Channahon Village President Joe Cook Defends Credit Card Charges

At the regular Village Board meeting Monday night, addressed charges on a village credit card that were highlighted in a article last week.

He explained that the "steak dinner" referenced in the Tribune's report was actually a meet-and-greet for potential police chief candidates when the village was looking to fill the vacant position now held by Channahon Police Chief Joe Pena.

Cook told those in attendance Monday that his card is used as the default credit card for the village, so any village function, like the meet-and-greet that was held at , would be paid for on his card.

Regarding the multiple limo trips to the airport, he said again, those trips were for all those in the village and he expressed his dislike of limos.

"I don't like limos," he said. "When you're my size, getting in and out of a limo is not easy."

During the public comment portion of the meeting, a woman in the audience asked about the , saying he opened a can of worms into his personal life by addressing the village credit card issue. She asked him to comment on the case.

"I certainly will not comment on it and I did not open a can of worms," he said.

Check back with Channahon-Minooka Patch later this week for a more in-depth story about village credit card charges.