Ford Heights has a new mayor.
After Charles Griffin’s felony conviction of stealing village funds left him ineligible to continue serving as mayor of Ford Heights, the board of trustees were left to decide who among them would fill his shoes until next year’s election.
On Saturday, the board called a special meeting and chose Freddie Wilson, a first-term trustee whose sudden rise in leadership has prompted concerns among those hoping for a fresh start following Griffin’s resignation.
“Everything will be the same,” Trustee Tina McMichaels, the sole no vote on Wilson’s nomination, said Monday. She added that she believes the other trustees, including Jimmy Viverrete, who was recently told by the state’s attorney’s office that he must step down due to a prior criminal conviction, met ahead of the public meeting to decide to install Wilson without her input.
McMichaels said as the most senior trustee, she feels frustrated by not being considered as the interim mayor after serving on the board for 20 years. She plans to run for the seat next year, as she believes Wilson will also run.
“It’s not right,” McMichaels said. “I’m not mad about the seat — it’s a respect thing.”
Wilson, when reached by phone Monday, declined to comment. He abstained from the vote that led to his installment, which came less than a week after Griffin was found guilty of embezzling between $10,000 and $100,000 of public funds to benefit himself and others close to him.
Former Ford Heights police officer Willie Robinson, who was at Saturday’s meeting, said Monday he believes Wilson is a “good guy” but questions if his ties to Griffin will lead him to act similarly as mayor.
“He’s saying he’s going to carry out what Griffin was doing,” Robinson said. “I’m just kind of waiting to see … What happens if Griffin goes to jail? Will he be having a cell phone from the joint, conducting city business?”
Ford Heights will hold its next regularly scheduled board meeting on Wednesday at 5 p.m. at 1343 Ellis Avenue, according to the village clerk’s office.
ostevens@chicagotribune.com