Hearing residency complaints, Wilmette Park Board opens investigation into commissioner

Longtime Wilmette Parks commissioner Mike Murdock reportedly is the subject of an investigation into his residency after allegations again surfaced that he does not live in the Village of Wilmette.

Murdock brought up the investigation during the Park Board’s regular meeting on Monday, June 9, asking about its progress.

Park Board President Patrick Lahey provided information into the investigation after Murdock mentioned it at Monday’s meeting.

Lahey explained that shortly after he was elected the Park Board’s president in May he had “multiple conversations” with residents who claimed that Murdock does not live at his stated address in Wilmette.

“There were questions in the community about the residency and the eligibility of Commissioner Murdock,” Lahey said. “Those concerns were made to the board and we looked into a third party counsel to investigate them.”

He said that an “expert law firm” will be selected to conduct the investigation into Murdock’s residency, but beyond that, the investigation has not moved forward.

“What we’re really trying to do is protect the board (and) more importantly, protect Mike in that he’s a valid commissioner,” Lahey said, adding that Murdock has been “great about” working with the board’s inquiry.

According to a portion of the Illinois Park District Code, “No person shall be eligible to serve as park commissioner unless that person is a qualified elector of the park district and has resided therein at least one year prior to election or appointment.”

Murdock denied allegations that he no longer lives in Wilmette and said he hopes the investigation is concluded quickly.

“Let’s go ahead and get it done,” he said. “I’m very comfortable with my residency, but do whatever we need to do. Let’s get it resolved and the sooner the better.”

Recent confusion

Part of the recent residency concerns stem from comments Murdock made to Wilmette’s Zoning Board of Appeals on Wednesday, June 4. Murdock is seeking zoning relief for a garage on his Wilmette property in Kenilworth Gardens.

The Record viewed the recording of that meeting, and under questioning from Zoning Commissioner Brad Falkof as to whether Murdock currently lives in the home, Murdock said the situation is “complicated.”

He explained to the ZBA that another family is temporarily living in a home on his property while the home is under construction, but he stated that he has “exclusive use of part of the property, and they have exclusive use of part of the property, and then we have some shared use.”

Due to construction delays, the family temporarily living in his home reportedly has stayed longer than expected, but Murdock said “my expectation is that I’ll be back in the house within the next month.”

When Falkof asked where Murdock is currently living, he said that he was unsure if that was a “relevant” question before saying, “I’m entitled to stay in the house whenever I want and I have family in town and so it’s been a little quirky, to be honest with you.”

History of questions

Murdock’s residency in Wilmette has been questioned before.

Murdock did not return messages from The Record; however, in a 2023 interview with The Record, when Murdock was seeking a third nonconsecutive term on the Park Board, he talked about previous criticism of his residency by listing a number of streets he’s called home in his time living in Wilmette.

He also spoke about his affiliation to South Bend, Indiana, which at the time he called a second home. His wife, Eileen Murdock, works in the development office at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, according to Mike Murdock.

Mike Murdock also owns a business in South Bend: The Hideaway at the LaSalle, a cocktail bar within an apartment complex. On 2022 business documents, he is listed as the bar’s primary contact along with a South Bend residential address.

In the 2023 interview, Mike Murdock told The Record that he likes to spend “as much as I can” in South Bend but spends “many, many more nights” in the Wilmette area.

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