Burr Ridge Mayor Defends Makeup Of CNH Panel

BURR RIDGE, IL – A group of Burr Ridge residents went public earlier this month with their concerns about the mayor's selections of members to a committee looking at the redevelopment of an industrial property.

The residents also communicated with the mayor privately.

Recently, the village made available emails and text messages that offer a window into how Mayor Gary Grasso went about selecting members of the committee. These came about as a result of a public records request filed by resident Patricia Davis.

The development of the CNH Industrial property at 6900 Veterans Boulevard may include a Costco. The possibility of the big box store drew opposition from residents of the neighboring Fieldstone subdivision.

The mayor's 11-member committee includes three Fieldstone residents, including Greg Trzupek, the village's Plan Commission chairman.

It also includes two village trustees and residents elsewhere in town.

The Carriage Way and Burr Ridge Club subdivisions each have two representatives. Carriage Way is about a half mile from CNH, while Burr Ridge Club is more than a mile away.

In a text exchange in late October with the mayor, Lisa Turano and Irgrid Tepler, leaders in the Fieldstone subdivision, argued for increasing the committee's size and including more Fieldstone representation. The panel's first meeting is Dec. 13.

"Our original understanding was 12 resident members and then we lost 3 seats to the village representatives," Turano wrote the mayor. "(Fieldstone) has literally led the charge on this from the beginning. To punish us for being first (and oftentimes ONLY) in line isn't fair."

But the mayor disagreed the neighborhood was being punished, saying such a charge was overstated and inaccurate. He said he was looking for balance around the village.

Turano said she agreed with balance, which she said was why she suggested increasing the committee's size.

Turano said Fieldstone was more organized than any other part of the village about the possible redevelopment of the CNH property.

Its group, Burr Ridge Allies in Development, or BRAID, has been meeting every other week, speaking with lawyers and lobbyists and working on zoning language, Turano said.

"We are not just looking to express an opinion, but actually constructively contribute towards the effort," she said.

Grasso said the Village Board authorized an 11-member committee, saying it has three Fieldstone representatives, including the Plan Commission chairman.

Turano, however, said she didn't think Trzupek, the commission chairman, could fairly be considered a Fieldstone representative, given his village role. She said his interests conflict.

Added Tepler, a member of the committee, "A third of the people on this committee are not directly impacted by this development and have a political interest in the matter."

The emails obtained through the public records request show the village informing committee members they have been selected.

In a Nov. 1 email, Trustee Tony Schiappa thanked the mayor for selecting him as chairman.

"I am humbled and excited to start working with the Committee to deliver results to you," Schiappa told Grasso.

The emails showed two residents who requested membership, but were apparently denied.

One of them was Donald Peters, a lawyer who represents management in labor matters. He has lived in Fieldstone for more than 20 years.

The other resident was Davis, a critic of the mayor who obtained the public records.

"I'm not a lawyer or a realtor or a banker ... all areas of expertise that Mayor Grasso said he wants to see on this committee," Davis wrote. "I'm 'just' a resident with residents' best interests at heart as well as the realization of the need to move the village forward for the betterment of all."

But she predicted she would not be chosen.

"I am sure Mayor Grasso will reject my offer to serve – though he has previously instructed me to get involved – but I wanted to throw my hat in the ring anyway."

The committee's members include Trzupek and trustees Schiappa and Guy Franzese.

The others are Tepler and Steve Albert from Fieldstone, Mary Bradley and Steve Patterson from Carriage Way, Gerald Sweeney and Candace Singer from Burr Ridge Club, Colleen McCormack from 87th Street and Bob Grela from 79th Street and Wolf Road.

The first meeting is set for 6:30 p.m. Dec. 13 in the Burr Ridge Police Department's training room.