approve the proposed settlement.
Magna studied the bills before submitting Christian's original offer of $764, contending she didn't owe for a new computer if the older one at the root of the incident was fixed. He said Christian's offer resulted from negotiations with the township's attorney.
"We came up a little," Magna said. "They came down a little. It stings a little bit on both sides."
Trustee Chris Ditton said in trying to make a decision on the settlement, officials must weigh the gain of seeking the $2,000 through a lawsuit against the costs of going to court.
"Clearly, I'd like to see all of the money paid back," Ditton said. "If you engaged in intentional conduct, then you should bear the responsibility of that intentional conduct. Whether you thought (file destruction) was going to happen or not, you engaged in that intentional conduct."
Christian has said all of the files were accidentally deleted by her daughter and a friend - who acted on her request - with a program more powerful than expected. She said she only wanted e-mail addresses and other personal information removed.
In a document issued to the township board, Yingling wrote Karen Christian-Smith and Gregory Koeppen used Active@KillDisk hard-drive eraser on the computer. KillDisk destroys all data on hard and floppy drives.
Koeppen is Lake County Farm Bureau's manager and was treasurer for Christian's political slate. Christian-Smith is executive director of the Grayslake Area Chamber of Commerce, a post her mother formerly held.
Avon Township trustees agreed in December they would authorize a lawsuit if an acceptable resolution to the Christian case did not materialize. The township includes all or part of Grayslake, Hainesville, Third Lake and the Round Lake area.
Magna said Christian's $1,200 check to Avon Township has been signed and awaits delivery.