Citing tension with other officials within Shields Township, Township Supervisor Heather Kerr and a group of deputy assessors announced their resignations from the governmental body Monday.
In a letter posted on the Shields Township website Monday morning, Kerr along with Chief Deputy Assessor Kelly J. Ugaste-Cooprider, and deputy assessors Andrea Wagner and Mark Romer, said they were grateful for the opportunity to work for the township.
“However, the actions of certain Shields Township elected officials have hindered our ability to govern with integrity and in an effective manner,” the letter said. “We believe that the constituents of the township deserve better. There appears to be both a philosophical and moral difference between us and the majority of the Shields Township Board.”
Kerr did not respond to repeated requests for comment Monday. Ugaste-Cooprider, Wagner and Romer could not be reached for comment.
Last week, Pioneer Press reported that Kerr was at odds with two of the four township trustees, Jeff Urso and Kathryn Walker-Eich.
Urso and Walker-Eich threatened to resign at the April board meeting, but later reversed course. But both said their differences with Kerr remain.
Urso spoke briefly after Kerr’s tendered resignation was posted Monday.
“Although I did not agree with her tenure … I wish her the best for her next endeavor,” Urso said. “I look forward for the community making progress to serve its citizens.”
Walker-Eich deferred questions to her attorney, Bob Reda, who texted back that he could not comment.
As for the other members of the board, Trustee Brady Andersen did not respond for a request for comment when contacted on the telephone, and Trustee David Weil did not immediately answer an email requesting comment.
Kerr’s resignation will not become official until it is accepted at the next board meeting, according to township Clerk Tammy Bryan.
Bryan added the board would have to appoint a new supervisor within 60 days.
It is not clear when the board will meet again. Supervisors normally meet the third Thursday of the month, but the June 16 meeting had previously been canceled due to an expected lack of quorum as two of the supervisors were scheduled to be on vacation.
Meanwhile, the Illinois Attorney General’s Office has been investigating a possible violation of the Illinois Open Meetings Act by the board.
A spokeswoman for that office did not immediately respond to requests for comment on what the impact of Kerr’s stated resignation would have on that investigation.
The departures of the assessors follows the recent resignation last month of Assessor Scott Helton.
Shields Township provides government services to residents of unincorporated areas from Route 60 in Lake Forest to the south, North Chicago to the north and Knollwood.
