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Kenosha County Eye

Salem Lakes Village Clerk Resigns Amidst Alleged Corruption Investigation

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Salem Lakes Village Clerk Shannon Hahn
(Photos By Kevin Mathewson, Kenosha County Eye)

The Salem Lakes Village Clerk, Shannon Hahn, has resigned from the Village of Salem Lakes Friday. Hahn, 44, of Bristol, turned in her written letter of resignation as Walworth County Detectives were questioning employees for the third day in a row, according to reports. This departure comes at a curious time. KCE has at least three unfulfilled public records requests into the village. We expect the records to be damning to the Village’s Administration. Hahn is responsible for fulfilling these requests. She told us last Monday, “I wanted to notify you that [the records requests] will take longer than usual. I am sorry for this inconvenience.” Hahn is also in charge of the upcoming elections. Her election supervisor, Michael Ullstrup, recently passed away, leaving the administering of the important upcoming election in limbo. There is a primary election on February 21, 2023 and the general election on April 4, 2023. Village officials are scrambling to delegate who will take over in the duo’s absence. We made contact with Hahn Sunday evening and she said “I have no desire to talk to you. Please do not contact me.”

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Salem Lakes Trustee Mike Culat
(Photo by Kevin Mathewson, Kenosha County Eye)

Michael Culat, a trustee for the Village of Salem Lakes and a local Realtor out of Antioch, IL, previously worked as a police officer for the City of Antioch, IL, being hired in 1985 and allegedly leaving under suspicious circumstances in 1991. According to a police report written by his then-Lieutenant, he seemingly left the department so suddenly, that he had to be hounded by the police department to get their police equipment back from Culat.

Skid Steer
(Stock Photo)

KCE received multiple complaints about Culat’s behavior. First, we were told that there was a Village of Salem Lakes skid steer in his backyard for several months. He was alleged to be using the village-owned machine for his own personal use. We emailed him several times to ask him why the skid steer was in his rural backyard. He never responded. What do we do when government officials aren’t transparent? We asked him in public after a meeting while recording. He admitted to having the skid steer at his house but said he didn’t know who dropped it off or who picked it up. He said he never touched the skid steer and his fingerprints aren’t on it. He started to say that he didn’t see it, but then corrected himself, saying he did see it. He told us he didn’t use it, but wouldn’t say why it was there.

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KCE has learned that the Walworth County Sheriff’s Office is conducting an investigation to Culat’s seemingly unscrupulous behavior. Culat said last week that his “lawyer” would be answering our questions on February 7, 2023. We have not yet heard from this “lawyer.”

Captain Shannan Illingworth of the Walworth County Sheriff’s Office did confirm that she assigned detectives to investigate the complaint about Culat.
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Author

  • Kevin Mathewson

    Kevin Mathewson is a disciple of Christ, husband and a father to two wonderful children. Mathewson was born and raised in Lake County, IL and worked as a police & fire dispatcher from 2005 to 2010 in Round Lake Beach, IL. Mathewson moved to Kenosha County in 2006, later being elected to the position of Alderman of the 8th District in 2012 and 2016. Mathewson is a private investigator, security contractor, journalist, and photographer. He enjoys spending time with his family, watching movies, camping and boating. His favorite amendment is the second, followed closely by the first. He loves his country and community.

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20 Responses

  1. As a resident, I’m very sadden by this development. Shannon was a excellent representative of the village,
    and will be very hard to replace. Many will miss her.

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  2. “I have no desire to talk to you. Please do not contact me.”

    That’s how you know Kevin is the best journalist in Kenosha.

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  3. This is quite the can of worms. And they’d all still be in the can doing what they do if we did not have a tenacious, professional journalist in Kenosha county.

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    1. She was mike Murdocks puppy. She was a tattle tale and knows of a lot of the corrupt things going on. Maybe they should start questioning the waste water plant employees as well. Like the ones that never punch a time clock but have time cards. Or the ones shopping and cooking during working hours. Yes people. This happens on a weekly basis and it’s our tax dollars paying their wages and they even had to hire more office people to cover their work that isn’t being accomplished.

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    1. Not only the Board, by the day to day functions of the Town Administrator. Why has he never been able to be found? What does he do? What a waste of tax dollars.

      1. Funny. The village employees have mentioned he is never around anymore. Maybe check the Limerick in Antioch. Or on his couch. “Working from home”.

      2. Also fire inspector and the fire chief neither are competent. The fire inspector has only 3 years of fire service who has never been in a fire and he was made captain.

      3. Also fire inspector and the fire chief neither are competent. The fire inspector has only 3 years of fire service who has never been in on an initial fire attackm and he was made captain.

        1. Chief Slover had a Fire and Rescue Department, that Fiefighters and Rescue personnel were proud to be a part of. He put that Department on the map. Departments around the State knew of Salem Fire and Rescue. For the 20 years he gave to making it a Department that not only the ones who worked for him, were proud of, but so was the community it served, it took Chief Lejcar 1 year to destroy to where a majority of the employees have left, can barely get a second squad out for a call and he has made the Department an embarrassment to our town. What a disservice it was to put him in a position he is not qualified to do. Bring Chief Slover back.

  4. It seems the current Cheif has decided to bring prosperity through overreached, this never works. Most of the current board operates with their head in the sand. The current board has decided they care more about the feelings of the employees vs taxpayers. It’s clear this Village has ignored the rights of taxpayers and business owners, for what reason? Plain and simple they are too weak and lazy to do the job they have been entrusted to do. Voters need to educated themself. As a resident I see a great opportunity to make change, don’t waste this opportunity, it doesn’t surface very often. Change can be good for all taxpayers.

  5. Salem Lakes previously had a very qualified and professional clerk in Cindi Dulaney. The board, headed by Tesar, fired her for no reason. I wrote for the paddock Lake/Westosha Report for years and never heard any complaint with her. Cindi did, however, make many complaints about former town then village administrator Pat Casey. And the Salem town board, which became the advisory board during the integration with Silver Lake, ignored its own agreement. That agreement stated that the Silver Lake village board could make no agreements or decision that could raise taxes without informing and getting agreement from the Salem advisory board. Pat Casey went to the Silver Lake board and got them to sign a contract with a nice, fat raise. I found out about it from the Silver Lake board. Casey didn’t give it to Cindi Dulaney as he should have. It was a big, illegal secret. And when Tesar , along with Culat, Campion, Faber and Kmiec, learned about it, they did NOTHING.

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