Former Madison County administrator Doug Hulme said he will challenge incumbent Treasurer Chris Slusser in next year's Republcan primary election.
Having served under board Chairman Kurt Prenzler for three years until he was let go by a vote of county board members in April 2020, Hulme said in his announcement that "the public needs a watchdog and I always have and will continue to stand up to government waste and unethical behavior."
He said his experience and educational background "are unprecedented for a candidate for county treasurer." Hulme served as chief deputy Treasurer when Prenzler headed the office until his election as chairman in 2016.
As county administrator, Hulme says his qualifications include having overseen more than 300 employees in multiple departments and unions, and having managed the budgeting and spending of more than $150 million of taxpayer funds.
Hulme, of Edwardsville, has a master's in business administration, and says he has all the educational requirements for certified public accounting from SIUE. He also served on the St. Louis Area East/West Gateway Council with the Metro area County Chief Executives.
His full press release can be found here.
Slusser, of Wood River, was first appointed Treasurer by Prenzler in 2017. Slusser then defeated Democrat Chris Miller by a 9 point margin in an open race for Treasurer in 2018. Prior to serving as Treasurer, Slusser was an elected county board member.
He responded to Hulme's announcement with this statement:
"My reform-minded office has delivered improved customer service in a professionalized setting free of political gamesmanship. As Treasurer, my adjustments to the investment portfolio resulted in Madison County being the top performer in the state, generating millions of dollars in additional interest that helped county government lower its property tax burden.
"Serving as County Treasurer for the past five years is one of the honors of my life, and I look forward to continue serving the residents of Madison County."
The primary election is June 28, 2022.
Slusser-Hulme rift
The firing of Hulme and county IT director Rob Dorman on April 16, 2020, followed a tumultuous two-year public corruption investigation centered on their alleged spying of internal emails and data breach. Hulme and Dorman were never charged in the case investigated by the Illinois Attorney General, but nevertheless, the county board voted 26-1 to end their employment after being briefed by the head of a special task force that raided offices of the county administration in January 2018, and which conducted witness interviews.
In the last year, Hulme and Dorman have filed a slew of lawsuits mainly related to their firing. Some are still being litigated and some have been dismissed.
Hulme said that during his time as administrator he "fought public corruption and exposed political campaigning on county time and county equipment by county officials which is clearly documented in hundreds publicly available county documents."
His response to having been terminated as administrator: "When Chairman Prenzler was elected Chairman in 2016, I was his first choice to replace him as County Treasurer, but ultimately I chose to accept the position of County Administrator and to join Prenzler in reforming the county. The county ordinances clearly state that the termination of an appointed official like me clearly requires the consent of the County Chairman, which was never given.”
Hulme blames Slusser and others for his ouster as administrator. He says he was trying to clean up Madison County government as promised by Prenzler in his 2016 campaign, but "was attacked by a two year long investigation started by former State’s Attorney Tom Gibbons, coordinating with Treasurer Chris Slusser."
Slusser testified against Hulme before a grand jury in December 2017, and wore a wire in conversation with him in 2018.
Granite City detective Jeff Donahey, a task force investigator, summarized Slusser's testimony in an affidavit he signed for a seizure warrant on Jan. 5, 2018.
Donahey wrote that Slusser said Hulme bragged about having evidence of a circuit judge using county resources for political fund raising.
“When Slusser confronted Hulme on how he obtained this evidence, he alluded that they have access to everyone’s emails and performed keyword searches and found them,” Donahey wrote.
“Slusser indicated that this activity made him feel uncomfortable. He subsequently reported this to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.”
In a statement to the Record in April 2020, Slusser said he reported to law enforcement what he believed to be improper activity.
"This was not a decision that I took lightly," Slusser said. "Madison County has had a reputation involving corruption in the past, and there were instances in past scandals in which elected officials knew what was going on, but remained silent.
"I made a decision to come forward based on the type of example I want to set for my kids, and because I want to be the type of public servant the citizens who put their trust in me deserve. Corruption and unethical behavior at any level can not be tolerated, no matter the person or the party."
Hulme and Dorman have maintained that their actions were neither illegal or improper.
In their lawsuit against against the county board, they claimed the board denied them opportunities to have counsel, to examine witnesses, and even to be present at the meeting in which they were fired.
They also claimed that the board violated county rules in that Prenzler didn’t vote for termination or sign the resolution, among other things.