Uploaded March 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Last night at the Budget & Finance Committee meeting, Jack Mortell, longtime Evanston resident and President of the Firefighter Pension Board, dropped a bombshell:
For the past five years, the City of Evanston may have falsely inflated its budget by $136,223,228.
These weren’t actual city expenses—they were covered by the Firefighter and Police Pension Boards, yet city officials reported them as if Evanston taxpayers were footing the bill, creating a phantom financial crisis, according to Mortell. This phantom crisis justified higher fees, increased water rates, rising trash collection costs, parking fees, and more financial burdens placed onto residents.
This isn’t just a concern for Evanston residents—Police Pension Fund President Tim Schoolmaster is now demanding a forensic audit after discovering their numbers were “scrubbed.” Our police and firefighters need to be paying attention just as much as residents.
Here’s where things get even more suspicious: Hitesh Desai kept focusing on the fact that payments were submitted, but refused to address the phantom inflated numbers that were used to create this artificial budget crisis that Mortell and Schoolmaster reported. Despite the hard evidence provided by Mortell and Schoolmaster, Hitesh could not convincingly refute their findings.
This raises serious questions for Mayor Daniel Biss, City Manager Luke Stowe, and CFO Hitesh Desai:
Did they know about this?
If not, how did they miss a $136 million discrepancy?
If they did know, why did they allow it—while residents were being squeezed financially?
Why did Hitesh sign off on these budgets year after year?
What else might have been "allegedly" manipulated in the City Manager’s office?
When Jack Mortell presented hard evidence, Council member Jonathan Nieuwsma didn’t just shut him down—he actively attacked him. Instead of engaging with the facts, Nieuwsma moved quickly to silence Mortell and give Hitesh Desai a chance to explain. Why did Nieuwsma choose to defend Hitesh and dismiss Mortell’s findings? Is he trying to protect a narrative that doesn’t align with the truth? These are questions that need to be addressed. Evanston residents deserve to know what’s really going on behind closed doors.
Meanwhile, Council member Clare Kelly, who has long sounded the alarm on overspending and financial mismanagement, took issue with Mortell being silenced. Time and time again, she has fought for accountability—only to be ignored and shut down by several of her colleagues on city council.
Why? What might City Hall be trying to hide?
Mayor Biss, City Manager Stowe, and CFO Hitesh Desai—Evanston residents, police, and firefighters deserve ANSWERS to these serious allegations...and a forensic audit.
Watch the meeting. See the evidence for yourself. Demand transparency. The truth must come out. Contact Mayor Daniel Biss and City Manager Luke Stowe for more information.
#Evanston #BudgetPhantom #CityHallCoverUp #AccountabilityNow #MayorBiss #LukeStowe #HiteshDesai #FirefighterPension #PolicePension #ForensicAudit #WhereIsTheMoney #FollowTheMoney #CityManagerGhost #CorruptionExposed #StopTheLies #EvanstonTaxPayers #EvanstonPolice #EvanstonFirefighters #ClareKelly #JonathanNieuwsma #MeleikaGardner #TransparencyNow #ExposeTheTruth
Last night at the Budget & Finance Committee meeting, Jack Mortell, longtime Evanston resident and President of the Firefighter Pension Board, dropped a bombshell:
For the past five years, the City of Evanston may have falsely inflated its budget by $136,223,228.
These weren’t actual city expenses—they were covered by the Firefighter and Police Pension Boards, yet city officials reported them as if Evanston taxpayers were footing the bill, creating a phantom financial crisis, according to Mortell. This phantom crisis justified higher fees, increased water rates, rising trash collection costs, parking fees, and more financial burdens placed onto residents.
This isn’t just a concern for Evanston residents—Police Pension Fund President Tim Schoolmaster is now demanding a forensic audit after discovering their numbers were “scrubbed.” Our police and firefighters need to be paying attention just as much as residents.
Here’s where things get even more suspicious: Hitesh Desai kept focusing on the fact that payments were submitted, but refused to address the phantom inflated numbers that were used to create this artificial budget crisis that Mortell and Schoolmaster reported. Despite the hard evidence provided by Mortell and Schoolmaster, Hitesh could not convincingly refute their findings.
This raises serious questions for Mayor Daniel Biss, City Manager Luke Stowe, and CFO Hitesh Desai:
Did they know about this?
If not, how did they miss a $136 million discrepancy?
If they did know, why did they allow it—while residents were being squeezed financially?
Why did Hitesh sign off on these budgets year after year?
What else might have been "allegedly" manipulated in the City Manager’s office?
When Jack Mortell presented hard evidence, Council member Jonathan Nieuwsma didn’t just shut him down—he actively attacked him. Instead of engaging with the facts, Nieuwsma moved quickly to silence Mortell and give Hitesh Desai a chance to explain. Why did Nieuwsma choose to defend Hitesh and dismiss Mortell’s findings? Is he trying to protect a narrative that doesn’t align with the truth? These are questions that need to be addressed. Evanston residents deserve to know what’s really going on behind closed doors.
Meanwhile, Council member Clare Kelly, who has long sounded the alarm on overspending and financial mismanagement, took issue with Mortell being silenced. Time and time again, she has fought for accountability—only to be ignored and shut down by several of her colleagues on city council.
Why? What might City Hall be trying to hide?
Mayor Biss, City Manager Stowe, and CFO Hitesh Desai—Evanston residents, police, and firefighters deserve ANSWERS to these serious allegations...and a forensic audit.
Watch the meeting. See the evidence for yourself. Demand transparency. The truth must come out. Contact Mayor Daniel Biss and City Manager Luke Stowe for more information.
#Evanston #BudgetPhantom #CityHallCoverUp #AccountabilityNow #MayorBiss #LukeStowe #HiteshDesai #FirefighterPension #PolicePension #ForensicAudit #WhereIsTheMoney #FollowTheMoney #CityManagerGhost #CorruptionExposed #StopTheLies #EvanstonTaxPayers #EvanstonPolice #EvanstonFirefighters #ClareKelly #JonathanNieuwsma #MeleikaGardner #TransparencyNow #ExposeTheTruth
