Calumet City officials have issued municipal citations to a Daily Southtown reporter who they allege violated local ordinances by seeking comment from public employees on major flooding issues in the area.
Several notices sent to reporter Hank Sanders describe the alleged violations as “interference/hampering of city employees.”
The Southtown, which is owned by the Chicago Tribune’s parent company, published a story online Oct. 19 and in print Oct. 20 in which Sanders reported that consultants had informed Calumet City officials that their stormwater facilities were in poor condition before September’s historic rains caused flooding. Calumet City is about 23 miles south of Chicago and home to 36,000 residents, most of them Black.
A day after the story was published, Sanders continued to report on the issue, drawing complaints from city officials, including Mayor Thaddeus Jones.
“Despite all FOIA requests being filled, Hank Sanders continues to contact city departments and city employees via phone and email,” the violation notice mentioning Jones states. “Despite request from Calumet City attorneys to stop calling city departments and employees, Hank Sanders continues to do so.”
Journalists regularly file Freedom of Information Act requests under the state’s open records law, which provides the public with access to official documents. Reporters also often contact public officials to seek comment and context on recent events and documents they’ve obtained in an effort to present readers with as full a picture of events as possible.
The freedom of the press is enshrined in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
Tribune Executive Editor Mitch Pugh called the action by suburban officials “outrageous.”
“They represent a continued assault on journalists who, like Hank, are guilty of nothing more than engaging in the practice of journalism. From places like Alabama to Kansas to Illinois, it appears public officials have become emboldened to take actions that our society once viewed as un-American,” Pugh said. “Unfortunately, in our current political climate, uneducated buffoonery has become a virtue, not a liability, but the Tribune will vigorously stand up for Hank’s right to do his job.”
The three notices Sanders received name Jones, who is also a state representative, public works Commissioner Jerico Thomas and city worker Megan Wilson as the complainants.
“Between the dates of October 4th and October 12th Hank Sanders sent fourteen (14) emails to the city of Calumet City reference the recent flooding,” the Wilson notice states. “Hank Sanders FOIA request had been filled and city attorneys requested that he stop contacting City Hall.”
The notice involving Thomas uses similar language: “Since September 17, 2023 Hank Sanders has called the Calumet City Department of Public Works several times reference the recent flooding. Hank Sanders FOIA request had been filled and city attorneys requested that he stop contacting public works.”
Jones did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment. A graduate of Bloom Trail High School with a degree in criminal justice from Loyola University Chicago, Jones was elected Calumet City mayor in 2021 after serving as the first Black alderman of the suburb’s 3rd Ward. He has represented the 29th legislative district since 2011.
Jones is under federal investigation for tax issues involving his campaign funds, the Tribune previously reported. A subpoena to the Illinois State Board of Elections sought quarterly campaign reports dating to 2015 for the funds “Jones for Mayor,” “Jones for State Representative” and “Citizens for Jones,” a political action committee that Jones heads.
The mayor’s spokesperson, Sean Howard, referred questions to city attorney Patrick W. Walsh, who said employees had complained about Sanders’ phone calls and felt harassed. “He’s just persistent,” Walsh said.
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The city prefers to coordinate all media inquiries through Howard, Walsh said. He previously spoke with Sanders about it in what he characterized as a “nice conversation,” Walsh said.
“I wasn’t telling him there’d be consequences or anything like that. I told him the city tries to do everything through Sean Howard; whatever you need, Sean will quarterback it,” Walsh said. “He wanted to get interviews from everybody. He wanted to make sure he got it from other people.”
Walsh said he hasn’t yet seen the violation notices that went out. “I’ll talk to his attorney. We’ll try to work it out,” Walsh said. “We just had employee complaints, that’s all.”
Sanders, a graduate of the University of Chicago, interned with the Tribune’s political desk and helped cover the 2023 mayoral race in Chicago before covering the south suburbs for the Southtown.
Sanders told the Tribune he was reaching out to Calumet City officials to pursue stories and give them a chance to comment on his reporting. He also said some of his FOIA requests to Calumet City remain unfilled.
In an email to Walsh in mid-October, Sanders wrote: “I will continue to be reaching out to the correct department or employee for comment when I want a comment from that department or employee. To do otherwise is unethical.”