Former Hoffman Estates trustee decries Crespo e-mail

Former Hoffman Estates Trustee Ed Frank isn't happy about an e-mail sent to him by village officials on the behalf of state Rep. Fred Crespo.

The e-mail was sent Dec. 4, and included a message fro Crespo's legislative aide Dustin Greenberg asking village officials to send the information to local commission members as a favor. Frank received the memo as a member of the children's memorial commission.

He charged that sending the e-mail, which touted information about an Internet safety seminar Crespo hosted, was an improper use of village resources, and he vented Monday in front of trustees.

Frank said he felt his privacy was violated and questioned if Crespo was given preferential treatment.

Before being elected to the Statehouse, Crespo defeated Frank for his trustee seat in 2005.

"Ed's a nice guy. I don't know … about his thinking right now," Crespo said. "I'm just moving forward."

Elected officials are not permitted to use public resources for political purposes.

But Crespo said his office simply wants to use all available resources to inform the public of events, and said he's taken steps to avoid distributing political materials.

Crespo also pointed out that Hanover Park Mayor Rodney Craig sends e-mail notifications about Crespo-sponsored events. Craig confirmed that and said he also sends information about events held by other representatives.

Hoffman Estates Trustee Cary Collins acknowledged Monday that Crespo's past experience in Hoffman Estates made him "familiar with the system."

Collins and Trustee Raymond Kincaid agreed that e-mail use should be free of political propaganda. For example, invitations to fundraisers would be inappropriate.

Village Manager James Norris said his department approved the e-mail, and he offered to come up with guidelines if needed. Mayor William McLeod defended the decision, saying the village needs to notify residents of events they could find useful.