Journal & Topics Media Group

Niles Trustees Appoint New Inspector General

IG Assigned To Investigate Pending Ethics Complaint Against Mayor

Niles Village Hall.

Niles trustees appointed attorney George Berbas to the office of Niles inspector general at their Tuesday, Jan. 28 village board meeting. The inspector general works with the Niles Board of Ethics to investigate complaints of possible ethics violations.

Niles has been without an inspector general with cases pending for investigation since June 2019 when the contract for former inspector general Chris Cohen was not renewed by village trustees.

During his mayor’s report, at the village’s Tuesday, Jan. 28 village board meeting, before the vote to hire Berbas, Mayor Andrew Przybylo chastised trustees for taking away his authority to appoint which he said circumvents the the advice and consent function of the board when it comes to appointments. He read minutes of a meeting under former Mayor Robert Callero in 2012 where Callero blocked attempts by village trustees to appoint their own attorney. 

Citing an opinion of Ancil Glink, who contract some village legal services, Przybylo said a past vote last spring striping him of appointment power was illegal. Because of recent appointments by village trustees to the ethics board, Przybylo said he said he would not recognize the actions of the ethics board. 

At a meeting of the board of ethics, also on Jan. 28, ethics board members referred an ethics complaint made against Przbylo to Berbas for investigation.

The complaint, filed by resident Jason Trunco, alleges the mayor of “falsification of circulating petitions on behalf of the Neighbors Party.” 

Specifically, Trunco alleges someone came to his door collecting nominating petition signatures for village trustee candidates running on the Neighbors Party slate, supported by Przybylo, ahead of the April 2, 2019 municipal election.

The petition that the circulator had Trunco and his wife sign listed Przybylo on the petition page as the petition circulator. Trunco said he knows Przybylo and knew, according to the complaint, that the person at his door that day was not the mayor.  

Trunco’s complaint is related to Village Trustee Denise McCreery’s complaint filed in February 2019 and dismissed the following June, which alleged the name of McCreery’s personal friend, Daniel Mulkerin, was listed as a circulator of petitions supporting the Neighbors Party and park district candidates aligned with the Neighbors Party in the April 2 election on dates she knew he was out of town.

Cohen investigated McCreery’s complaint and, in a June report, said, “No evidence was presented to support a misconduct violation by either of the individuals (Przybylo and former ethics board Chairman Tony Gaudio) named in the written complaint.”

Berbas is a Chicago attorney practicing as a criminal defense attorney. According to Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission of the Illinois Supreme Court records, Berbas has been practicing law since 1987, has no public records of disciplinary proceedings past or pending and has current malpractice insurance.

Although there is no contract for services up for approval, Niles Village Attorney Danelle Grcic said Berbas would not be paid more than was offered in Cohen’s contract last year, which was for $13,200. That contract is expected to be reviewed by village trustees at a later meeting.

Grcic was charged with finding suitable candidates for the inspector general. She said she reached out to the Northwest Suburban Bar Association to assist in making her recommendation. She said officials with the organization told her the organization could not help her. Berbas was the only attorney who applied for the position, Grcic said. 

Village trustees stripped Mayor Andrew Przybylo of his power to make appointments, including inspector general and other committees, with some exceptions in May 2019. 

Grcic said a nominating committee of village trustees has not yet been formed to make appointment recommendations.

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