Fairfield Township Board takes first step to boot trustee from office

LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Fairfield Township Trustee Taletha Coles' four-year term in office might be coming to an abrupt end before the fall arrives.

The township board introduced the resolution Wednesday to remove Coles as trustee, a position she was elected to in 2018.

The Journal & Courier emailed Coles on Wednesday afternoon asking her for comment about the resolution and the removal process. The J&C also spoke will Coles before the meeting Wednesday, asking if she had any comments about the resolution or meeting.

She did not respond to the email and did not comment about the meeting. 

Coles' attorney, Alexandra Hawkins, however, spoke out during the meeting defending Coles.

“We have received your resolution, and it is based on lies," Hawkins said. “We are of the position that there is no violation.” 

Hawkins said that Coles had to be unresponsive to requests to inspect public records since July 1, 2022 — the day the new law went into effect.

“So as of July 1, 2022, what violation is there?” Hawkins asked.

Board Secretary Rocky Hession noted that his previous requests to inspect banking and checking accounts is still unfulfilled, indicating that Coles has had six days since the law started to be responsive to those requests.

“There are no requests after July 1, 2022," Hawkins said. “The bill is not retroactive. The bill starts July 1, 2022.

“Violations start July 1, 2022," Hawkins said. “You cannot use what is in that resolution against her, per the law.”

Fairfield Township employee Dan Donahoe spoke out during the meeting, asking, “This close to the election, aren’t you just going to ride this out?”

Mary Finnegan, a Fairfield Township resident, said, “Under most circumstances, I might agree … ride it out.

"But we can’t because from what I’m seeing," Finnegan said. "First of all, communications are broken down. There is no communication.

“There is obviously incomplete work here, so accountability with the taxpayers is not being done.”

Coles has spent three years ignoring township board members request to inspect public records while running up credit card charges of more than $113,259 in three years — compared to $34,768.01 charged between 2011 and 2018 by former Trustee Julie Roush. 

The Journal & Courier remains in litigation to inspect all of the credit card statements and receipts. An April 29 court order forced Coles to produce some of the credit card statements, but there were items blacked out.

Hawkins claimed that Coles was allowed to make redactions on the statements. 

Some Fairfield Township residents took exception with redacting financial statements that are supposed to be open for public inspection.

Fairfield Township Board member Monica Casanova asked, “Why is it until the pressure from this new law that Trustee Coles is now feeling obligated to provide information that has been requested so long ago?"

Hawkins said it is irrelevant why she's complying now and declined to comment more because of the Journal & Courier's litigation.

Casanova defeated Coles in the May primary to be the Democratic Party's candidate for Fairfield Township trustee on the November ballot.

"I'd rather just move with the resolution as is," Casanova said after the meeting.

April O'Brien, the Republican candidate for Fairfield Township trustee, said the board needed to do its due diligence and get the information about Coles' administration out to the public.

Wednesday's resolution is the first of four steps to boot Coles from office.

The board must adopt the resolution for her removal using Indiana's new law, which will voted on in another meeting at least 10 days after Wednesday's meeting, Hession said.

That meeting will be 5:30 p.m. July 27 at the Tippecanoe County Library.

If approved, the resolution goes to the Tippecanoe County Commissioners and Council. If approved there, the resolution goes to Tippecanoe Circuit Court, where Judge Sean Persin will determine if Coles' removal is merited.

If Coles is removed, the Democratic Party will caucus to appoint a trustee to fill Coles' remaining term, which expires at the end of December.

Legislators created the law in response to the township administrations headed by Democrats Coles and Jennifer Teising, the former Wabash Township trustee who is now convicted of theft from the taxpayers. 

The resolution presented by the three Democrats on the board cites Coles' failure to manage all township property interests, failure to keep township records open for public inspection, failure to receive and pay out township funds and failure to examine and settle all accounts and demands chargeable against the township.

Reach Ron Wilkins at rwilkins@jconline.com. Follow on Twitter: @RonWilkins2.