C.C. Hills police: Alderman improperly helped kids join summer camp

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Burris

Updated: March 3, 2012 8:01AM

A Country Club Hills alderman told a boy to falsify his address on a tax form so the boy could join a taxpayer-funded summer camp where campers got paid, Country Club Hills police said.

Mayor Dwight Welch said the findings of an investigation into the camp have been turned over to a state “investigative authority” — but declined to specify which one — and has called for the resignation of Ald. Steve Burris (4th), who denied any wrongdoing and said the investigation was politically motivated.

The falsified address is among several questionable things police uncovered as they looked into the camp, whose attendees, some of whom had ties to city officials, were paid up to $1,000 each to attend.

Welch ordered the investigation in September after the SouthtownStar reported that Burris and two other aldermen who authorized the program — Vincent Lockett (2nd) and Leon Williams (2nd) — had children enrolled in it. All three are political opponents of Welch.

The program was not advertised to the public and was supposed to be for residents, several aldermen said. But police found that children from University Park, Matteson, Homewood, University Park and Chicago all used fake addresses to sign up.

An enrollee from Homewood even listed Burris’s home address as her own. Burris said the girl was a family friend who was going to stay with him during the summer so she could join.

“There was nothing wrong with that,” Burris said.

Police said the girl’s father, who works in investigations for Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, had no knowledge of his daughter’s involvement.

It was a boy from University Park who told police that Burris said he should use a Country Club Hills address on his tax form. Burris denied the charge, saying he made a “blanket statement” to all the enrollees to use the same address on their tax form as they did on their application.

“I didn’t say anything about lying on anybody’s tax form,” Burris said. “I don’t even know the youth. If he came and you sat him in front of me, I wouldn’t know where he is from in University Park.”

Burris said that if Welch did indeed forward the findings to the state, whoever gets the information will determine the matter is not worth investigating.

“This is something the mayor did to try to discredit somebody,” Burris said. “Nobody did anything wrong.”

Detective Sgt. Brian Zarnowski led the investigation, which involved interviewing 33 campers and three camp supervisors. A police review of records also found that paperwork including campers’ applications, field trip waivers, emergency contact forms and payroll records was either incomplete or missing.

Camp supervisors also said they were unsure of who was in charge of the program but believed it was Burris. He denied that, saying since-ousted Police Chief Regina Evans was in charge. He said that he and the other aldermen who authorized the camp only volunteered and taught seminars.

Welch said that if offering another camp this year is brought up when budget discussions take place in the spring, he will veto the idea. He called Burris’ actions “disgraceful” and said he should resign.

“That kind of conduct destroys any kind of mentoring system we’re trying to develop in Country Club Hills,” Welch said.

Lockett blasted the investigation, saying many campers “got something” out of the experience.

“I don’t think that to continue to target these kids is the right thing to do,” Lockett said. “I would say shame on the mayor for continuing to do it.”

Burris said if the city runs the camp again, he would try to steer it in a new direction.

“Next time we have the program, we’ll do it a different way,” Burris said. “It’s a learning process just like anything else you do.”