Brooklyn trustee who claimed he resided at vacant lot is ousted
A trustee for the Brooklyn Village Board has not responded to an official complaint that he does not reside in the village, so he’s been removed from the board.
A complaint was filed by St. Clair County State’s Attorney Brendan Kelly’s office a few months ago against the trustee, Calvin Borders, alleging that he did not live in the village of Brooklyn. Because Borders has failed to appear in court to answer the allegation, he has been ousted from the Village Board.
Borders was scheduled to appear in court June 16. Due to his failure to appear in court, the judge has issued an order ousting him from the seat he’s held on the board since April 2013, after he was elected.
To serve on the board, a person must have lived in the municipality were he is seeking a term for a period of one year before the election. Border’s candidacy documents stated he resided at 407 Jefferson St. in Brooklyn. But, that address turned out to be a vacant lot.
On March 20, Borders was arrested on a warrant for traffic offenses which were alleged to have occurred in Madison County. During the arrest, Borders provided to intake personnel at St. Clair County Jail a different address. He said he lived at 422 Madison Ave. in Madison.
Borders and Brooklyn Mayor Vera Banks could not be reached for comment.
After Borders’ arrest, Kelly filed a court pleading that requested that Borders “be required to answer the complaint and show what right he had to hold a seat on the village board,” or that he be ousted by the court.
The complaint was filed April 9 by Kelly’s office. Borders was personally served with the court case on April 20. When Borders failed to show up for court on June 16, the court issued an order ousting him from his position as a trustee. The order also took away any rights and powers he had as a functioning member of the board.
Contact reporter Carolyn P. Smith at 618-239-2503.
This story was originally published July 22, 2015 at 2:23 PM with the headline "Brooklyn trustee who claimed he resided at vacant lot is ousted."