Politics & Government
Morton Grove Library Board Ousts Trustee
The board attorney presented evidence the trustee established residency in Cincinnati in January, though she attended the January, February and March meetings.
The Board ousted member Christa Quinn from her seat Monday night after it determined she had moved her legal address to Cincinnati, Ohio in January.
The board voted 5-0 in a 25-minute special meeting to vacate Quinn’s seat after the board attorney, Frank Tennant, presented evidence she had both registered as a voter in Hamilton County, Ohio on Jan. 10 and obtained an Ohio driver’s license. Tennant said he established that Quinn and her husband Peter had purchased a home at a specific address in Cincinnati.
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WhitePages.com lists the Quinns at that Cincinnati address with their prior residence listed as “Morton Grove 2012.” However, no phone number was available and the board declined to provide her cell phone number for reporters. Patch will attempt to reach Quinn for reaction.
First reports surfaced in January, president says
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Board President Mark Albers said a Morton Grove resident, whom he did not name, contacted him Jan. 12 to tell him about Quinn’s move. When a second Morton Grove resident made the same statement, Albers asked Tennant to investigate.
Earlier:
Board members said Quinn attended three board meetings — in January, February and March — and two committee meetings since her move. Board Member Catherine Peters said when Quinn was specifically asked at a meeting whether she had moved out of the village, she said she had not. Peters said Quinn and her husband had sold their single-family residence in Morton Grove.
As for the legal basis for finding Quinn unable to hold office in the Morton Grove library district, Tennant said she was not registered to vote at the address in the district which she had given the board.
“My legal opinion is Trustee Quinn is not qualified to hold office,” he said.
No board votes affected by ouster
No board votes in which Quinn participated are expected to be reversed or challenged, Tennant said. None involved one-vote outcomes where she would have been the swing vote in question, he explained.
Quinn was appointed to her seat last April. Her removal from office is the latest in a
Albers and Peters, who is the board treasurer, said the board will take a couple of months to interview candidates for Quinn’s seat. The opening will be advertised on the board website. Peters said the appointed board member would stand for election if he or she desired a full term in April 2013.
