Peru city attorney’s dad sends letter to La Salle mayor in response to land annexation allegations

Douglas Schweickert calls La Salle mayor statement about his son ‘unfounded’ and ‘ridiculous’

This parcel located to the east of Menards, Lily Pads and Progress Village on Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2022 is owned by Mertel Cement Company in Peru.

A prominent local lawyer, who is the father of Peru’s city attorney, has sent a letter to La Salle Mayor Jeff Grove saying it’s “absolutely ridiculous” for the elected official to imply there’s any conflict with his son owning property near 50 acres at the heart of a possible land annexation deal.

Douglas Schweickert, of Schweickert law group, sent the letter to Grove on Tuesday responding to a statement Grove made earlier this week during a La Salle City Council meeting regarding the attempted annexation of a La Salle property into Peru.

Scott Schweickert, Douglas Schweikert’s son, owns land adjacent to a 50-acre parcel owned by Mertel Gravel Co. Grove said Peru tried to push Mertel to de-annex the land from La Salle. La Salle County land records confirm the property in question is listed in Scott Schweickert’s name and Grove noted it in his statement during Monday night’s council meeting.

“He made a reference that my son owned property there, implying there was some conflict, which is absolutely ridiculous,” Douglas Schweickert said in a phone interview Wednesday with the NewsTribune. “He made a totally unfounded attack on my family ... and that’s why I sent the letter.”

Grove alleged Peru officials tried to annex 50 acres of Mertel’s land from La Salle in exchange for covering $282,000 in damages following a sewer break.

Grove said Peru told Mertel its cement dumping in a ravine south of La Salle-Peru High School contributed to a sewer break there that caused its water to turn black and the air to be filled with a raw sewage odor. Peru would not make Mertel pay for damages if the company de-annexed the 50-acre parcel of land into its city, Grove alleged. The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency has said the sewer break was not caused by dumping there.

In his letter to Grove, Douglas Schweickert said his son’s land has been for sale for 41 years and Scott Schweickert acquired the land as a favor to his father when two other partial owners wanted out.

“The fact of the matter is development of the Mertel property would only hurt the value of his lot by creating more competition,” Schweickert said in his letter.

Grove responded to the letter on Wednesday, saying the part of his statement about Schweickert’s son owning real estate where he did, was “the truth,” adding no further comment.

Douglas Schweickert co-owns Schweickert Law Group, LLC, a private law practice. Douglas Schweickert was Peru’s city attorney for 45 years, and now his son fills the same role.

Douglas Schweickert said he doesn’t have anything to say about the allegations against the city of Peru because he wasn’t involved in any of the Mertel dispute and doesn’t represent the city.

Schweickert Law Group represents the city of Peru, however, Douglas Schweickert, said he was not acting as the city of Peru’s attorney when he sent the letter. Douglas said he sent the letter as an independent lawyer to address a personal matter.

The Peru City Council had scheduled a special closed session meeting Thursday at 5:30 p.m. but then canceled it Wednesday afternoon. Peru elected officials have declined comment.