Blocking Darien Alderman From Meeting Debated Again

DARIEN, IL – Darien Alderman Eric Gustafson, who was blocked from taking part remotely in a City Council meeting last month, took issue with the decision this week. And so did a resident.

At Monday's council meeting, resident Heather Conroy said the council's decision against letting Gustafson participate was disappointing.

"I don't care if he is in Bermuda, if he is my representative, I want him there," Conroy said. "You act as if everybody stays here and works here. I'm out and about all over the place. This is the future we're moving to."

Mayor Joseph Marchese said state law governed whether Gustafson could attend.

Gustafson countered that it was the council's decision. Last month, when the mayor asked whether anyone would move to allow Gustafson to attend, no one did.

City Administrator Bryon Vana said at this week's meeting that it was determined that Gustafson did not meet the criteria for participation under state law.

Gustafson disagreed.

"You need to call the Illinois Attorney General's Office," the alderman said. "That's what you need to do, Bryon, to get educated."

Alderwoman Mary Sullivan said it was important for aldermen to attend meetings. And she urged residents to show up at meetings and look at original documents.

"Reading things on Nextdoor and in the Patch can be very misleading and ill-informed and not the whole picture," Sullivan said.

Gustafson has said he missed several meetings while working in Canada.

At the June 2 meeting, the City Council voted for the zoning for the renovation of the Chestnut Court shopping center and the building of an apartment complex.

Chestnut Court is in Gustafson's Ward 6, where many neighbors opposed the apartments. At the meeting, they criticized the council's blocking of Gustafson, who said he would have voted against the zoning

The developer later dropped the apartment part of the plan.