Calumet City Clerk Nyota Figgs has been in the papers quite a lot these past couple of months. To anyone watching, her media blitz is polished and constant. There are well paid professionals in business to manage communications and one such a firm appears to be messaging on behalf of Figgs. The People of Calumet City deserve to know who is paying the bill.
Figgs’ media juggernaut began back in July of this year when she pulled a stunt involving setting up shop across the street from city hall claiming Jones created a “hostile work environment” and engaged in “bullying.” Using slick graphics, she promoted the event on Facebook urging people to attend. The media also appeared and wrote an article about Figgs’ alleged plight. It defies credulity to believe that the media just happened to show up.
So far, we cannot identify where Nyota has supplied anything to support her accusations regarding “bullying”, “harassment”, “hostility” etc. She has not cited any threat, hostile word or act. In one of her many media appearances, Figgs claimed, “It was so bad for me that I felt a physical reaction, going into the building.” Such an exaggeration is hardly what an adult elected official should be voicing to the media instead of working.
It is clear that she and newly elected Mayor Thaddeus Jones have differences regarding the way aspects of operating the city should be handled. Typically elected officials work out their differences instead of pulling publicity stunts. Instead, Figgs continues on her different path with almost daily Facebook posts and an ongoing series of media articles.
The identity of the public relations firm became clear when a press release attributed to Kitty Kurth of Kurth Lampe Worldwide (1) went out. Kurth Lampe is the husband and wife team of Kitty and Kevin Lampe who are from Chicago and seem to have no apparent interest in Calumet City beyond making money.
The Illinois State Board of Elections database is filled with entries of sums paid to Kurth Lampe Worldwide with monthly amounts of $5000 commonly seen. One of their most prominent clients is Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi. It was recently found that black communities have been hit disproportionately by property tax increases under Kaegi’s administration. According to smartasset.com, in south suburban Matteson, properties are taxed at a rate of 3.6%, while in Palos Hills, the property tax rate is 2.38%. Matteson has a Black population of over 80% and Palos Hills has a white population at 87%.(2)
One of the services Kurth Lampe Worldwide is engaged in involves political campaigning. On Figgs’ Facebook, she recently hinted at running for another office. This could explain Figgs’ media gambit and her relation to KLW.
It is reasonable for tax payers to ask who is paying Nyota Figgs’ media firm and how much so far? Her D2 filings do not show any expenditures from her political pac to Kurth Lampe Worldwide. Nyota receives a salary from the Calumet City as Clerk and operates a non-profit. She should assure the citizens of Calumet City that taxpayer resources nor money from any non-profit source are being used to fund her media blitz and divulge who is paying. While at it, she should state why instead of focusing on the needs of the City, she is distracting from the progress being made.
Sources:
1. www.prlog.org/12885712-what-is-waukegan-state-rep-rita-mayfield-doing-in-calumet-city.html
2. www. thesouthlandjournal.com