Nov. 14--It was a rough meeting.
Trustee Michael Smith and others gathered in a conference room at Dixmoor's Village Hall to discuss an employment issue. Then-Police Chief Ron Burge questioned Smith's motivation for re-hiring an employee, according to a police report detailing the March 2014 exchange.
Smith "became irate," police said, "shouting and using profanity." As Burge was leaving, Smith allegedly lunged at him and said, "You don't know who you're (expletive) with," according to police. Other officials had to restrain Smith, police said.
Dixmoor police reports claim Smith has had numerous run-ins with his fellow public servants: the town's former mayor, other board members and police.
Cook County court records show Smith has been charged at least eight times with crimes ranging from domestic battery against his great aunt to resisting arrest. He pleaded guilty in 2011 to misdemeanor resisting arrest and was recently found not guilty of resisting a police officer in Posen.
In 2012, Smith pleaded guilty to misdemeanor theft after being charged with stealing gasoline from Dixmoor. He had to resign his position as part of the plea agreement, court records show, but Smith was later re-elected.
He has two pending criminal cases: one in which he is charged with aggravated assault on a police officer and another for in which he is accused of violating a restraining order and resisting arrest. Other cases have been dropped.
In an interview Smith denied misbehavior and downplayed all of his arrests as being politically motivated -- then announced that he's running for mayor.
"With all of these allegations they put out on me, with all of these arrests ... make sure you let (former Police Chief) Burge know I'm running in 2017," Smith said.
Smith, 25, said his cases have all been "dismissed." Asked later about the discrepancy between that statement and court records, Smith spoke briefly then declined further comment.
He said his arrests have been written about before and "the public knows about it, it's nothing to hide."
"There's been probably 20 or 30 stories about me," Smith said.
"Write your story. Whatever story you want to come up with, write it," Smith said. "Leave me alone ... don't contact me about it. Bye."
Smith was first elected when he was 18 and still in high school. Smith said he sees his personal story as an example that can "show young African-American males that you can make it."
He said he sees his job as fighting for Dixmoor residents, and that he has their support.
"The people of Dixmoor matter to me, not the police, not the mayor, not what anybody else wants to say," Smith said.
'Better watch your back'
Police reports detail numerous confrontations between Smith and the other government officials.
In 2011, he got into an argument with then-Mayor Keevan Grimmett during which Smith allegedly "jumped up in (Grimmett's) face and stated that I will knock (your expletive) out," according to police. Smith allegedly used an expletive to deride Grimmett's courage, police said.
Also in 2011, a police officer attempted to arrest Smith for driving on a suspended license, records show. When confronted, Smith said "that he was a village official and did not need to follow any laws," according to the officer's report.
He pleaded guilty in that case and was sentenced to one year supervision.
Last December, Smith reportedly ran into an alderman from neighboring Harvey at an office downtown and though they didn't say a word to each other, Smith later called the alderman and said, "We comin' for your (expletive) ... You a (expletive) ... You better watch your back!" according to a police report. The report notes it was taken for informational purposes.
In an interview, Smith denied the allegations contained in village police reports -- especially the foul language.
"I don't know where they get that from or where they draw it up in their imaginary minds but I do not speak like that," Smith said, adding that he would "never use that language toward anyone in the village of Dixmoor."
Smith said he's been picked on by mayors who want to discredit him with voters to stunt his political aspirations.
"It's a way to draw up to people that I guess don't support me and vote for me," Smith said. "That's what it's about."
Trustee Fitzgerald Roberts, an ally of Smith's, defended his colleague as a good guy. Roberts said a lot of the older elected officials had a problem with Smith because they couldn't "push him around and run over him."
"They hated that he knew too much. He reads his books. He knows his law," Roberts said. "They don't like that."
Conflict with current mayor
Smith is currently involved in a conflict with Mayor Dorothy Armstrong.
Armstrong said Smith is disruptive at meetings, "screaming and hollering uncontrollably."
"He's always talking about, 'you an old lady, you taking medication, you a redhead,'" Armstrong said in an interview. "He's always saying negative things."
In March 2014, Dixmoor trustees passed an ordinance hiring Berwyn-based Del Galdo Law Group to serve as legislative counsel, separate from the village attorney.
Since hiring the law firm in early 2014, Dixmoor trustees have racked up about $60,000 worth of legal bills, records show.
Del Galdo is currently representing Roberts, Smith's ally, in a Cook County case against Mayor Armstrong claiming she has illegally accepted more than $27,000 in salary for performing the duties of liquor commissioner.
Trustees in 2011 voted to reduce the liquor commissioner's salary from $1,250 a month to $100 a month, but Armstrong has continued receiving the higher salary, according to Roberts' filing.
The litigation is technically a "quo warranto" petition challenging Armstrong's "unlawful holding of office" because she owes the town money.
"That's a case in which taxpayers' money was put out and (given) to a person who knew they were not supposed to get that money," Smith said.
Asked about the litigation, Armstrong denied wrongdoing and said, "All this stuff is political." The case is pending.
Smith voiced his support of the litigation earlier this summer, after Dixmoor village attorney Hubert Thompson sent a letter to Smith demanding he repay the town $3,500 it paid to his personal attorney in a 2012 criminal case. The letter notes that Smith voted to approve the expenditure.
Thompson said he discovered that the village paid Chicago attorney Catharine O'Daniel $3,500 in 2012 for "Legal services in the matter of People of the State of Illinois v. Michael Smith."
Dixmoor was not a party to the case and did not retain the defense attorney, so the village had no obligation to pay Smith's attorney, Thompson said. The case was ultimately dismissed, records show.
When asked by the Daily Southtown about the allegation this summer, Smith released a statement denying that he owed Dixmoor money. He cast the measure as an attempt by Armstrong to "consolidate power" and said his "efforts to help the residents of Dixmoor have angered the mayor."
Smith promised that he will "continue to fight, undeterred, for the residents of Dixmoor."
When recently asked about the alleged legal debt, Smith accused a reporter of harassment.
"It's harassment this is my personal email please stop texting emailing and communicating," Smith wrote in an email. "(T)hanks God Bless You."
gpratt@tribpub.com
