Village of Manteno sues 4 of its trustees over board attorney’s action

The village of Manteno is suing four of its trustees regarding a special meeting in June and the action they took.

The village of Manteno is suing four of its trustees regarding a special meeting in June and the action they took. According to court documents, the lawsuit, brought by Vasselli Law, was filed July 10 in the Kankakee County Circuit Clerk’s office. That is four days after a contentious board meeting.

The four trustees named as defendants are Cameron “CJ” Boudreau, Annette Zimbelman, Todd Crockett and Joel Gesky. The village is asking the court to grant a temporary restraining order against the four trustees, and attorney Joe Cainkar, whom Mayor Annette LaMore terminated but the four trustees reinstated in a June 25 special meeting. LaMore said that meeting was illegal under village code.

Bourdreau, Zimbelman, Crockett and Gesky are members of the Manteno Choice Party. Annette LaMore and trustees Peggy Vaughn and Michael Barry are members of the Manteno Freedom Party. The April 2025 general election in the village was contentious and that has continued since LaMore was elected and took office May 1, 2025.

LaMore, Vaughn and Barry have bumped heads with the other trustees. At the core of the recent lawsuit is who the village’s attorney is. LaMore terminated Cainkar and replaced him with Vasselli Law of Oak Brook.

The lawsuit said the village is asking the court to restrain the defendants from the actions taken at the June 25 special meeting. The lawsuit is asking that Cainkar not be allowed to represent the village “in any court, proceeding, or matter on the basis of the June 25 meeting.” “From seeking payment from Village Funds, communicating on behalf of the Village with courts, opposing parties or third parties, or accessing Village files, systems or privileged communications on the purported authority of the void June 25 reinstatement,” the lawsuit said.

The lawsuit also wants to prevent those named from “taking any action to effectuate, implement, or enforce the engagement letter dated June 30, 2026, transmitted by Joseph Cainkar to Village Administrator Chris LaRocque, which was transmitted without lawful authority and remains unsigned by the village,” the lawsuit states. The village is asking the court for a declaratory judgment that the June 25 meeting was not legal under village code and that all actions taken are void, the lawsuit said. Order of events LaMore terminated Cainkar on June 16 and appointed James Vasselli as village attorney, using an emergency appointment clause.

After LaMore appointed Vasselli, the board voted 4-2 against the appointment and asked that Cainkar be reinstated immediately. On June 25, a special board meeting was held, which was not attended by LaMore, who called it an illegal meeting. Cainkar was reinstated by a 4-0 vote.

In agreement with LaMore, Barry left before the meeting. Vaughn was not in attendance. At the Monday, July 6, meeting, Boudreau shared a copy of a letter LaMore signed that called the June 25 meeting.

A printed agenda for the special meeting with LaMore’s signature was posted at the village hall at 4:56 p.m. June 23 within the 48-hour notice, which is required by law. LaMore countered that the paperwork for the meeting was never turned in or approved by the village clerk. She also said the item on the June 25 agenda, calling for Cainkar’s reinstatement, was not approved by the mayor.

Boudreau said it’s in the village’s bylaws that two trustees can add an item to the agenda, which he said they did for the special meeting. Gesky said the mayor has the power to make appointments, but those come with board approval. By statute, if the mayor terminates the village attorney, the board must be notified at a meeting held within 5 to 10 days after the removal, he said.

Gesky said LaMore did not properly notify the board.