Jan. 19--In December 2014, Thornton Township hired a politically connected felon-turned-pastor who listed South Holland Mayor Don DeGraff as his top reference to head the township's general assistance program, records and interviews show.
Thornton Township Supervisor Frank Zuccarelli said in an interview that Troy O'Quin did not get the position because of his political connection to one of Zuccarelli's long-time allies, and he praised the work O'Quin has done leading the department.
"If I didn't like the interview, if I didn't think (O'Quin) had all the qualifications, he wouldn't have been considered for the job," said Zuccarelli, a powerful player in Cook County politics and township supervisor since 1993.
O'Quin's job application does not show much in the way of obvious qualifications for the job. He left blank the space for college and universities attended, and listed a "ministry education certificate" from Global University in the trade school category, records show. His application also reports a felony conviction, several years before he became a pastor.
O'Quin defended his qualifications in an interview and said his experience as a pastor prepared him to run the general assistance program, which a 2015 township article touted as the largest among Illinois townships. That article said the general assistance program's budget is about $3.5 million and said "at times during the year, as many as 500 people are in the program."
Zuccarelli said he believes O'Quin is "absolutely the best we could've found" to run the department, which the township describes as "a locally administered welfare program providing financial assistance to persons who are not eligible for any other state or federal assistance and do not have income or resources to provide for their basic needs."
O'Quin makes $32 an hour for 35 scheduled weekly hours, and also receives $400 a month in expenses and $150 a month in telephone expense, records show.
Felon, then pastor
On his employment application, O'Quin disclosed a 1991 conviction in Virginia for burglary and grand larceny.
Fairfax County court records show O'Quin was indicted and convicted in 1992 for breaking and entering into a shoe shop.
Asked about his criminal record, O'Quin said, "that was a lifetime ago."
"I was 19 years old and I was making some poor choices, should we say, and I'm not proud of those choices at all," he said. "I wish I could go back and smack that young kid in the face and help him make better choices. I've paid for those mistakes, and I've put them behind me."
O'Quin said he's "very upfront" about his past and that he's used it in sermons, a point also noted by South Holland Mayor Don DeGraff.
Zuccarelli said he noticed the felony conviction on the application but didn't hold it against O'Quin.
"What can I tell you? I certainly believe everybody deserves a second chance, and it's not as if this just occurred yesterday," Zuccarelli said.
O'Quin was ordained by the Church of God in Christ in 1997, and in 2006 he was ordained by the Assemblies of God, according to his employment application.
From July 2005 to August 2013, O'Quin worked as pastor at River Oaks Community Church, he said. He also worked for South Holland for a chunk of that time, from November 2009 to September 2013, according to his application.
There, O'Quin worked as "public media coordinator," records show.
Qualifications
He submitted a job application to Thornton Township last year for no particular job and asking for no specific salary.
"I wasn't really looking for a specific salary or a specific position," O'Quin said in an interview. "I was really looking to see where I can get back into the social service work that made a difference in people's lives."
He was looking for a job last year because he was moving back to the area from Houston with his wife and twins. O'Quin said he does not remember who recommended that he apply for the job with Thornton Township. He pointed to his experience as a pastor as a qualification.
"A good part of that job required me to help hundreds of families and people throughout the community here," O'Quin said. "My desire is just to be able to help and serve where I can."
Zuccarelli said he thought O'Quin was "a perfect match."
"Every one of our programs, we make sure we hire people that care about people in order to provide the services that we do," Zuccarelli said.
'He respects my opinion'
Zuccarelli and DeGraff acknowledge conversing about O'Quin's application to work for the township.
Zuccarelli said O'Quin's name looked familiar and he saw DeGraff's name on the list of references, so he called the mayor, who gave O'Quin a strong recommendation.
"(DeGraff) told me (O'Quin) was an excellent employee," Zuccarelli said.
DeGraff recalled that Zuccarelli "felt it was an important spot" and "wanted to make sure he made a good decision."
"Frankly speaking ... he respects my opinion so he wanted to get it," DeGraff added.
O'Quin said he doesn't believe that he got the job due to any politics. He said DeGraff has "a great heart."
"Obviously you list references that you think will be beneficial. Mayor DeGraff has a good record, a good reputation of serving the community and doing a lot of great work in this area," O'Quin said. "If anyone can speak to the kind of person I am, I would hope I find somebody with a similar interest to serve people. That would be where Mayor DeGraff comes in."
In September, state records show, O'Quin donated $676 to Thornton Twp Regular Democratic Org, a political committee chaired by Zuccarelli.
He said he gave the money because he's "always believed in the people agenda of the Democratic Party."
gpratt@tribpub.com
