'Absolutely not over': Discord remains over sexual harassment complaints in Maine Township
Although a law firm's investigation found not enough evidence to conclude whether Maine Township Trustee David Carrabotta inappropriately touched board colleague Kimberly Jones three times, the issue continued to spark discord this week.
Jones, a township trustee since 2014, said Thursday she's filed complaints against Carrabotta with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Illinois Department of Human Rights. She expects to be interviewed by the EEOC in November.
"The matter is absolutely not over," said Jones, who previously served as a Park Ridge alderman from 2005 to 2007.
Her comments Thursday came in the wake of a contentious township board meeting Tuesday night in Park Ridge, during which Democratic state Rep. Martin Moylan called for Carrabotta's resignation.
That was followed by Jones getting into a heated exchange with Carrabotta's wife, Diane.
"Your husband touched my butt three times inappropriately!" Jones said.
"Really?" Carrabotta's wife replied. "Really? And what does the report say?"
"He is not innocent," Jones said. "And neither are you."
Citing advice from his personal attorney, Carrabotta said he cannot comment on the accusations. However, he criticized Jones and Maine Township Supervisor Larua Morask for signing a letter to GOP committeeman Char Foss-Eggemann of Park Ridge and others detailing the accusations, knowing he was unable to respond.
"You and Kim signed a letter, sent it out all over - to the governor and all that - saying in that letter that I groped Kim Jones and calling for my resignation," Carrabotta told Morask.
Jones filed a written complaint against Carrabotta on May 25, alleging he touched her buttocks a combined three times on Jan. 23 and May 16, while posing for photographs.
Jones initially confronted Carrabotta with her allegations in private after a May 22 township meeting. Township Attorney Keri-Lyn Krafthefer said she suggested the private meeting only because Jones informed her that she believed Carrabotta had inadvertently touched her.
"When Trustee Jones came forward to me, she did not say, 'I believe I've been sexually harassed, what should I do?'" Krafthefer said. "If she would have said that, I would tell her I can't advise her because I'm the township attorney. I can't give advice against the township, my client. I don't represent her, I don't represent Trustee Carrabotta. I represent a township collectively."
Joens' complaint led to an investigation by attorneys Robert T. McCabe and Margaret Kostopulos of the Ancel Glink law firm, which examined whether Carrabotta violated the township's sexual harassment policy. Publicly released Aug. 6, the investigation's report says "there is simply no evidence" proving Carrabotta inappropriately touched Jones.
Maine Township records show Ancel Glink billed $32,650 for work related to the investigation as of Aug. 14.