To: Township Residents and Interested Parties
From: The Integrity Party of Rich Township
Date: April 1, 2021
RE: Calvin Jordan’s leadership of Rich Township Democratic Organization and other campaign funds
We appreciate all of you who have reached out in response to our previous two memos and are heartened that you share our concern about the issues we have raised. As we have mentioned, we are not interested in making false accusations, unlike our opponents, but rather we are shining sunlight on matters that are in the public record and need to be considered as you evaluate the candidates for Rich Township government.
Today we are highlighting filings, documents, social media posts and other items that concern Calvin Jordan’s leadership of the Rich Township Democratic Organization and other political funds he controls. While these are not taxpayer-funded accounts, his management of them may indicate how he would run the Township if elected.
In March of 2018, Jordan was elected to be Democratic Committeeman for Rich Township, an unpaid position that comes with great responsibility, including heading up the Rich Township Democratic Organization (RTDO). In his first year as Committeeman, he did not file the required quarterly reports with the Illinois Board of Elections (BOE). This negligence to do so resulted in $27,000 in fines and the termination of the RTDO by the BOE on July 29, 2019. The RTDO had been in good standing with the BOE since October of 1974.
During the time that Jordan was not filing reports, filings from other political organizations indicate that RTDO did receive contributions. We know of at least one organization that had its check clear even though RTDO did not report it. The contribution later showed up in a filing by Friends of Calvin Jordan, even though the check was not made out to that organization. In short, Jordan did not assume responsibility for RTDO’s required filings but he found a way to access funds intended for it. Friends of Calvin Jordan filed its final report on October 15, 2019.
In September of 2019, Jordan filed paperwork with the BOE on behalf of the Rich Township Democrats (RTD). In its filing for the fourth quarter of 2020, the organization showed that it paid Jordan $2,000 on December 14, 2020, for “Campaign Work.” While we do not believe it to be illegal, it is unusual, as we noted above, Committeeman is an unpaid position. When other political organizations, candidates, unions, individual donors and dues-paying members contribute to RTD we do not believe they do so with the expectation that Jordan would pocket their donations, especially considering that is position is traditionally unpaid.
Jordan’s pattern of not filing timely reports with the BOE continued into this campaign. Both the Rich Township First Party, as well as its Clerk candidate Arlene “Sugar” Al-Amin, filed their fourth quarter 2020 filings on January 27, 2021, twelve days after their due date of January 15, 2021.
Many of you have received three defamatory mail pieces attacking Supervisor Riley. All three were sent out by organizations that have not filed with the BOE as of today. The first piece, which arrived on or around March 9 of this year was from “Transparency in Rich Township” the second hit mailboxes on March 26 or thereafter was from “Citizens for Accountability in Rich Township.” A third scurrilous mailer arrived today from “Fiscal Responsibility in Rich Township.” All three pieces use mail permit #205, the same permit used by Rich Township First for multiple mailings.
In addition to the questions about filings, or lack thereof, on the part of political funds that Jordan controls as well as their spending, RTD was recently identified as distributing unauthorized pieces indicating an endorsement from Mike Glotz, candidate for Mayor in Tinley Park. Mr. Glotz called this out in a Facebook post. In response on its page on the same platform, RTD acknowledged printing and distributing the piece as well as indicated its intention to continue distributing the piece without Mr. Glotz’s blessing.
We hope that you consider Jordan’s stewardship of RTDO/RTD and other political funds he controls as you evaluate his character and fitness for office. The reputation of Rich Township is at stake, as are the reputations of those who enable this behavior with their silence. This is the most consequential Township election in recent history.
Under the award-winning leadership of Supervisor Riley, we pledge to continue to protect Rich Township taxpayers and ensure that residents have the quality services that they deserve. We will carry out this mission with honor, transparency and most importantly, integrity.
In solidarity for Rich Township,
The Integrity Party of Rich Township
Click here to download the memo as well as supporting documents