Desiree Watkins- Village Trustee of Olympia Fields- will be discussing a proposed ordinance amending the current Olympia Fields Anti-Bullying Act. This comes after yet another recent outburst by the current Village Mayor and the discovery of two police reports filed against the President that details intimidation and bullying behavior.
Trustee Watkins will speak publicly during an upcoming meeting of the Village Board where the Village Mayor yelled and screamed at Desiree Watkins who is also a candidate for Village Mayor. Trustee Watkins had come under abnormal and offensive language by the President for attempting to bring Operation Safe Pump to Olympia Fields. Trustee Watkins recently joined community activist Early Walker and Illinois Representative Marcus Evans in responding to the rash of carjackings in the 2.9-mile town of Olympia Fields. However, the Mayor began publicly lashing out at Watkins.
There are countless employees, mostly female, who have been the victim of the Mayor’s abnormal tirades throughout the Olympia Fields Village Hall. The Mayor has even refused to renew the contract of his female Village Manager, leaving her clueless and silenced in her daily responsibilities in Olympia Fields. She is the first Village Manager to work without a renewal of a contract. She is in her third year of working without the standard contract. Watkins views the Mayor’s refusal to renew the Village Manager’s contract as a bullying tactic to keep the young woman stabilized and silenced.
“I’m proposing this amendment on behalf of those Olympia Fields employees who have indicated to me that they are terrified daily by this Village President. They have all expressed an unwillingness to come forward due to fear of losing their jobs.” says Watkins. However, this is not the only encounter in which the Mayor has attempted to physically intimidate Watkins.
The Mayor also displayed his over-the-top behavior at Watkins for demanding answers from him for his refusal to respond to an alleged coverup of an officer who was seen on a video beating up a 14-year-old African American girl. The incident took place nearly three years ago at Rich Central High School. The video clearly shows the officer using excessive force on the girl. Ironically, the officer who was working at the school has not been suspended or fired. When the then Olympia Fields Police Chief attempted to render a suspension of the officer involved, the Mayor prevented him from doing so. The now former chief says he was fired by the Mayor after he responded to a FOIA request and had attempted to release the video to a media publication.
“Honesty and Integrity is not an enlightened characteristic of Mayor Burke. From the mismanagement of our Public Works Department to the handling of our police department; our community is simply foreign to this form of governmental management.” Says Trustee Watkins. Watkins adds, “Given the alleged coverup of this incident, I intend to remain vocal concerning this matter. The Mayor should not engage in the concealing of any misconduct of a police officer. If the former Chief felt compelled to act against the officer in question, then the Mayor should have allowed the process to take place.”
Trustee Watkins has asked the former Chief to be available with her during any request for interviews. He has obliged.
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