Before I tell you about Anna “Bodanna” Tate and how the fear of losing her home is affecting her life and health, let us start with a way you can help. Residents of the local trailer parks are gearing up for a significant court hearing regarding water service, scheduled for Tuesday, June 10th, at 11 AM in Cambridge at the Henry County Courthouse, Room 3. Those living in the trailer park are encouraged to arrive at 10 AM for a meeting with a Prairie State Legal attorney before the hearing. Community members are encouraged to attend and allow their presence to silently say to the court that we want resolutions to the ongoing water concerns. If you reside in the trailer park and are available, your attendance could make a difference in representing residents’ voices during this pivotal proceeding.
Anna “Bodanna” Tate takes impeccable care of her home. She has a butterfly garden on the walkway that her granddaughter helped her design. Anna has a garage and a shed that she owns on the property. The difference between Anna and other homeowners is that Anna doesn’t own the dirt under her home. She pays taxes on the structures, water, electricity, cable, and trash service. She has a two-bedroom, two-bathroom home with a two-year-old furnace, central air conditioning, and a full-size closet for a washer and dryer. How do you force someone to leave the home they own when the bills and taxes are current? Why am I being punished for the city’s, bank’s, owner’s, and receiver’s actions? These are just some of the questions that Anna has for the city, the bank, the McIntoshes, and the revolving door of receivers appointed by the court. Anna says, “We are not trash.” Many of the residents pay their bills and maintain their homes and property. Anna also said that she and the other legal residents should not be blamed for the squatters, even though she thinks they should be treated as human beings as well. Anna asks that people put themselves in the residents’ shoes before making hateful comments. “We are human beings and deserve to be treated like human beings.”
Anna said her attorneys from Prairie State Legal told her something allegedly said by the attorney for the City of Kewanee that left her perturbed. According to Anna, one of her attorneys told the attorney representing the City of Kewanee that they intended to file the restraining order to prevent the city from shutting off her water service. They said he replied, “Go ahead, she’s going to lose.” We have reached out to Zachary Lessard, the current city attorney, regarding the interaction. We also reached out to Mayor Gary Moore and City Manager Gary Bradley with questions about the timeline of unpaid water bills and whether the city attempted to take action against Jeff McIntosh before the unpaid bills got so far behind. Anna has said numerous times that she wants to know why the city didn’t take action against Jeff McIntosh before he abandoned the properties and accumulated unpaid water bills. The receiver, Ira Lauter, filed a restraining order to prevent the city from disconnecting water service to the mobile home parks, but his petition was denied. Anna’s petition for a temporary restraining order was approved, and the hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, June 10th.
Anna said, “I’m fed up, Jennifer.” Anna said she blames all parties involved: the city, the bank, and the McIntoshes. “There’s nothing about this that is right.” “I’m over here getting physically ill, and I’m sure there are other people here stressing so bad, you know, that they are probably not feeling well.”
Anna said, “I do not believe for, not even for half a single second, that they give a [expletive] about any of the residents. Whether they are handicapped, have children, whatever, I think they don’t care.” So far, Anna said the trash is still being collected. She is concerned that trash service will discontinue if the receiver or the bank does not pay for trash service. Last year, their trash wasn’t collected for a month due to non-payment.
Anna reached out to Congressman Sorensen’s office last week. A staffer in the Congressman’s office said they would look into her situation but hadn’t called her back on Friday as expected. Anna left a voicemail for his office on Monday morning.
For Anna, her trailer isn’t just shelter—it’s a deeply personal sanctuary. After her brother’s passing in 2021, she and her siblings used the inheritance to purchase the mobile home she’s lived in for over a decade. Owning the trailer represents more than stability; it’s a lasting connection to her family, especially her late brother. Each day, she wakes up in the space that feels like a final gift—a home and a memory intertwined. For Anna, this trailer was supposed to be her forever place, embodying profound meaning well beyond its four walls. Her son lives in the trailer she owned prior to purchasing the trailer she lives in now.
