Small-Town Suburban Mayor Buys Car With Campaign Money

LYONS, IL – A suburban mayor spent $34,500 in campaign money to buy a car, an unusual political expense. It is unclear what the vehicle is for.

Earlier this summer, Chris Getty, Lyons' mayor for nearly two decades, bought a car from the Napleton dealership in Arlington Heights.

Getty and his campaign aide, Kevin Thomas, did not return messages earlier this week about the car. Thomas is Getty's former brother-in-law and a Lyons employee, making $95,000 a year.

Under state law, campaign money cannot be used for personal purposes, although state enforcement is lax.

Getty could conceivably donate the car to a nonprofit or government agency or use the car solely for campaign purposes.

Getty, who is also Lyons Township's elected supervisor, hasn't faced election opposition locally for years.

He is now running as an independent for the 4th District congressional seat, although he's unlikely to defeat the Democratic candidate.

As of July 31, Getty had raised $350,327 for his two local political funds over the previous year, much of which comes from village and township contractors.

He collected another $188,000 for his congressional run. That brings his total to $538,000 over a year.

Most mayors come nowhere near these amounts. Elmhurst's Scott Levin raised $25,400 during the same time, while La Grange's Mark Kuchler pulled in $5,500.

Last October, Getty took a $245,000 personal loan from his campaign account, which is rare, if not unprecedented.

Not long after Getty reported the loan, the Chicago Sun-Times spoke to his attorney, Burt Odelson, who said Getty needed to pay back federal and state tax debt tied to his divorce.

Since then, Getty has paid back about $20,000 of that debt, according to his campaign finance reports. It is unclear whether the $85,000 in proceeds from an investment also counts as reimbursement. If so, Getty still owes $140,000.

Getty makes $84,000 as mayor and $74,000 as township supervisor, amounts that have increased dramatically over the years. It's uncertain whether he works full-time schedules in both jobs; Lyons has been late with its audits in recent years.

By contrast, Elmhurst's Levin and La Grange's Kuchler make $8,400 and $3,600, respectively. Their positions are considered part time.