Island Lake worker's fate up for vote

Depending on how Island Lake officials rule on a pair of items at tonight's board meeting, an embattled employee could either have her job security solidified or need to polish her resume.

One resolution, to be proposed by Trustee Donna O'Malley, would confirm the compensation and work hours for an unidentified recreation department employee.

The other item, to be presented by Trustee Laurie Rabattini, would place a recreation department employee on administrative leave without pay.

Village officials on Wednesday confirmed the employee in question is Sharon Hyde, the director of the town's Creative Playtime Preschool program and a defendant in a ghost-payrolling criminal case that also has targeted her husband, former Mayor Thomas Hyde.

"I'm sure you and everyone else will realize it has to be Sharon Hyde," Trustee Don Verciglio said.

Verciglio hopes the board will take action tonight to end its involvement in the controversy over Sharon Hyde's job.

"That's our goal," he said. "It's been going on long enough."

Arrested in June 2009, Hyde is accused of collecting an estimated $114,000 in pay for hours she did not work as Creative Playtime's director between 1999 and 2009.

Hyde is charged with theft of government property, official misconduct and making false entries.

Thomas Hyde voted to approve those claims, prosecutors have said. He is charged with official misconduct and having a prohibitive interest in contracts.

The Hydes' attorney, Charles Smith, has said neither client did anything wrong. He said Sharon Hyde is a salaried employee whose pay is the same no matter how many hours she works.

Despite her arrest, Hyde has continued working and collecting a paycheck from the village. She is set to earn $25,740 this year as Creative Playtime's director, officials have said.

Hyde could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

Last month, Trustee John Ponio proposed placing Hyde on administrative leave because of the criminal charges. On Wednesday, he reiterated the board's need to take action.

"She's still continuing to get paid in the same fashion," Ponio said. "If what she is doing is illegal, then why is the village continuing to help her?"

But Mayor Deborah Herrmann and some of the trustees have defended the Hydes. Herrmann called Sharon Hyde "a model citizen" after her arrest, while O'Malley criticized the state's attorney's office for prosecuting the Hydes.

"I back the Hyde family 100 percent," O'Malley said at the time. "These are good people."

A copy of O'Malley's resolution was not included in the digital documents e-mailed to the trustees this week ahead of the meeting. It has not been finalized, she said.

Rabattini said she has not drafted a document for her motion.

If the board votes on the motions, copies of the proposals must be made available to the public at the meeting, the Lake County state's attorney's office said.

Rabattini, who's often part of a three-member voting minority on the board, doesn't expect her proposal will succeed, but is moving forward anyway.

"I think it would be irresponsible for us not to address this issue," she said. "And in order to cover myself, I want to vote on it."

The board meeting is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at village hall, 3720 Greenleaf Ave.