Grafton trustees expand suit against supervisor

Grafton Township trustees expanded their lawsuit against Supervisor Linda Moore this week, accusing her of running the township without any regard to her legal authority or the wishes of the board.

The accusations against Moore were outlined in a response to a lawsuit originally filed by Moore against the trustees.

The latest court filing accuses Moore of unlawfully hiring and firing employees, interfering with the Grafton Township Food Pantry, tampering with township officials' mail and accessing employees' bank accounts without permission.

"She's acting beyond the scope of her power and she's doing things without authority and she's failing to do things she's required to do," Township Attorney Keri-Lyn Krafthefer said. "She can't keep running the township like a dictator."

Moore denied trustees' allegations and asserted she has acted within the scope of the law. Moore's attorney, John Nelson of Rockford, accused the trustees of playing politics.

"After a sound whipping at the annual meeting, the trustees want to regain some measure of face," Nelson said. "The action of the trustees is so far out of bounds as to be shocking."

Moore's lawsuit against the board, filed last month, accuses trustees of trying to prevent her from doing her job by moving her office, rerouting her e-mail and denying her access to the phone system. Moore has also asked the court to affirm her firing of recently hired Township Administrator Pam Fender.

In their original response filed last month, trustees accused Moore of removing township financial records, including backup hard drives, making it difficult for the trustees to conduct township business or investigate financial irregularities.

A hearing is set on the matter for May 12 and 13 before McHenry County Judge Michael Caldwell.