Alvarez Files Suit Seeking Ouster Of Thornton HS Board President
CHICAGO (STMW) -- Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez filed a lawsuit Wednesday seeking to oust the board president of Thornton High School District 205, who refuses to resign over a 1985 forgery conviction.
Last month, Kenneth Williams received a letter from the state's attorney's office demanding he resign because he's a felon. He was convicted of forgery in Indiana in 1985.
The state's attorney's office gave Williams until Tuesday to respond. He faxed a letter to the state's attorney's office Tuesday saying he refuses to resign, said a spokeswoman for State's Attorney Anita Alvarez.
The suit, filed in Cook County Chancery Court, claims Williams is not eligible to retain his seat because state election law prohibits anyone convicted of an "infamous crime" -- including forgery -- to hold office.
Alvarez asks the court to force Williams to show how he is eligible to hold office, and if he cannot, oust him as board president, according to the suit.
Williams could not be reached for comment, and no one could be reached at the District 205 administrative offices Wednesday evening.
Several board members support the effort to oust Williams. On Jan. 11, they sent a letter to Alvarez saying Williams and two other board members — including Williams' wife — are trying to control the district's finances and "to employ family and friends."
"The aggressive actions by this group must be stopped as soon as possible," said the letter by board members Edward Crayton, Ray Banks and Arthur Burton.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2013. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
