Only minutes after his swearing-in Tuesday as Will County`s new state`s attorney, James W. Glasgow said he will launch a criminal investigation into land deals by the Forest Preserve District and will seek the aid of state and federal authorities in the inquiry.
Glasgow promised an investigation exploring all of the land purchases made by the Forest Preserve District since February 1989 and said he needed the help of the outside agencies because of the magnitude of the project.
”We would look into the entire Forest Preserve purchases. We did not look at every single one previously,” said Glasgow, who first issued a pledge to investigate the land deals in September, in the heat of his successful election campaign to unseat one-term Republican State`s Atty. Edward A. Burmila Jr.
During the campaign, Glasgow, a Democrat, charged that ”political insiders” drastically inflated prices paid by Will County taxpayers for Forest Preserve property purchased in Homer Township and Crete. All of the alleged ”insiders” named so far by Glasgow are Republicans.
The land deals are part of a $50 million land acquisition program begun in 1989 by the Forest Preserve District and now largely completed.
Glasgow has pointed to $123,500 paid for five acres owned by Richard Nietupski, a former Homer Township supervisor and successful candidate last month for a County Board and Forest Preserve District Board seat.
Glasgow also revealed that the district bought 48 acres for $848,000 from owners who had purchased it only 36 days earlier for $212,000.
One of the new owners was State Rep. Edward Petka (R-Plainfield), who said he accepted a partnership in the land as payment of legal fees. Petka, who was elected to a state Senate seat in November, has denied playing any role in the land sale other than as an attorney.
Glasgow, who won the election by more than 7,000 votes, charged that Burmila had not done enough to uncover improprieties in the land sales.
At an impromptu news conference after Tuesday`s swearing-in ceremony for five Will County officials, Glasgow said he would use an already-seated grand jury rather than seek a special panel.
But first, he said, he will explore the possibility of including the Illinois attorney general`s office and the U.S. attorney in the inquiry.
”We`re dealing with individuals with power, (so) you must make sure you get to the documentation you need,” he said.
”The U.S. attorney has powers we don`t have on the local level.”
Burmila had referred Glasgow`s charges last fall to the office of Atty. Gen. Roland Burris.
If the inquiry is carried out entirely on a local level, Glasgow said, it will be sent to a regular grand jury that routinely handles requests for indictments.
A grand jury has wide-ranging powers to subpoena records and compel testimony from witnesses.
Chief Circuit Judge Edward Masters said he has discussed the issue with Glasgow and will not stand in the way of a grand jury probe.
”Whatever he wants to do, he will get 100 percent cooperation from me,” Masters said.
In a report prepared by its own staff, the Forest Preserve District gave itself a clean bill of health in the land deals, and Chairman Kerry Sheridan
(R-Shorewood) has said he welcomes any further inquiries into the purchases.
Sworn in with Glasgow were three Democrats who unseated one-term Republican officeholders in a county that was thought to be becoming increasingly Republican.
Only Helen Harshbarger, the Republican Circuit Court clerk, bucked the Democratic tide and won re-election to a countywide office.
The new faces include County Auditor Daniel G. Maher; Recorder of Deeds Mary Ann Stukel; and Coroner Pat O`Neil.
