2nd Burr Ridge Official Left Out Of Loop On Secrecy Pact

BURR RIDGE, IL – Burr Ridge Trustee Russell Smith is the second Village Board member to acknowledge he was left out of the loop on the village's nondisclosure agreement with a Fortune 500 company.

In an email, Smith said he learned about the document when Patch reported on it April 12. Patch obtained the agreement through a public records request.

On Sept. 12, 2021, Village Administrator Evan Walter signed the agreement with CNH Industrial, which was looking to sell its local property. The board never voted on it.

Smith was elected in April 2021.

Trustee Guy Franzese is the other Village Board member to acknowledge that he learned about the agreement when Patch published its story. He said he was now researching the issue.

By email, Patch asked all the trustees about when they found out about the confidentiality agreement.

Trustee Anita Mital declined to comment, other than to say she was starting her research.

The other trustees are Tony Schiappa, Al Paveza and Joe Snyder.

In an interview, Grasso told Patch last week he knew about the agreement when it was signed.

"It seemed rather benign. We ran it by counsel. They said Evan can sign it," Grasso said. "It certainly is rare."