Four elected officials in Calumet City are reacting to a report about disparaging text messages anonymously sent to numerous residents.
A report by WGN-TV’s Ben Bradley about the messages aired Thursday night. Mayor Thaddeus Jones, city clerk Nyota Figgs and Ald. Monet S. Wilson and James Patton have all shared reactions to the report.
Jones also is state representative for the 29th District, and Wilson is running against him in the June 28 Democratic primary.
Bradley reported how in recent months, nasty text messages have mysteriously been sent to hundreds of Calumet City residents. The question is, who is responsible for the messages?
The messages have been described as bullying attacks on Figgs, Wilson and Patton. Each has stood up to Jones and challenged or disagreed with him. Jones has denied responsibility for the attacks.
“My theory is it’s coming from them,” Jones told Bradley. Jones said his critics sent mean texts to community members about themselves in order to drum up sympathy and support for Jones’ political opponents.
“If what you say is true, your opponents are some pretty good actors,” Bradley told Jones.
“They deserve Oscars,” Jones replied.
Patton publicly shared his reaction Friday on social media.
“I’m waiting for my Oscar for ‘political theater,'” Patton wrote. “I’m sure it’ll show up around the same time as the extra police patrol I asked for after these texts came out about me.”
Bradley’s report showed Patton reading texts that said he would suffer consequences for racist behavior. There is no evidence to substantiate unfounded claims that Patton is racist.
Wilson said she became the target of bullying messages after she announced her intent to run against Jones in the upcoming primary. She read a message that was sent Feb. 21 and WGN showed an image of a text that made disparaging remarks about Wilson’s weight.
“(MS PIGGY STRIKES AGAIN) Great message, Ms. Piggy! We didn’t know your fat fingers could type so fast,” the text said. “Keep up the ‘non-great work’ you’re doing. The transgressions of you and your fat family will be exposed soon.”
Wilson told Bradley she understood politics could be a rough and tumble business, but she choked up talking about how the bullying messages affected her and her two children.
“This isn’t what we do,” she said, referring to notions of decency and civility.
Figgs has been embroiled in conflict with Jones since shortly after the state representative took office last May as Calumet City’s first Black mayor. Figgs filed a lawsuit in October that accused Jones of bullying. The city sued Figgs, alleging misconduct. The cases are pending.
Figgs said text messages that accused her of wrongdoing and promiscuity were false, hurtful and damaging.
“This should not be allowed,” she told Bradley.
Figgs read messages that she said identified boyfriends she had dated in the past.
“I feel hurt, I feel scared, I felt violated,” Figgs said, choking up as she spoke to Bradley. “I felt dirty.”
Text messages were sent to a wide audience of voters from unlisted and untraceable accounts, Bradley reported.
“It’s very clear that whoever is doing this is taking several steps to make sure nobody can find out who is behind these text messages,” Patton told Bradley.
The three said they routinely clash with Jones on issues but had no evidence tying Jones or his allies to the messages, WGN reported.
“Any time these text messages have come out it’s almost directly correlated to an action I took or a vote I took or a question I asked,” Patton told Bradley.
The messages abruptly stopped several weeks ago when WGN began its investigation, Bradley reported.
The three targets of the harassing messages said they wanted the Illinois attorney general’s office to investigate the situation. Jones denounced the attacks and told Bradley a city attorney was conducting an investigation.
“These text messages are deplorable, they’re despicable, I don’t condone them,” Jones told Bradley.
Jones also addressed the situation in a video message posted Thursday morning on social media.
“As the first African-American mayor of Calumet City my family knows all too well about threats, false innuendoes and unwarranted propaganda thrown at our doorsteps, cellphones and mailboxes,” Jones said in a scripted message.
“I have spoken to many of my political supporters to ensure that they realize that my family and I are in firm opposition to this form of communication,” Jones said.
After the report aired, Wilson posted on social media that the attacks on her two children crossed a line.
“These are my young men. My babies,” she wrote. “I chose to be a political resource for our community but my boys did not. I create safe spaces for youth and families and that definitely includes my own children.”
Federal authorities are conducting a criminal investigation of tax issues involving Jones’ campaign funds, the Chicago Tribune reported this month.
Since last summer, Figgs has accused Jones of turning City Hall into a hostile workplace. Figgs is an independent elected official, not a subordinate of the mayor, she has said.
“The disrespect and harassment of this administration is beyond belief,” Figgs wrote on social media about the WGN report.
“In my humble opinion we all know who is/was behind the text messages and false documents going out to residents,” Wilson wrote.
Ted Slowik is a columnist with the Daily Southtown.
