See Video: Burr Ridge Mayor Shouted Down

BURR RIDGE, IL — Burr Ridge Mayor Gary Grasso can block his adversary, Trustee Zach Mottl, from speaking during village board meetings. But the situation was in reverse Tuesday during a Mottl-led meeting of opponents of making Burr Ridge a home rule town, which voters will decide next week. It wasn't the mayor's crowd.

In an email Wednesday, Mottl said the mayor tried to take over the meeting and get in front of the podium. Grasso supports home rule; Mottl is against it.

"He was trying to talk over us and then was trying to answer questions and take over the Q & A," Mottl said. "He started to stand up and speak loudly, walked to the center of the room as if it was his stage and then tried to get to the podium. This wasn't his meeting. We told him that, but he continued being disruptive."

A video documents Grasso's final minute in the meeting room at Barbara's Bookstore.

Standing behind the podium were Mottl and Jim Tobin, president of Chicago-based Taxpayers United of America, which organized the event.

"Sit down and shut up," Tobin yelled at the mayor. "This is a taxpayer meeting."

"Gary, this is not your meeting," Mottl told Grasso in a quieter tone. "This is a taxpayer meeting."

Grasso started to leave. When someone in the audience told the mayor something on his way out, Grasso said, "You don't know what you are talking about. Jesus."

Another man said to the mayor, "What you are trying to do is put us out on the street in a cardboard box. My wife and I are very limited."

In an interview Wednesday, Grasso said he was disappointed that supporters of home rule such as himself were not allowed to speak.

Referring to Tobin, he said, "This gentleman outside the village was telling us what we intend to do. I said, 'You are not from here. That is not correct.' He told me to shut up and I left," Grasso said.

He said he was particularly troubled with the opponents' answers to questions about the village's pension obligations.

Grasso said the village sees home rule as a way of giving it flexibility in covering escalating police penson costs. Under home rule, the hotel tax, which now must be used for limited purposes such as promoting tourism, could be used to help pay police pensions. That is far preferable to asking local property taxpayers to fork out more, he said.

"We get $600,000 to $700,000 from the hotels. We have a pool of other people's money," Grasso said. "Why can't the board have the option to use it? That's why you elect the board — to fiscally manage the village appropriately."

Home rule also would give the village more power to raise property taxes. But the village board recently adopted a resolution that said it would not use such authority to hike property taxes. And if it did, the resolution states that revoking the resolution would require the support of four of the six trustees, a written notice sent to all property taxpayers, and discussions at four board meetings.

Mottl calls the resolution "paper handcuffs" and doubts whether the village would even have to follow its terms.

Also attending the meeting were trustees Tony Schiappa and Guy Franzese. Asked Wednesday if he believed proponents were treated fine, he said yes. But he had no further comment. Franzese did not immediately return a message.

Mottl said he was at the meeting in his role as a resident, not as a trustee. Officials are not allowed to use public resources to support or oppose a referendum.

Voters decide on home rule during Tuesday's primary election. Polls are open 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.

In last April's election, Grasso defeated Mottl in the race for mayor. In November, the mayor persuaded the board to censure Mottl, saying the trustee demeaned staff. In late January, a board majority blocked Mottl from participating in a meeting by phone, even though he and other trustees had been allowed to do so before. The board said he had attendance issues.

Mottl and Trustee Anita Mital were the only trustees to vote against putting the home rule question on the ballot.