October 6, 2022 — Today, Lauren Beth Gash, Chair of the Lake County Democrats, called on Kimberly Lynch, recently-slated Republican Lake County Board candidate (District 18), to explain multiple allegations of misconduct, fiscal incompetence, and reckless mismanagement connected to her previous employment and work as Parks Director for the Village of Hawthorn Woods.
“Lake County and its taxpayers deserve the absolute best when it comes to public officials. Lynch has repeatedly shown that she cannot be trusted with our money, our children’s safety, or the responsibility of being an honest public servant,” Gash said.
Sara Knizhnik, who currently serves as a Vernon Hills Township Trustee, launched her campaign for the board this past spring. Knizhnik stated, “Our Board members lead the County; and they must be above reproach as they direct hundreds of employees and allocate hundreds of millions of dollars.”
Two court documents connected to a failed lawsuit Lynch brought against Hawthorn Woods can be found here:
Attorneys for Hawthorn Woods defeated Lynch’s lawsuit and uncovered years of incompetence and misconduct on her part.
Lynch was arrested on two counts of felony forgery in 2011, after the Chief of Hawthorn Woods Police Department and the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office obtained a warrant from a Lake County judge. The judge approved charges and ordered the arrest of Lynch.
The forgery charges stem from allegations that Lynch personally executed a contract without legal authority to do so and that lost taxpayers thousands of dollars. Hawthorn Woods officials discovered two contracts related to the rental of soccer fields – one contract signed by the Mayor and approved by the Board, and one contract executed only by Lynch with a lower rental fee than what was authorized. The transcript reveals that lower fees were paid to Hawthorn Woods because of Lynch’s actions.
Though the felony charges were dropped in 2011, a federal judge found that the arrest was valid in light of the suspicious nature of mismatched pages of the contract and the timeline with respect to the Board’s approval of the authorized contract.
The felony forgery arrest was not the first allegation against Lynch. Lynch admitted in a deposition that when she was the payroll administrator for Ela Soccer Club, she was terminated by the club for overpaying herself. Lynch also admitted that she never paid that money back to the club.
During the suit, Hawthorn Woods lawyers also established that Lynch had mismanaged the Village pool. Indeed, deposition transcripts revealed that several children reported chemical burns after swimming during the time Lynch was supposed to be overseeing the poll. Knizhnik commented, “The records show Lynch was fully aware of significant problems with chemical regulation of the pool’s water over two summers. Instead of taking appropriate steps, Lynch used unapproved methods to regulate chlorine levels. She couldn’t get a handle on the problem, and she failed to take steps that would have made everyone safer.”
“It’s clear that Kimberly Lynch is not qualified to be a member of the Lake County Board,” said Gash.
