Eye On Lombard


Expose the illegal activity and evident corruption taking place in Lombard, so that it will end. Provide information to Lombard residents on how to find out if their homes were built using an unlicensed architect in violation of Lombard and Illinois law. Provide some options available to homeowners affected by the illegal architect practicing throughout Lombard. Help the affected homeowners get in contact with each other, so they can use the strength of their numbers to take action and resolve this unfortunate situation. Express my outrage that Village of Lombard officials would allow this activity to continue without any regard for the citizens of Lombard. Their total lack of action on these matters is blatant and appalling.

There is illegal activity and corruption that has been ongoing for over a decade in the Village of Lombard. The Village of Lombard officials are either complicit in these matters or incompetent. There is an unqualified and unlicensed "architect" by the name of Paul Grimes designing homes for builders operating in Lombard. He has been doing so for more than a decade in violation of both Illinois and Lombard laws. The unlicensed "architect", Paul Grimes, most commonly works with two local builders: Sunrise Homes and United Home Builders. Both are located in Lombard, and both have had members who sat on the Village of Lombard's Board of Building Appeals. When this information was brought to the attention of Village officials and employees, no action was taken. Why? The Village President, Community Development Director and the Chief of Police, all have the unlicensed "architect", Paul Grimes, listed as the architect on their personal homes.

	What good are allegations without proof? I'm not making allegations on this website. I'm providing facts collected from documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and elsewhere. Please feel free to draw your own conclusions. These documents were obtained from the DuPage County records department, the York Township Assessor's office, the Illinois Secretary of State, the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulations, property transfer records and other sources to support the statements above. These are all public records and can be obtained by anyone reading this. Click the link below to see the proof, and decide for yourself.


	Q. Do you own a home in Lombard? A. No. I do not personally own a home in Lombard. Q. Do you offer architectural services? A. No. I am not an Illinois licensed architect. If I were to offer architectural services here in Illinois, it would be illegal. Q. Why would the Village of Lombard allow an unlicensed architect to design dozens and dozens of homes in Lombard? A. You would have to ask them. I recommend that you do. I would like to get an answer to that question as well. It's illegal, and they know about it. I have personally reported it to several employees and elected officials of the Village of Lombard and other surrounding cities. This unlicensed "architect" has violated both Illinois and Lombard laws repeatedly. Q. How serious is this unlicensed architect matter? A. Judging by the actions of the Village of Lombard, not too serious at all. According to Illinois law, however, it's very serious. A second offense is a felony, and Paul Grimes has violated this law countless times. According to several architects I have spoken with, it's a very serious matter. Affected homeowners I have spoken with think it's a serious matter as well. A home is an expensive investment, and they were shocked to hear that an unqualified person, impersonating an architect, designed their homes. Q. Doesn't the Village of Lombard check the licenses of people building homes in their town? A. They did check the licenses of the plumber, electrician and roofer on all the permits I received through FOIA requests. There are boxes on the permit that are checked off if the person is licensed. The permits I received have "OK" written and circled, but never for the architect, even though there is a place for it. You can see the permits on the proof/evidence page. (link) Q. Isn't the Village of Lombard's Bureau of Inspectional Services supervisor, Ted Klioris, an Illinois licensed architect? How could he have missed this? Could his architect's license be in jeopardy? A. Yes, Ted does have an Illinois architect’s license, and he may be in trouble if he knowingly allowed an unlicensed person to illegally practice architecture in Lombard. I would like to know why Ted Klioris, who was hired to protect the citizens of Lombard, would allow an unlicensed individual to design single family, multi-family and commercial buildings in Lombard. I don’t know how Ted could have missed this. I do know that Ted personally approved plans submitted by Paul Grimes on a multi-family home, with no architect seal at all, which is illegal in Illinois. Q. I heard that an employee from the Village of Lombard personally escorted the unlicensed architect onto the property of a resident where a porch collapse happened. Did this village employee really ask Paul Grimes to design a repair and introduce him to the people present as the “original architect” on the faulty project? A. As hard as it is to believe, it is in fact true. Keith Steiskal, a building inspector with Lombard's Bureau of Inspectional Services did personally escort the unlicensed architect onto the property of a resident to design a repair. He even sent the homeowners a follow-up letter misrepresenting Paul Grimes as an architect, as well as confirming his architect status in phone conversations after the incident. Q. Is it true that Keith Steiskal, a building Inspector in Lombard, passed inspection on several porches where the above mentioned collapse happened, and that they do not meet the minimum code requirements and may still be unsafe? A. Keith Steiskal did in fact pass inspection on three porches "repaired" by Sunrise Homes of Lombard. Not only were these porches originally built with serious code violations, but they also presently do not appear to meet minimum code requirements. Click here to see pictures taken after inspection and approval by Keith Steiskal. (link) Q. Is it true that several of the houses built by the unlicensed person are not properly listed with the Township Assessor's Office, resulting in a lower property tax bill? A. That's the way it appears. Q. Who does this affect? A. This directly affects (1) the people who bought homes designed by Paul Grimes, (2) future owners of those same homes, (3) people who visit, deliver or work in those homes, (4) surrounding neighbors who may be affected by special variances and rezoning given to the local builders, and (5) Lombard taxpayers who are honestly paying property taxes based on accurate records instead of inaccurately reported home information. Ultimately, it's also a violation of Illinois law making it a crime against every resident of this state.

Illinois Division of Professional Regulations