Suburban Mayor Spending Thousands on Legal Fees as He Faces Re-Election
Lyons Mayor Chris Getty has spent around $100,000 on legal bills tied to a wide-ranging corruption investigation as he runs for a fourth term.
A suburban Mayor has spent almost $100,000 of his campaign fund, not for re-election, but on legal fees. Lyons Mayor Chris Getty is reportedly under investigation by federal authorities, and faces voters again next month.
From the Better Government Association:
Nearly a year-and-a-half after federal agents raided Lyons Village Hall as part of a sweeping corruption investigation, clean government has become a top issue in the west suburb’s upcoming election as controversial Mayor Chris Getty seeks a fourth term.
Getty, the son of a former mayor who went to federal prison for stealing from the village, is fending off a challenge from residents vowing reform. At the same time, the current mayor has spent nearly $100,000 in campaign funds on legal fees as part of the wide-ranging probe that has hit suburban mayors, state lawmakers, contractors and utility giant Commonwealth Edison.
Richard Gatz Jr., a longtime resident of the working-class suburb who was a village board member nearly 20 years ago, is running for mayor along with a slate of board member and clerk candidates on the Village Integrity Party ticket.
Gatz said the federal investigation spurred him to run and he promised, if elected, to fight to eliminate the scheduled pay raises for elected officials and reimpose term limits.
“I’ve heard from a lot of residents that they are tired of it,” Gatz said. “They want a change and, honestly, I think we can make a change that’s needed.”
Getty’s tenure as mayor has been characterized by machine-like politics. He’s hired family and friends into village jobs and overseen a series of cozy deals with campaign contributors.
