Clashing Facebook Pages In Burr Ridge

BURR RIDGE, IL — Two major Facebook pages in Burr Ridge reflect the political divide in the village — those in favor of Mayor Gary Grasso and those against.

As the last two elections indicate, Grasso is popular in Burr Ridge. He won in a landslide in the 2019 election over then-Trustee Zach Mottl. And in April, the mayor ran unopposed for re-election. With the latest election, he gained a board that was unanimously in support of him, if not all his initiatives.

But Grasso's critics have been vocal, alleging he makes decisions based on connections to businesses such as Capri Ristorante. In August, one of those apparent critics formed "The REAL Burr Ridge" Facebook page, which has drawn 210 followers.

A year earlier, the "Friends of Burr Ridge" page was created. It takes a positive tone toward Grasso and his allies. It now has nearly 600 followers.

The administrators of both pages are not listed. Patch sent private messages to both pages about the identity of their administrators. Friends of Burr Ridge did not answer, while the unnamed administrator for The Real Burr Ridge page responded, "Why do you ask, please? That's a curious question."

The administrator for the page further stated it should not be characterized as an anti-Grasso page.

"We’ve never said we don’t support him, we only post truths about him that residents don’t know, and include evidence alongside that," the person wrote.

Unprompted, the administrator also volunteered that Grasso critic Patricia Davis and former Trustee Mottl were not running the page.

Since the page's formation, the administrator has jumped on any grammar, spelling or other errors on the village's website, once referring to the village's staff as "idiots."

The page regularly posts its criticism of village decisions and its contention that the village doesn't adequately enforce zoning laws when it comes to Grasso's allies such as Filippo "Gigi" Rovito, owner of Capri Ristorante and Are We Live lounge.

The page says, "We shine a light on the issues important to residents of Burr Ridge, IL. Come here for the real stories you won't find anywhere else!"

Friends of Burr Ridge comments about much more than politics. Its posts also cover local students who are honored, crimes in the area and community events. It also features posts about Capri Ristorante, Are We Live, Patti's Sunrise Cafe and other businesses friendly with Grasso and his allies. The page calls itself a "virtual community center for the residents and businesses of the Village of Burr Ridge and surrounding communities."

Recently, the page exclaimed, "Bravo, Village of Burr Board!" This was in response to a positive financial audit.

In another post, it said, "We are truly lucky to have a prudent Village Board." And a photo of Grasso was accompanied by the statement, "A great picture of a dedicated mayor of a beautiful village."

A couple of days ago, the administrator called the competing page "fake" and said the person running it "doesn't have to burn down the whole village because (the person is) upset with Mayor Gary Grasso."

When Patch's Burr Ridge reporter recently took a vacation, the page's administrator expressed relief and praised the reporter's temporary replacement.

"Are we naive to wish Burr Ridge Patch finally canned tabloid reporter David Giuliani? The headlines of the Village of Burr Ridge have been....... pleasant. Seems a small group of people in neighboring City of Darien, Illinois, Elmhurst, Hinsdale, IL are also bothered with his mottled tactics," the administrator wrote.

"Mottled" was a reference to ex-Trustee Mottl, who was reprimanded by the board a half dozen times before he lost re-election in April after one term in May. Grasso's supporters say Giuliani favors Mottl in his coverage over the mayor and his allies.

The Friends of Burr Ridge page also linked to a Facebook page called "Boycott the Patch," a group opposing Giuliani's coverage. It has 115 members.