School Board Vote Sparks Concerns Over Allegations of Kickbacks and Bid Rigging in Chicago Suburbs
A contentious vote by the Maywood-Melrose Park-Broadview School District 89 board of education has raised eyebrows over allegations of kickbacks and bid rigging. The board rejected a proposal to launch an investigation into accusations that a school board member, Sandra Ciancio, solicited cash goodies from a concrete contractor in exchange for taxpayer-funded work.
The allegations surfaced during an October meeting when contractor Michael D'Addosio accused Ciancio of pressuring him for kickbacks in exchange for insider bid information. D'Addosio claimed that he had been blackballed from local government work as a result of speaking out against the alleged scheme.
Despite earlier claims by some board members that an investigation would be launched, the board voted down the proposal 3-2 without explanation. The decision has left many concerned about the lack of transparency and accountability within the district.
Laighton H. Scott III, one of the two board members who initially supported the investigation, expressed his frustration with the vote. He stated that he was troubled by the board's decision to reject the inquiry, citing concerns over potential liability and public confidence in the district.
The allegations against Ciancio have sparked further controversy due to her close ties with Melrose Park Mayor Ron Serpico. Records show that she has contributed campaign money to his campaigns and has also donated to the campaign fund of Cook County Judge ShawnTe Raines-Welch, wife of former Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan.
The school district's law firm is shared with Serpico's municipal government, raising questions about potential conflicts of interest. The district serves over 4,000 students in kindergarten through 8th grade and has struggled with academic scores.
As the investigation into Ciancio's allegations continues, it remains to be seen how the school board will address the issue and ensure transparency and accountability within the district.
A contentious vote by the Maywood-Melrose Park-Broadview School District 89 board of education has raised eyebrows over allegations of kickbacks and bid rigging. The board rejected a proposal to launch an investigation into accusations that a school board member, Sandra Ciancio, solicited cash goodies from a concrete contractor in exchange for taxpayer-funded work.
The allegations surfaced during an October meeting when contractor Michael D'Addosio accused Ciancio of pressuring him for kickbacks in exchange for insider bid information. D'Addosio claimed that he had been blackballed from local government work as a result of speaking out against the alleged scheme.
Despite earlier claims by some board members that an investigation would be launched, the board voted down the proposal 3-2 without explanation. The decision has left many concerned about the lack of transparency and accountability within the district.
Laighton H. Scott III, one of the two board members who initially supported the investigation, expressed his frustration with the vote. He stated that he was troubled by the board's decision to reject the inquiry, citing concerns over potential liability and public confidence in the district.
The allegations against Ciancio have sparked further controversy due to her close ties with Melrose Park Mayor Ron Serpico. Records show that she has contributed campaign money to his campaigns and has also donated to the campaign fund of Cook County Judge ShawnTe Raines-Welch, wife of former Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan.
The school district's law firm is shared with Serpico's municipal government, raising questions about potential conflicts of interest. The district serves over 4,000 students in kindergarten through 8th grade and has struggled with academic scores.
As the investigation into Ciancio's allegations continues, it remains to be seen how the school board will address the issue and ensure transparency and accountability within the district.
This is some wild stuff going on in the Chicago suburbs. I mean, who does that? Sandra Ciancio allegedly trying to get kickbacks from a contractor for some shady deal? And now the whole thing is being swept under the rug because of some vague concerns about liability and public confidence 
. The more I think about it, the angrier I get. What's going on with these officials and their buddies in city hall? It's like they're more interested in lining their own pockets than doing what's best for the kids and taxpayers 
. And now, there's this whole mess with the mayor and his wife being tied to the school district... it's just a web of corruption that needs to be untangled 
. The only good thing is that someone's pushing back, even if it's just Laighton H. Scott III, who seems like a straight shooter 
.
schools r supposed 2 b about the kids not politics 
it looks like there are some pretty serious conflicts of interest going on here... LIKE, how can we trust that she's not just doing what's best for her own pocketbook instead of the kids? 
also, isn't it suspicious that the law firm they use is shared with serpico's municipal government?! 
like they don't have enough on their plates already. I mean who wouldn't want a little "insider info" to make things easier, right? 
It's not like the taxpayers are paying them to keep everything under wraps or anything... and now we've got a board member accusing someone of bribery because that never happens before 
. I'm worried about the integrity of the school district and the fact that some board members are just letting it slide 
.
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. And the worst part is that the board voted down an investigation into these allegations without even explaining themselves. Like, what's going on here? 
Don't get me wrong, I'm all for transparency and accountability in our institutions, but this just reeks of cronyism and corruption 
.
. I mean, come on, a school board member accused of taking kickbacks from a contractor? That's just basic ethics 101. And what really gets my goat is that they voted down the investigation without explanation 
. It's like they're trying to sweep this under the rug. 
. I mean, think about it - if a member of the school board is allegedly taking bribes from a contractor, that's not just a problem for the district, but also for our own students who deserve better than corrupt adults in charge 
. As a student, I want to feel like my school board is looking out for me and making sure that we're getting the best education possible, not just lining their own pockets 
.