Update:  Don Knapp was the person from the States Attorney’s office I referenced below.  He used to be with that office, so he should know the law.  According to Samatha Walley in that  office:

Don has not been a part of the State’s Attorney’s Office since late November/early December of last year. He was hired as an Assistant County Administrator at that time, and Jessica Woods is now the First Assistant State’s Attorney for the Civil Division.

I did copy Don and the County Administrator Bill Wasson on my email to McIntyre.  I did not get a response from them either.

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By:  Diane Benjamin

Tonight there is a meeting of the Downs Fire Protection District:

County Board Chair John McIntyre thinks he has the authority to cancel this and all future meetings.  I hear the three trustees received an email from him over the weekend saying as much.

Okay, let’s play John.  I am cancelling all further meetings of the McLean County Board!

John is not a member of the Downs Fire Protection District Board and I’m not a member of the County Board.  Neither of us has any right UNDER THE LAW to cancel meetings for a Board we are not members of!

Last week Chairman McIntyre asked for the resignation of one of the Trustees.  I sent him this email to confirm the meeting happened:

Evidently McIntrye also asked Scott Murphy, County Board rep for Downs, not to attend the meeting since I never received a response from McIntyre.  Representatives from the State’s Attorney’s office were also present, as usual – laws don’t matter.

McIntyre is siding with one trustee against the other two on a personnel issue.  That issue will be decided in court since the guy who was fired filed a lawsuit last week.

I hear the people wanting to interview for positions have been contacted saying this meeting is cancelled.  This meeting was not cancelled by the Board of Trustees so it was not legally cancelled.  They need to show up anyway.

I will be attending tonight’s meeting with a video camera. If McIntryre or the other trustee – Mark Casada – attempts to stop this meeting, I will have the video.

Citizens who rely on Fire and EMT service from Downs need to attend this meeting.  Not holding this meeting means staff may not be available when a call for help is made.

Meanwhile, way to much money is going to attorneys instead of providing services for taxpayers.

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