Anna feels like she has been fighting alone to save her home and the other homes in the four mobile home parks. Anna encourages anyone living in the mobile home parks to call Prairie State Legal and join the lawsuit. She said the last year has been traumatic for her life and health. Last Fall, residents of the mobile home parks started calling city hall when their trash was no longer being collected and weeds began to overtake the property, including their mailboxes. Following the complaints, city officials said they found problems with unpaid water bills and property maintenance. Keith Edwards, Community Development Director, said the issue for the city is locating the owners of the properties, because there had been a couple of owners, and the properties were turned over to the bank. The last owner was Jeff McIntosh, and there have been two receivers appointed since Mr. McIntosh abandoned the properties.
Anna and the other residents of the mobile home parks have been living in limbo since Jeff McIntosh abandoned the properties and the bank foreclosed on them. Anna said that Jeff McIntosh was helpful and did a good job for about the first year after he purchased the mobile home parks. She said things went downhill after that first year, though. First Secure Community Bank holds the note on the properties, and while in foreclosure, receivers have been appointed by the courts. Even before Jeff McIntosh, Anna said the owners and managers took advantage of the residents.
Anna currently pays $35 for water and $17 for trash each month, on top of her lot rent. To put this into perspective, I pay less than $100 every two months for water, sewer, and trash. Anna pays over $100 every two months for the same services. We are both single-person households. However, I have pets that shed and make messes, while Anna does not.
The Kewanee City Council approved a plan at the April 28th council meeting to keep water service on at the four mobile home parks. Under the plan, Ira Lauter, of L&B All Star Management, LLC, was named the receiver by the court in January 2025 and changed the water accounts into his name. He agreed to pay the approximately $80,000 water bill and pay the water bills going forward.
The unpaid water bills under Ira are about $80,000, around $200,000 were under the Shapiro Group, and the remaining amount was from Kewanee Properties LLC. The known water leaks have been fixed, including the individual who dug a trench and attached it to a main water line for the mobile home park.
The Moline office of Prairie State Legal is handling cases for the mobile home parks. If you live in one of the mobile home parks and need legal services, call 309-794-1328.
City code enforcement staff have posted violation notices due to overgrown grass and notified the appointed receiver, who reports that the bank overseeing property funds will not provide further financial support. The receiver has announced plans to resign because “the bank has placed him in an impossible situation.” City regulations require properties to reach eight inches of growth before more mowing orders can be issued. Staff estimates seven more mowings may be needed this year, totaling over $21,000—well above the $15,000 currently budgeted for nuisance abatement. Funding shortfalls now threaten continued maintenance. The vote to approve the contract with BDS Lawns is on the agenda for tonight, June 9th. Watch the meeting live on our Facebook page or tomorrow on our YouTube page.
Kewanee officials were able to obtain a court order in early 2024 to demolish 12 abandoned mobile homes and two post-frame structures and clear significant debris from the property at 829 West 6th Street. Despite persistent efforts since 2018, city staff have struggled with property owners not maintaining or cleaning up the area, as multiple potential owners have ultimately walked away. The city previously attempted maintenance last summer, but vast debris prevented effective mowing. Cleanup costs are ineligible for Illinois Housing Development Authority grants. Officials note that other neglected mobile-home parks may also be targeted under the same court order.
“Neighborhood services has tried numerous times over the past years, dating back to 2018, to get a responsible party to remove abandoned mobilehomes and clean-up areas of the park. As the Council and Mayor are aware, there have been potential new owner/operators of the mobile-home parks, all of which have abandoned the situation and let the parks go back to seller. The current owners are abandoning the parks and have shown no signs or efforts to correct the current conditions. Last summer, the city tried to mow the properties; however, with the numerous piles of debris and lack of maintenance, we were not able to mow most of the land. This RFP is for 829 W 6th St ONLY. There are other mobile-park locations in the city that can be addressed under the same court order.”
