Villa Park Finance Director Suzy Mika says village officials drove her out of her job after a secretly recorded conversation became public, according to a two-page resignation letter first reported by Patch.
Mika resigned Oct. 16 and addressed the letter to Village President Kevin Patrick. She called her departure a "forced resignation" and alleged the village retaliated against her after her attorney sent a letter about what she called an illegal recording.
"I have been ostracized and placed on an island," Mika wrote to Patrick, according to Patch. "Others within the village have told me that you are seeking to drive me out of the Village. You have succeeded."
The dispute traces to a recording Trustee Khalid Sabri made of Mika in December 2025. In that conversation, Mika made disparaging remarks about a subordinate's personal life. Patrick released an AI-generated transcript of the recording at a Village Board meeting in August.
Mika labeled the recording illegal under Illinois' eavesdropping law. DuPage County prosecutors, however, cleared Sabri. They said the trustee was apparently looking into possible financial problems, which fell under one of the law's exemptions, Patch reported.
In her letter, Mika alleged the village denied her access to channels she needed to do her job. She also alleged Village Manager Michael Rivas failed to communicate with her. She said the public release of the transcript had ramifications beyond Villa Park, drawing public comments about her.
Mika said she had missed work because of "these problems" and alleged the village was determined to make her working conditions intolerable enough to force her to quit.
Before the recording surfaced, Mika wrote, the Village Board had praised her work and given her a bonus. She started the finance director role in May 2025 after holding the same position in La Grange.
The village redacted a section of the letter involving medical information before releasing it in response to Patch's records request.
No public response from Patrick, Rivas or Sabri to Mika's specific retaliation allegations appears in the available record. Patch reported it left messages for Rivas and Patrick in connection with earlier coverage of Mika's departure.
