Editorial: Township harassment probe shows need for outsider's credibility
In some cases, conflicts of interest can occur in a somewhat gray area. In those cases, the best course of action is to always figure the perception is just as bad and deal with the conflict appropriately.
But in other cases, the conflict is so clear that it boggles the mind when the person involved can't see it and then takes action that makes it worse.
That's the situation in Vernon Township in Lake County, where the township assessor, Gary Raupp, is having trouble seeing the forest for the trees.
Raupp has hired his own attorneys to investigate claims of sexual harassment against his own son and another employee by two fellow township assessor employees. He also has sued the township board, supervisor and highway commissioner, alleging they held an illegal meeting earlier this month to deal with the complaints.
The conflict here is clear. Raupp should remove himself and his own attorneys from this investigation and let the chips fall where they may through an independent investigation.
"It creates a tremendous conflict of interest and it's a problem,' said Vernon Township Supervisor Daniel Didech.
Didech claims the meeting was legal because it was an "emergency" session called to deal with complaints that Raupp was not handling fast enough. There are questions aplenty as to how Didech handled the situation as well.
Raupp's attorney, Keith Hunt, told Daily Herald staff writer Russell Lissau that Didech is trying to exact "political retribution" against Raupp. Didech's Democratic slate of township trustee candidates beat members of the Republican-backed slate of which Raupp was a member in April. Yes, it's possible this could all be silly political squabbling. We don't know for sure. That's one of reasons an independent investigation is needed.
Township employees deserve to have their complaints heard and dealt with in an expeditious manner. Raupp tainted the investigation he initiated with his own attorneys by complaining that the female employees went to "outsiders" rather than to him first.
Common sense says that they might question whether the father of one of the people accused of wrongdoing may not take their complaints as seriously as someone else.
"You're concerned the female employees aren't participating in your investigation," Didech said to Raupp at last week's township meeting. "The reason why they're doing that is because the (alleged) perpetrator is your son. It's your son."
The next steps should be clear: An independent investigation is initiated and action is taken on whatever that investigation turns up. Without it, and with a lawsuit still pending, it will be hard for the township and its employees to get their work done and it will be impossible to get to the truth.