McCullough - I'm No Crook!

Democratic Councilwoman Kathryn McCullough echoed the words of former President Richard Nixon by shouting her innocence during a sometimes heated debate with Mayor Pro Tem Adam Nick when the Lake Forest City Council discussed Council travel expenses on Tuesday night, June 3. Nick is a long-time advocate of government reform, and he brought the issue to the Council because of abuses he discovered in the system, including disproportionately high tips (some as high as 63%) and Council members charging the City for extra nights at hotels. He also reported that it appeared some Council members were paying for their spouses’ expenses.

Nick never named names, nor did he use any revealing personal pronouns (McCullough is the only “she” on the Council), but apparently McCullough took his comments as directed at her and her husband, and she defended herself and also declared “My husband is not a mooch”.

Yet in her lengthy defense McCullough did reveal that she skirted some of the policies in the City’s Code. For example, she admitted she pays the taxes for her husband’s expenses, but claims she does that as a way of reimbursing him for the bottled water and fruits he buys her so she can snack during the day. She also admitted that she charges the City for extra nights at hotels because she wants to go to a convention before it actually starts so she can partake in the pre-conference activities that take place the night before. Some may call that “partying”, but McCullough was sure that it was “official” City business and couldn’t be conducted any other time.

Whether or not McCullough’s tinkering and skirting of the City Code amounted to a breach of the law has yet to be determined, and Nick did not indicate whether or not he was pursuing this issue. In fact, Nick never mentioned her name, nor did he identify the spouse’s name or sex, so McCullough’s long detailed rationale may have done more harm to her case than the alternative of just sitting quietly and listening, as everyone else did.

The rancor was so intense at one point Councilman Bass asked for a recess. McCullough was so upset she left the room. When they resumed, the Council unanimously agreed that the code was indeed too loose and vague, and authorized two Council members to re-write the code. Even so, McCullough was worried that her ability to charge the City for expenses without having to produce a receipt (e.g. tipping baggage handlers and maids) would be curtailed. It turns out that whenever she travels on City business she is a generous tipper, with hundreds of dollars being paid to her without any receipt, apart from her assurances.

Next time we’ll explore some of McCullough’s claims and verify them against the records in the City Clerk’s office. I guarantee you'll be amazed.