Somebody turned to ‘dirty tactics’ in Shiloh mayoral race, but nobody is saying who

Shiloh Mayor Robert Weilmuenster, his supporters, and a prominent businessman are calling out whoever has resorted to “dirty tactics” against his reelection campaign against two-term village trustee Julia Warchol-Black.

Specifically, they want to know who sent inflammatory campaign flyers through the mail and passed out decks of cards at a local restaurant containing derogatory and misleading statements.

During the Shiloh Village Board’s Committee at Large meeting March 24, several residents addressed the campaign materials, including businessman Jamie Auffenberg, former trustee Greg O’Neil and other registered voters.

Among other things, they called the campaign materials “distasteful,” “disgraceful,” and “childish.” They say they sully the town’s reputation, especially to potential developers, and that no one is accepting responsibility for them.

Resident Shannon Stelling, who was at a recent event attended by state legislators, said some had heard about the campaign and asked her ‘What the heck is going on in Shiloh?’”

“As a resident of Shiloh for 27 years, I was appalled,” she said. “The way they are looking at us is quite disheartening. Someone said to me ‘the politics in Chicago aren’t this ugly.’ Things are being said on those mailers that are just lies. The mayor doesn’t have a golden checkbook and a magic pen – he can’t spend the taxpayers’ money – the board approves it.”

Weilmuenster, 66, said the cards are misleading “because they imply that, as mayor of Shiloh, I have unrestricted authority to spend money at will. In reality, every expenditure they reference requires approval from the board.”

The flyers — which accuse Weilmuester of spending “taxpayer’s money wildly” — do not include a disclaimer stating who funded printing and distribution of the materials, as is required by Illinois election rules.

Patrons of Wings of Shiloh, a local bar, saw who passed out the decks of cards on March 14, but none have come forward with an identity. The building’s owner, Armend Rushiti, however, identified one of them as former mayor and current village trustee, James Vernier.

“I did not pay for anything,” he said during a phone interview Thursday. “Maybe I do know who did. It’s a campaign. It’s a free country. It’s free speech.”

Warchol-Black, 29, told the BND that she is not behind the literature, either, nor was it funded through her campaign. But she said she knows who sent them and isn’t saying.

“It is not coming from my campaign, nor my campaign funds,” she said. “I do know who sent them, and they asked to remain anonymous. It is someone who cares deeply about the village.”

The mailers were printed at Freeburg Printing and Publishing. When contacted, they declined to divulge who made the purchase.

The Illinois State Board of Elections states that mailers must “clearly identify the committee” that paid for the order.

Weilmuenster, a former two-term trustee who was elected mayor in 2021, is seeking re-election while Warchol-Black who has served on the village board six years, wants to unseat him. The municipal election is Tuesday, April 1.

“These are outright lies. It’s obviously a smear campaign,” Weilmuenster said. “I guess they are hoping for a low turnout, and they’re going to throw mud and see if it sticks. This is what I’m up against. This is an embarrassment for our town.”

Order wings, get playing cards

Vernier served as mayor from 2001 to 2021 and previously was elected as a trustee in 1985. It was Weilmuenster who unseated Vernier as mayor in 2021 by 70 votes, 679-609.

Since being reelected as a village trustee in 2023, Vernier has been an outspoken critic of Weilmuenster. He cited specifically Archview’s lawsuit against the village — “In my 20 years as mayor, we never had a lawsuit with a property owner,” he said — and a de-annexation of land.

Vernier also mentioned the appointment of Jason Caraway as village attorney. Caraway later pleaded guilty to 11 counts of wire fraud against his clients and business partner.

“There are some people who don’t want to see the current mayor re-elected and I am one of them,” Vernier said.

On his Facebook page March 13, Vernier promoted a “meet and greet” for Warchol-Black, who is his goddaughter.

“Hello Shiloh friends, just a reminder that Julia Warchol Black is hosting a meet & greet at the Summit of Shiloh Clubhouse from 5:00-7:00 this evening. Stop by and say Hi, I’ll be there as well showing my support for the next Mayor of Shiloh.”

Rushiti, who owns the Wings building, responded to Weilmuenster asking if he had security camera footage from March 14 and if he knew who was giving away the cards.

The promotion was “Buy 1 lb. of chicken wings, get the deck of playing cards.”

“I do not know their names besides Mr. Vernier,” Ravi wrote in a text message to Weilmuenster, which has been verified by the BND.

Stelling told trustees at the meeting that Vernier “was seen handing out the cards to waitresses and bartenders.”

While Vernier denied funding the campaign mailers, he would not address the cards passed out at Wings.

“I have no comment on the deck of cards,” he said.

Auffenberg weighs in

Jamie Auffenberg, president of the Auffenberg Dealer Group, which relocated from O’Fallon to Shiloh in July 2022, also addressed the village trustees to respond to the misinformation printed on the flyer and card regarding his company.

The $40 million development is on 36 acres on Frank Scott Parkway East, east of the Green Mount Crossing Shopping Center, adjacent to Interstate 64.

Auffenberg has dealerships for Ford, Chrysler Dodge Jeep, Nissan, Kia, Mazda, and Volkswagen on that site and one for Hyundai 30 acres away at Frank Scott Parkway and Fortune Boulevard.

One of the cards states: “The Mayor gave Auffenberg Automotive Mart a massive tax rebate refunding 75% of Shiloh’s share of sales tax revenue for 18 years – undermining the Village’s financial future.”

This rebate agreement, signed in 2017 under Vernier’s administration, covers the five dealerships on Frank Scott Parkway’s north side.

“My administration was asked to honor the existing north side agreement for the Hyundai dealership. However, I successfully negotiated an additional year at the beginning of the agreement during which the Village receives 100% of the sales tax revenue,” Weilmuenster said.

Another claim is misleading, he said, is this: “After Auffenberg moved in, the mayor had taxpayers pay another $219,000 to widen the road for them – then gave Auffenberg another sweetheart deal to purchase some of Three Springs Park land for a Hyundai dealership,”

Weilmuenster said road-widening costs were shared with the developer and not solely covered by taxpayers.

“Additionally, the land referenced in Three Springs Park was unsuitable for park use due to its proximity to heavy traffic on Frank Scott Parkway,” Weilmuester said. “The board approved the sale of this land, which allowed the village to acquire additional property along Seibert Road that was better suited for park purposes.”

During the public comments, Auffenberg pointed out to Vernier that he was the mayor when the deal was struck. He also said he could have built on the south side, but he chose to build on the north side so the Shiloh schools would benefit “100%” from the taxes.

“You’re saying things about my company that are wildly not true. You don’t have a right to publish these things and not be responsible for what you’re saying,” Auffenberg said. “You may think you do but I don’t think that you do. If somebody wants to defend this mailer, I’m hoping to sit here and listen because I don’t understand it.”

When Auffenberg asked for a response, Vernier said: “It’s unfortunate, but it’s just politics.”

This story was originally published March 28, 2025 at 5:30 AM.