Both sides of DuPage County Board infighting say we need an anti-bullying policy
A DuPage County Board member who says she was bullied by some Democratic colleagues - and the members who deny doing it - are calling for a policy to protect the county's elected officials from harassment.
It's the latest twist in a controversy that began Oct. 8 when county board member Sadia Covert of Naperville said during a meeting that she's been "constantly attacked" by "some of the female members" on the panel. All seven Democrats on the 18-member county board are women; all 11 Republicans are men.
Covert later said she's faced repeated "bullying, intimidation and harassment" from four Democratic board members. Those four - Mary FitzGerald Ozog of Glen Ellyn, Elizabeth Chaplin of Downers Grove, Julie Renehan of Hinsdale and Dawn DeSart of Aurora - strongly denied her claim.
Some Republicans jumped into the fray by sharing a now deleted Facebook post in which Covert wrote that she had been cornered in hallways, received incessant phone calls, was harassed on social media and even had her car "keyed."
"I have been stalked, followed and threatened to get in line by some women on the county board," wrote Covert, adding that some Democratic members "don't think I'm a team player."
Covert removed the Facebook post within a day. On the day the post was removed, Covert received a cease and desist letter from Chaplin's attorney demanding she "immediately refrain from further defamatory, slanderous and untrue allegations" directed at Chaplin. The attorney also asked Covert to provide proof of the allegations.
But late last week, a group called Illinois Anti-Bullying PAC posted a Facebook video that contained Covert's board meeting comments and used visuals from her social media post.
The committee was created Oct. 16 and lists Kurt Dorr - a former Republican candidate for Naperville Township trustee - as its chairman and treasurer, according to the Illinois State Board of Elections.
The video, which was shared on Facebook by several DuPage Republicans and GOP organizations, including county board Chairman Dan Cronin, drew a strong reaction from Democratic leaders who said there's no reason to believe any county board member damaged Covert's car. The video has since been taken down.
On Monday, Chaplin, DeSart, Ozog and Renehan released a joint statement saying they never "stalked, followed and threatened" Covert. They also denied damaging her car.
They said keying a car is "a serious allegation of criminal activity, and we have never engaged in any such activity."
"We have never bullied member Covert. Ever," they wrote. "Everything the four of us have said, written and posted on social media has been fact-based."
Covert responded in a written statement of her own.
"The statement made by the county board members denying harassment is absolutely false," she wrote.
"Their focus on the car keying incident is only a tactic to deflect away from the real issue of their persistent harassment," Covert wrote. "I will say again: My car was keyed. I know who did it, and I have a witness. As an attorney, I knew that there was not enough evidence to pursue criminal charges against the perpetrator who I believe is connected to one of the county board members."
Covert attempted to file a harassment complaint with the county's human resources department but was told that elected board members aren't classified as county employees.
So Covert said she began working on a harassment policy that will apply to elected officials.
"This experience has driven me to start working on a new harassment policy that specifically protects county board members and countywide officials," Covert said. "I look forward to working with my colleagues productively on this new policy which will protect all who work for DuPage County."
Covert said she's already spoken with a member of the Lake County Board, which recently banned harassment and bullying by its members.
She's also been communicating with Cronin about the proposal.
"We want to protect county board members from being harassed in their workplace," Cronin said Wednesday. "There is a level of respect and conduct that's expected, and we will draft that policy. Sadia will lead the charge on this because she's very determined. She's very smart. And she's motivated because of this unfortunate experience."
Chaplin, Ozog and DeSart on Tuesday night released a statement saying they support an anti-bullying policy, too.
"The epitome of bullying is spreading rumors and lies to intentionally harm someone's reputation," they said. "We are in full support of a policy which will address bullying and harassment, and plan to bring an anti-bullying policy forward in the near future."