There was a bark of laughter from the crowd when it was announced Harvey Mayor Christopher Clark would not be attending the City Council meeting Monday night, the first of the new year.

“I wish the mayor was here tonight,” 4th Ward Ald. Tracy Key said. “I don’t know the situation, but he’s got a lot of explaining to do.”

Fifth Ward Ald. Dominique Randle-El, who chaired the meeting, defended Clark from criticism regarding his absence, saying for all the audience knew the mayor could be dealing with sickness or a loss in his family.

“He’s not running, he’s not hiding, he’s not afraid,” Randle-El said. “He’s human.”

Monday’s meeting was only the second City Council meeting in Harvey since the city declared a state of financial distress and a partial government shutdown last October. In that time, the city has instituted mass layoffs, including at the Police and Fire Departments, to address the emergency.

It was the first council meeting in more than two months. A spokesperson for the city previously said the decision not to hold meetings while the city was in a state of financial emergency was the fiscally responsible move, but critics of Clark saw it as a way of avoiding public scrutiny.

Key drew attention to the several holidays that had come and gone since the last meeting.

“Since we haven’t had a meeting in almost two months, which is unprecedented, I hope everybody had a nice Thanksgiving, a nice Christmas and a prosperous New Year coming ahead,” Key said.

The council meeting was preceded by a committee of the whole meeting. Both were largely spent on the topic of Harvey’s fraught finances.

The City Council voted to approve a budget and a tax levy ordinance. Both were listed on the agenda as being for the fiscal year beginning May 1, 2025 and ending April 30, 2026, a time period which has mostly elapsed.

Resident Glynis James-Watson questioned the timing during public comment, noting Illinois law requires municipalities to adopt budgets before or in the first quarter of a fiscal year.

“The fiscal year that they just voted for was last year,” James-Watson said. “They’re a year behind, almost. And so, where was all of this talk a year ago? Where was all this discussion a year ago? How have you been operating without a budget for this whole time? Or what budget have you been operating on?”

Glynis James-Watson speaks during public comment at Monday’s Harvey City Council meeting. (Evy Lewis/Daily Southtown)
Residents listen at the Harvey City Council meeting Monday night. (Evy Lewis/Daily Southtown)

Randle-El, 1st Ward Ald. Shirley Drewenski, 3rd Ward Ald. Telanee Smith and 6th Ward Ald. Tyrone Rogers all voted in favor of both ordinances. Key and 2nd Ward Ald. Colby Chapman, both frequent critics of Clark, voted against approving the appropriations ordinance. Neither voted on the levy ordinance due to a procedural dispute with Randle-El.

Copies of the ordinances were not available from the city clerk’s office Monday night.

Kyle Kasperek, of the accounting firm John Kasperek Co., presented his firm’s audit of the city’s 2021-2022 fiscal year at the committee meeting. Harvey is multiple years behind on its annual audits.

In the audit, the firm issued “disclaimer” opinions on Harvey’s general fund, water fund, business activities and governmental activities for the time period, meaning it did not have sufficient information to give opinions on those sections of the city’s finances.

A disclaimer opinion is one step above an adverse opinion, which would mean the firm found active problems or contradictions with sections of the city’s finances. The audit did not contain any adverse opinions.

Accountant Kyle Kasperek speaks to Harvey resident Mauzkie Ervin during a committee meeting ahead of Monday’s City Council meeting. (Evy Lewis/Daily Southtown)

Kasperek highlighted that the city did have its revenues exceed expenses by $2 million in the year in question, an improvement from the year before.

“I know the financial picture, you look at the debt scheme, it may not look as ideal,” Kasperek said. “There’s a lot of upsides still to look at.”

Kasperek said the plan is for John Kasperek Co. to continue conducting audits until Harvey’s annual financial reports are caught up. The firm previously conducted an audit for the city’s 2020-2021 fiscal year.

“We’re just doing our best to get this city caught up and looking ahead to the future,” Kasperek said.

elewis@chicagotribune.com

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/13/harvey-mayor-christopher-clark-absent-city-council/