Burr Ridge Mayor Writes Rival's Boss

BURR RIDGE, IL — Burr Ridge Mayor Gary Grasso has gone over Trustee Zach Mottl's head to find out whether the trustee is really going on business trips when he misses village board meetings. Grasso has written two letters to Mottl's boss, Daniel Mottl, who is also the trustee's father.

Mottl and his father work at Atlas Tool & Die Works Inc. in suburban Lyons. Since last year, Mottl has not been present for five meetings, but he participated by phone for two of them. For last week's meeting, he again wanted to take part by phone, but the board wouldn't let him this time.

On Sept. 25, Grasso wrote a one-sentence letter to the elder Mottl, Atlas' president. He asked the boss to call him or Village Administrator Doug Pollock "at your first opportunity" about whether the trustee was out of town on Atlas business or a vacation during the Aug. 12 board meeting, when he could not participate in person or by phone.

On Jan. 27, the date of the last board meeting, Grasso sent a letter to the elder Mottl asking him to comfirm whether his son was out of state visiting a customer that day. "It is my understanding that Zach only gave the village 8 hours notice of his unavailability, and he knows he should give 48 hours notice," the mayor said.

Trustee Mottl, Atlas' chief alignment officer, released both letters to Burr Ridge Patch this week. He said his father has not responded to either one. He wondered whether the mayor sent similar messages to the bosses of other trustees. Trustee Joseph Snyder was absent from a meeting earlier last month and was approved for participation by phone.

Trustee Mottl said Grasso should not send letters to Atlas.

"My place of employment has nothing to do with the village and if I’m traveling for business, I was not aware of any requirement for anyone’s boss to vouch for them," Zach Mottl said in an email to Patch. "This is way out of line, and it's possible this kind of behavior could bring legal liability to the village."

He said he has not seen the 48-hour rule in writing, but he said the rule may exist.

In an email to Patch, Grasso said he was concerned about Mottl's lack of attendance.

"He has missed several meetings in the last several months," Grasso wrote. "What is the Chief of Alignment doing making client business trips? And why on Mondays when we only have two meetings a month? His father is a BR resident and knows the schedule. Everyone is entitled to miss a meeting on occasion. But doesn't Zach’s seem too frequent for an alignment person?"

Grasso noted that the trustees last week failed to even make a motion to allow Mottl take part in the meeting by phone, which the mayor said was "unprecedented in my experience."

In an interview Wednesday, Trustee Tony Schiappa said Mottl has missed many meetings. Schiappa said he has rarely been absent.

"I know there are two meetings every month. I plan my work and family events around those two meetings a month," he said. "I have a commitment to the village."

Schiappa said Mottl's loss to Grasso in last April's mayoral election explains why Mottl is "acting the way he is." He said he was unaware of any letters that Grasso may have sent to his boss when he has missed a meeting.

In November, Grasso pushed the village board to censure Mottl, saying the trustee demeaned village staff. Also last year, Grasso filed a lawsuit against Mottl, alleging his rival defamed him when speaking about the mayor's tax exemptions.