Elmhurst Potential Conflict Of Interest Noted

ELMHURST, IL – Elmhurst officials decided Tuesday to stop splitting advertising income from its trolley with the local chamber of commerce.

That's because of an alderwoman's potential conflict of interest, an official said.

In a message to a resident Friday, City Manager Jim Grabowski said the city was aware of the potential conflict for Ward 1 Alderwoman Jennifer Veremis. She became the chamber's president and CEO in December.

"To eliminate this potential, I have directed staff to remove the Chamber of Commerce from the process of procuring advertising on the trolley," Grabowski wrote. "Therefore, there will be no conflict for Alderman Veremis."

Grabowski was responding to resident James Colbert. The resident said Veremis would be engaging in a conflict of interest, regardless of whether she votes or abstains.

"(P)lease note if this situation occurs, the appropriate authorities will be notified of the occurrence," Colbert said in a Friday email.

Earlier in the week, a City Council committee was told that the city would no longer team up with the chamber on trolley advertising.

On Tuesday, the council unanimously voted for the trolley, with the city handling the advertising on its own.

In response to Patch's inquiry about the issue, Veremis said the city's decision to sell advertisements internally maximizes income and offsets trolley costs.

In December, Patch asked Veremis about how she would handle potential conflicts. She said she would declare her position with the chamber and abstain from votes.

Also at Tuesday's council meeting, aldermen Rex Irby and Jacob Hill abstained from voting for the accounts payable, which included an $8,000 grant for the local American Legion chapter. Their votes were counted as "present."

Irby said he became an American Legion employee last month, while Hill said he was on the group's board and appointed as its judge advocate.