Fremarek Indictment Unsealed, Plainfield Township To Hold Meeting

Plainfield IL

20 January, 2021

6:26 PM

Description

The press release (dated 1/19/2021) from the Justice Department regarding the charges against Tony Fremarek includes a link at the bottom of the page to download the now unsealed indictment. It's an easy and astounding read, and puts a funny, ironic spin on his credential of having a "BS in accounting". Not likely coincidentally, Plainfield Township is holding a special meeting tomorrow, Thursday, 1/21/2021, at 6p. Here's a link to join that meeting, where the agenda is primarily about hiring a firm to do "an external and independent test of the township controls and township fund receipts and disbursements". Let me be blunt: what does that even mean and why aren't the words "forensic audit" being used here, instead of "test"? Also, if this firm has ever done such analysis for the township, they should be chucked and a firm with expertise but no prior history here should do this work. I think the township is not looking to get the word out about this meeting since this has not been put on the their Facebook page, or anywhere else it isn't required by law to be posted. (As a favorite college professor taught me: never confuse the minimum with the acceptable.) That says a lot about the board of trustee's attitude toward this situation and what they think they owe the citizens of the township. I don't see on the agenda for this meeting the resignation of Tony Fremarek from the Plainfield Township board and his role as Supervisor (a paid, part-time elected slot--about $30K a year). Is he actually going to continue as Township Supervisor as he's under six federal counts of fraud and embezzlement and out on a $250,000 recognizance bond? Is Tony Fremarek being given any authority in the process of examining the township's finances? That's a very bad idea. This reminds me that just a little over a year ago Tony Fremarek refused the idea of a full forensic audit on the township's books after prior PT Administrator, Andi French, got caught stealing from the township. He said it could be a waste of taxpayer money because, paraphrasing, what if they didn't find anything interesting? Finally, why is a prayer--and always a Christian one as it turns out--still a part of this governmental meeting, to the point it appears on the agenda as a parity item to saying the Pledge of Allegiance? Attempt to pray-the-guilt-away? This is totally out of line and given the obvious shameful behavior of multiple people in Plainfield Township government, it is also sadly hypocritical. [For some background on the situation that led to French's resignation and what Fremarek had to say about abuse of trust and township resources then, see this story.]