Before you vote for "Tricky" Ricky Morales, read all about the recent tip!

Trustee Rick Morales is running for election on April 5, 2011.  He is nicknamed “tricky Ricky”, or “slick Rick”...  The residents have been wondering why he got these names and the hot tips have started pouring in. 

Background:  “Tricky” Ricky Morales has been a trustee from 2001 until current.  He serves on the Village Board, the Land Use Committee, and Public Works Committee.  During the day he is a VP for Commercial Banking for Charter One Bank.  Prior to this he held similar titles with LaSalle Bank and Standard Bank and Trust.

Although this might look like an impressive resume to most, if you compare the public servant duties with the job duties, you will catch the reason we have received the many hot tips.

Tip: It was alleged that Ricky would make deals with the local business owners for securing their ability to enter Bolingbrook (thus sitting on the land committee and public works committee, plus village board), while at the same time soliciting and supporting business loans on these same companies. 

If tip is found to be true: If this allegation was true, that would mean that his public servant position was earning him high commissions at his day job and compromising his oath that he took in office to work for the best interest of the residents and not himself. 

Also, if this tip is found true, then he strategically placed himself on ALL The boards that would approve a business opening in Bolingbrook, secure the construction passed, and took their loan commissions.

How our investigations work: 

We started looking into what dates he was employed at all three banks and started looking into the bills that were passed in the village during his time serving, working at the three banks, and his affiliation to the businesses in general.  What we found confirmed the hot tips were right on.

Law:  In accordance to the following municipal law, it would appear that Ricky probably violated:

(50 ILCS 105/3) (from Ch. 102, par. 3)
    Sec. 3. Prohibited interest in contracts.
    (a) No person holding any office, either by election or appointment under the laws or Constitution of this State, may be in any manner financially interested directly in his own name or indirectly in the name of any other person, association, trust, or corporation, in any contract or the performance of any work in the making or letting of which such officer may be called upon to act or vote. No such officer may represent, either as agent or otherwise, any person, association, trust, or corporation, with respect to any application or bid for any contract or work in regard to which such officer may be called upon to vote. Nor may any such officer take or receive, or offer to take or receive, either directly or indirectly, any money or other thing of value as a gift or bribe or means of influencing his vote or action in his official character. Any contract made and procured in violation hereof is void.

Process of investigations:

On February 17 a tip arrived at the Brook Report.

February 18^th a BR Investigator started tracking the tip that Morales was participating in Pay to Play, voting on businesses to enter Bolingbrook and to allow his bank to hold their bank notes with him in a position as a Commercial Loan VP to gain commission.

Feb. 19^th, the investigator reported that the business that was working with Ricky was located at 501 W Boughton Road.

The investigator found that the loan for this business was granted by Standard Bank and Trust in September 2005, the same year that Rick was employed as a commercial officer. The amount was almost a half a million dollars.  The commission is unknown.

Feb. 21^st, the investigator located and talked to construction team members that told him that “they thought Rick was an owner, as he was here instructing them on what to do on the site!”  The investigator reported that there was heavy involvement on the scene of the location from Morales and that it would appear that his interest in the success of the business was high. 

Feb. 22, the investigator uncovered that on 10/24/06 Mr. Morales voted on this locations liquor license, serving as a Village Board Trustee. Mr. Morales did not abstain from the vote, even though there was a conflict with personal financial interest.

Feb. 23, the investigator reported that upon a random property search of other small businesses that opened in Bolingbrook from 2001-current, many of them had loans from Standard bank and Trust, then from La Salle and most recently Charter. These loans were concurrent with the year of their permits and construction and the years Rick was employed at the banks.

Feb. 24, the investigator submitted a list of 7 locations he had found with the similar, maybe too coincidental, information.  At this time, we told the investigator to stop researching the local companies and form a conclusion.

Feb. 25^th, the investigator concluded that many small businesses opening between 2003-2010 had relationships with Rick and were able to pass the land use committee to purchase or change land to accommodate their small business.  They further had a relationship with Rick through the Public Works committee which sends out building inspectors and even REFERS local contracting companies.  Further, they had a relationship with Rick when he, as a Village Trustee, had to approve permits for these businesses.  Furthermore, Rick showed up during the construction and had a hand in the construction crews that supplied the building material and labor.  Rick was also the head commercial banker for the bank that supplied the loans to these businesses for the cost of the construction and start-up costs.

It would appear to our investigator that there was anywhere from 7 to a potential 100 businesses that could have had deals similar to this deal.

The chicken and the egg theory apply to what came first… Did Rick know them from being a bank customer and recommend Bolingbrook, or did he meet them from the Land Use committee, solicit their business, and get the banks business plus commissions.  Since the address stated above is a local business that only re-located, we feel the former might apply.  For the rest of them we are unsure. 

If the businesses felt bullied into using his bank to be able to open in Bolingbrook, this can be construed as a mis-balance of power and bullying.

However, although this story is long, the point is that the election is three weeks away and people can vote for who they want in office.  Tricky Ricky is not the only choice.

Early voting starts Monday morning. Vote smart and vote to make a change!  We want trustees that want what is best for us, not their own pockets.

For more information about tricky Ricky, see the tabs to the left.