Trustee wants Antioch to pay fees

An Antioch trustee wants the village to reimburse him for legal fees he incurred when fellow board members questioned his financial connections to a local bar.

Trustee Robert McCarty sent a letter to the village this week asking for $9,716 -- the amount of money he spent as part of his hearing before the Illinois State Liquor Commission in September.

McCarty said he is entitled to the reimbursement under the village's indemnification ordinance.

"I was just trying to do the right thing," he said. "I was elected by the people and don't want to be taken out by anyone else but the people who elected me."

Antioch's indemnification ordinance protects village employees and elected officials from monetary damages if they are named in a claim, lawsuit or litigation while performing official duties.

During Monday's village board meeting, trustees discussed McCarty's request, but decided not to vote on it until next month.

Trustee Dennis Crosby said his first reaction is to deny it.

Crosby said he understands why McCarty would pursue reimbursement, but thinks he misunderstands the spirit of the ordinance.

"He was a private citizen in violation of the law and had to defend himself as a result," Crosby said. "If we would have chosen to, we could have taken this to the next level of the judiciary system, but it seemed mean-spirited to pursue this."

In September, the state liquor commission overturned the village's revocation of the liquor license for the Double Eagle Restaurant and Sports Lounge. McCarty is a part-owner of the establishment.

The commission also advised the village to update its code to mirror the state's, which allows elected officials in municipalities of less than 50,000 people to hold liquor licenses.

McCarty anticipates his request will be denied, but said he will continue pursing it with his attorney.

"It's like a bully in a park," he said. "What would that say to anyone, to my children, if I backed down. I spent close to $10,000 to defend myself and keep my trusteeship. It's a matter of principle."