Burr Ridge Board 'Expels' Trustee From Meeting

BURR RIDGE, IL — The Burr Ridge Village Board on Monday voted unanimously to expel one of its members. The mayor asked the police chief to remove the trustee.

As Police Chief John Madden hovered, Trustee Zach Mottl said he would not leave.

During the first 45 minutes of the meeting, Mottl interrupted officials and accused others, including the mayor, of crimes.

On video: See the effort to expel Burr Ridge Trustee Zach Mottl from a Village Board meeting.

The trustees asked the village attorney whether they could expel a board member. The attorney said the board would need a two-thirds vote — four of the six members in support.

Trustee Joe Snyder proposed the expulsion, saying Mottl was making "loud allegations against everyone." He said when the trustees ask for proof, Mottl provides none.

Mottl said he was exposing crimes and engaging in the legislative process.

After the trustees voted, Mayor Gary Grasso, who defeated Mottl in the 2019 election, said to the trustee, "Zach, would you please leave?"

"I will not leave. Thank you, mayor," Mottl said.

Then Grasso said, "Chief, can you please show him out?"

"Chief, do not touch me. I'm warning you. This will result in a lawsuit," Mottl said.

A person in the audience objected to the board's decision.

The chief approached Mottl.

"Do not touch me, chief. I will not leave, chief," the trustee said. "I am a legislator engaged in the legislative process."

Then Grasso proposed the board adjourn for a break.

"You can adjourn the meeting. You can end the meeting, but I will not leave," Mottl said.

The board then voted to adjourn for 15 minutes.

When the trustees returned, Mottl was still in his seat. Grasso explained why.

"It's my understanding from counsel that Trustee Mottl is considered expelled from the meeting," the mayor said. "He may sit here and may comment at public comment."

Mottl commented on other agenda items later in the meeting. At one point, he moved to delay an issue "indefinitely." On instinct, the mayor asked whether there was a second, only to be corrected by trustees, who pointed out that Mottl was considered expelled.

Mottl also spoke out against Grasso's proposal to raise the mayor's pay to $30,000, from $6,000. After his speech, he left the room.

In response to Patch questions Tuesday, Mayor Gary Grasso said it was clear that Mottl wanted to "provoke" an incident.

"Mottl's agenda is to cause chaos in the boardroom as he demonstrated when he was briefly acting mayor," Grasso said. "He wants to disparage and demean our Village."

The mayor said he did not want to give Mottl a forum to again embarrass the village.

"The good people of Burr Ridge have to speak out against his antics," Grasso said. "And reporters should underscore his disservice to his elected office."

In a phone interview, Trustee Al Paveza said, "We just felt it wasn't worth having a major scene by a guy like that."

Earlier in the year, the board muted Mottl when he was connected to meetings by telephone. In September, trustees blocked him completely by saying he should connect through the Zoom videoconferencing program or attend in person.

The board has censured Mottl four times and called for his resignation in the last year.