MARKHAM, IL - The head of a public park district just south of Chicago is accused of using a taxpayer-funded credit card to gift her daughter a helicopter-themed prom photoshoot, prompting local backlash as well as police involvement over the helicopter landing in the publicly accessible park while locals were nearby.
On May 8th, the 17-year-old daughter of Markham Park District executive Quintina Brown was flown in by a rented helicopter and touched down at Roesner Park for a prom photoshoot, with the endeavor allegedly covered in part by a park district credit card.
Kelly Krauchun, the city attorney for Markham, received the invoice from the helicopter rental company involved in the debacle, which reportedly listed “Markham Parks” as the customer for the rental alongside a deposit of $800 charged to the city credit card with Brown’s signature on the invoice.
“[The helicopter rental company] told me that the deposit was charged to the card, and they have not been successful in getting the remaining $800 off the card, for whatever reason,” Krauchun stated.
Meanwhile, Mayor Roger Agpawa referred to the entire matter as “reckless,” alleging the helicopter landing in the public park was lacking in proper safety protocols as well as signaling his disdain if taxpayer funds were indeed used to fund the display. “This is what happens when you have no oversight, no governance. You’re not answering to the public as you should,” the city mayor stated.
Defending the prom photoshoot, Brown told a local NBC News affiliate, "There was no misuse of funds at all," claiming she used a personal credit card to fund the affair. Brown would later tell another local media outlet, “[My daughter] was graduating and this was going to be a memorable experience. I just wanted to be able to provide that for her.”
The “memorable experience” Brown sought for her daughter will also carry the memories of a brush with the law, as the only written form of approval for the helicopter landing event came by way of Brown herself via a letter simply authorizing the photoshoot, which did not satisfy local police who cited Brown and the pilot for disorderly conduct and unauthorized landing on public property.
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