Elmhurst Stalls 2 Years On Openness Issue

ELMHURST, IL – It's been more than two years since three Elmhurst aldermen asked the City Council to consider recording committee meetings.

The mayor opposes the idea.

Since the request, the suggestion hasn't gotten a hearing, let alone a vote.

In June 2023, the aldermen, Michael Bram, Rex Irby and Karen Sienko, filed an official request for their colleagues to consider audio or video recording of the council's four committees.

They renewed their request in August. They did so because their request – known in the city's jargon as a "referral" – expired with the city election in April.

The second time, another alderman, newly elected Dan Virgil, signed the referral.

Both times, the 14-member council voted to send the issue to the Finance, Council Affairs and Administrative Services Committee. Then nothing happened.

The finance committee is headed by Alderwoman Noel Talluto, who did not return an emailed message for comment on Sunday. Nor did Mayor Scott Levin.

Aldermen have long said that most of the council's work gets done in committee meetings. The four aldermen said recordings would reinforce Elmhurst's goal of being open with residents.

But Mayor Scott Levin made clear he wasn't a fan of the idea during a mayoral candidates forum in February.

"People need to speak freely," Levin said. "It's so easy to take a piece of a clip that's recorded and use it against the person who says it."

He also said it could be intimidating for residents who want to speak at committee meetings. They, too, could become the victim of out-of-context clips posted online, he said.

Besides finance, the other committees are Development, Planning and Zoning; Public Affairs and Safety; and Public Works.

The council has long posted videos of its meetings online, as do many government entities. The Elmhurst School District 205 board does so for its two board committees.