Hinsdale D86 Hopefuls Vow To Reveal Illegal Closed Meetings

DARIEN, IL – Candidates for the Hinsdale High School District 86 board last week promised to disclose to the public any closed-door discussions that violate the state's open meetings law.

They were speaking at last Wednesday's Independent Voters for D86 candidate forum.

Organizer Meeta Patel asked about the Open Meetings Act during the "lightning round" of questions, where candidates could only answer yes or no.

She referred to the attorney general's finding that the Lyons Township High School board repeatedly violated the open meetings law in 2022 on a matter that would impact the community.

"If elected and if you become aware of a clear Open Meetings Act violation, would you publicly disclose this information to the public as an individual board member?" Patel asked.

All six candidates in the April 1 election – Mary Satchwell, Baron Leacock, Bobby Fischer, Andrew Catton, Warren Ali and Liz Mitha – said they would.

In Lyon Township High's case, the board held closed sessions for the better part of a year on selling 70 acres to an industrial developer.

It was so secretive that the superintendent would remove any documents about the potential land deal from the room after each closed session ended. No board member ever questioned the secrecy in the more than 10 hours of meetings, most of which an attorney attended.

The land is next to an elementary school and houses. Board members were warned to expect a backlash once they finally revealed the plan – a prediction that proved true.

Members abandoned the idea after objections from other public bodies and residents. And the attorney general said the board should have held all the discussions in public, except for the limited purpose of setting the property's price.

At the attorney general's request, the board released the recordings. Members blamed their law firm, which they had already ousted, for the violations.

The District 86 board has broken the Open Meetings Act at least twice in recent years. In May 2023, the board suspended then-Superintendent Tammy Prentiss and named an interim superintendent in a closed session.

Patch filed a complaint, and the attorney general found the board should have voted on the superintendent's suspension in public. To this day, members have never revealed how the private vote came down.

In August 2022, the board closed the doors on goal-setting for the superintendent. Resident Dale Kleber filed a complaint with the attorney general's office, which determined such a discussion should have been held in the open.