McHenry Township Trustees question hiring of Nunda Township Highway Commissioner's son

McHenry Township trustees have raised questions about the hiring of a highway department road worker related to Nunda Township Highway Commissioner Mike Lesperance.

“Is Benton Lesperance, is he related to Mike Lesperance, the Nunda Township road Commissioner?” Trustee Bob Anderson asked McHenry Township Highway Commissioner Jim Condon at an April 12 meeting.

“He is his son," Condon said. "Do you have a problem with that?”

Anderson and Trustee Mike Cunningham did have a problem with the hiring. Benton Lesperance is the son of Nunda Township Highway Commissioner Mike Lesperance.

Condon defended the hire. He interviewed a few people for the road crew job, he said, and hired Benton Lesperance because he was the most qualified.

"He’s qualified to do the job." Condon said. "He’s experienced at all things we do, and you have a problem ..."

“How old is he?” Cunningham asked.

“He’s 25 or 26,” Condon said.

“What relative or friend of yours will [Mike Lesperance] be hiring?” Cunningham asked. “That’s how you guys operate.”

“I’m sorry you feel that way," Condon said, "but that’s completely inaccurate.”

A person in the audience spoke up: “How many other applications were filed?”

“You’re out of order, sir,” Supervisor Craig Adams said.

"We interviewed three or four people to fill that spot, and he was the most qualified," Condon told the Northwest Herald. "His family has been building roads for the last 30 years."

Cunningham asked Condon if the job had been posted for the public to see.

“It wasn’t,” Condon said. “People continually turn in their resumes here looking for jobs.”

“So nobody asks, this kid gets hired,” Cunningham said.

Cunningham then berated Condon for his working relationship with former Algonquin Township Highway Commissioner Bob Miller.

In October and November 2017, Miller billed the McHenry Township Road District $480 under his company name, AMM Enterprises Inc. He charged the road district $40 an hour for 12 hours of work, according to payroll records.

“Bob Miller has a great deal of experience. He charged us $40 an hour instead of me going and hiring a consultant for over $100 an hour. That seems to make a lot of sense to me to save the taxpayers, our constituents, money," Condon said.

Anderson, Cunningham, Mike Lesperance and Benton Lesperance could not be reached for comment.

Condon summed up the scrutiny of his hire: "They make a big stink about everything because they want to abolish townships, and anything they can do to raise negative feedback about the township, they’re going to do that.”