Mattea re-appointed to Madison County ethics position
By Randy Pierce • Bruce Mattea, a personal injury lawyer with an office in downtown Collinsville, was reappointed to a two-year term as government ethics advisor as a result of action by the Madison County Board at its most recent meeting.
A Collinsville resident, Mattea’s new term will expire on June 1, 2028. His appointment by County Board Chairman Chris Slusser on July 15 was unanimously supported.
Mattea was initially appointed as ethics advisor for the county in June of 2021, filling a slot vacated when Kevin Babb, who was named for this position a year earlier, resigned, then Mattea was re-appointed for two years in 2024.
Others who have held this position, established in 2004 in conjunction with the county’s adoption of a policy concerning ethical practices for both elected officials and employees, since then have included Leo Konzen, Mary Beth Williams and Dean Sweet.
Per the legislation in place regarding the duties of the ethics advisor, the person in this position has the responsibility of providing guidance to the officers and employees of the county concerning the interpretation of and compliance with the provisions of an applicable ordinance and may also perform other such duties as may be delegated by the county.
The various provisions of the ethics ordinance address such matters as banning the acceptance of gifts by employees and elected officials and prohibited political activities while also including a section spelling out penalties for violations of the policy.
Mattea is a 1968 graduate of Collinsville High School who holds a masters degree in education from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. After working as a teacher, he decided to pursue a law degree and graduated from Saint Louis University in 1980. Following a time of practicing as a public defender in Madison County, he went on to establish the Mattea Law Firm with a primary focus on personal injury law while also handling workers compensation and criminal defense cases. He has since obtained numerous jury verdicts and settlements for many satisfied clients.
State’s Attorney Tom Haine has previously shared for the elected officials who confirmed the reappointment that a person with Mattea’s responsibilities serves as “a resource for ethical questions related to your own job as county board members.”
Mattea, according to Haine, can provide input as needed on votes that are made, such as when a conflict of interest may exist, other applicable issues before the county board and other considerations concerning whether or not certain actions are correct and proper.
County board members can reach out to Mattea, Haine went on, while also being given the opportunity to consult with the state’s attorney’s office regarding matters that are more legally oriented in nature.
“He’s not an addendum to the state’s attorney’s office,” Haine stated. “He’s his own thing and he’s your ethics resource that you can call upon at any time.”
Mattea played a key role in early 2024 when Kurt Prenzler, chairman of the county board at that time, had been subject to a censure vote by a majority of its members as a result of his giving what was considered by some to be an election-related, orange-colored “campaign card” to a representative, who resides in Ohio, of an out-of-state vendor visiting the county administration building in Edwardsville and also to Paul Evans who was employed in the state’s attorney’s office.
At that time, county board member Michael “Mick” Madison of Bethalto cited the work of Mattea and a report of his findings as being a major factor in the censure vote against Prenzler who subsequently was defeated in the spring primary election in his bid for another term by Slusser with the latter running unopposed for the board chairman seat in the November 2024 general election.
