Did Burr Ridge Mayor Post On Politics In Right Spot?

BURR RIDGE, IL – Burr Ridge Mayor Gary Grasso last week announced his Republican candidacy for DuPage County Board chairman on a Facebook page that could be seen as associated with the village government.

Already, a Burr Ridge trustee is defending himself against a lawsuit that alleges he violated state law with political posts on his official-looking Facebook page.

Both men list their village job titles in the names of their Facebook pages. They also labeled their pages as being "Public & Government Service."

Illinois law bars government employees and officers of any town from taking part in political activities in their official roles.

Patch asked Grasso last week about posting the announcement on a Facebook page that may appear to be connected to the village government.

"It's not a village-sponsored site and not on my village time," Grasso said in an email. "I'll look at it, though, and be sure it's compliant. Appreciate the heads up."

Shortly after, Grasso relabeled his page "Public figure," doing away with "Public & Government Service." Schiappa made the same change. He also created a new page titled, "Gary Grasso For DuPage County Board Chair," labeled "political candidate."

In other ways, Grasso's original Facebook page gives indications that it is private. When he announced his campaign, the page included a private address, phone number and email address.

Last month, Burr Ridge resident Patricia Davis sued Trustee Tony Schiappa over his Facebook page, saying he was making election endorsements on a page that he labeled as government. In the spring, she notified Schiappa about the issue.

In the page's introduction, Schiappa says he is "honored to be one of the trustees of the Village of Burr Ridge."

Both Davis and Schiappa are representing themselves without attorneys, according to public records.

In an email to Patch in May, Schiappa said he uses his own time to post on what he calls his "personal campaign Facebook page" to promote his continued candidacy, adding he plans to run again in 2027.

No village money or staff time, he said, goes toward the page.

Davis is seeking a court order banning Schiappa from posting political endorsements on the Facebook page in question and removing all the others. She notes he has a personal page.

The Chicago-based Reform for Illinois agrees with the objections to Schiappa's page.