Outgoing Madison County board county member Eric Foster of Granite City challenged Chairman Kurt Prenzler one last time before his term ends next month, revisiting one of county government's most contentious issues in recent times.
At the close of Wednesday's monthly meeting, Foster asked Prenzler to clarify his position on prior knowledge of former administrator Doug Hulme and former IT director Rob Dorman "looking into peoples' emails," because Hulme maintains that Prenzler did.
"...The board was forced to take decisive action against Mr. Hulme and Mr. Dorman for actions unbecoming most people on this board," Foster said. "You've stated multiple times you had no knowledge...Who is telling the truth?"
Prenzler responded that he was telling the truth.
"It is false, and at the time that came out I asked him (Hulme) to retract it," Prenzler said. "And he would testify to that effect."
Hulme, however, issued a statement Thursday morning, contradicting Prenzler.
"The statement that Kurt Prenzler did not know that the county email system was checked for prohibited political activity is beyond a doubt false," Hulme stated in part.
"Findings of political activity were made, shared and discussed with county board members by myself and Kurt Prenzler in 2017, privately and in public meetings.
"Regardless of the Kurt Prenzler's misleading statements, the reviewing of the county email system for prohibited and unauthorized activity by myself, Chairman Prenzler or any designee was completely appropriate, legal and allowed by county policy and should never be tolerated."
An investigation of Hulme and Dorman for allegedly spying on internal emails of county officials and employees began with a raid on county administration offices on Jan. 10, 2018, and ended by the Illinois Attorney General's office in late 2019 after finding no basis for bringing charges.
Nevertheless, the county board voted 26-1 to end their employment in April 2020 after being briefed by the head of a special task force that raided offices of the county administration.