Dec 28, 2011
Reported by The Newspapaer.com
The village of Bellwood, Illinois claims its former comptroller signed a red light camera contract for personal financial gain.
A former village manager accused last week of corruption as part of a scandal that included the signing of a lucrative red light camera contract. Bellwood, Illinois filed the complaint in Cook County circuit court accusing Roy F. McCampbell of running village finances into the ground as he had control of the budget between 2005 and 2009 as comptroller, public safety director and corporation counsel. He was paid more than $1.5 million over this period, ending 2009 with a salary of $449,312.
“Defendant acted with reckless disregard for the rights and interests of the village in the performance of his duties while a village employee,” the sworn complaint stated. “As a result of his willful, wanton, and/or reckless conduct, the village suffered economic and non-economic damages.”
Among McCampbell’s highest-profile projects in office was the installation of red light cameras. McCampbell touted the program to colleagues in the Illinois Municipal League in 2007, urging them to follow his lead. He explained such systems deliver a major monetary payoff for localities when properly managed.
“Probably our best producing intersection, which is a little bit like a lotto or casino type of operation, has been an intersection where we have the right turn on red light,” McCampbell explained. “We’re probably running 40 or 45 percent of the tickets at that intersection are right turn on red.”
