Did Official Exceed Powers In Burr Ridge Case?

BURR RIDGE, IL – The suburban Pace bus agency received a complaint last year about an arrangement in which a Burr Ridge restaurant received free use of one of the agency's parking lots.

Through a public records request, Patch obtained correspondence about the ethics complaint.

The issue came up last year in the controversy over Capri Ristorante's bid to open a nearby lounge, Are We Live.

In an email on Sept. 22, 2021, James Caronis, the agency's ethics officer, acknowledged receiving the complaint. But he said it did not specify any wrongdoing.

"Nonetheless, based on the vague allegations, the only alleged Ethics violation that may exist is the former Executive Director TJ Ross may not have had authority to sign off on the agreement between Pace and Capri," said Caronis, an attorney.

In his email, Caronis asked Pace's senior staff attorney, Christopher Lyons, for copies of any records in response to Freedom of Information Act requests related to the agreement.

Caronis' email indicated he was looking into the matter, but the agency's records revealed no outcome.

Valets from Capri Ristorante park customers' cars in the nearby Pace bus parking lot. Blu Valet is owned by Mayor Gary Grasso's son, Michael. (David Giuliani/Patch)

Caronis declined to comment Tuesday, referring questions to the agency's spokeswoman, Maggie Daly Skogsbakken, who did not return a call for comment.

In 2015, Capri Ristorante entered a 10-year agreement with Pace for free use of a nearby lot. It was signed by TJ Ross, who retired in 2018. But it never went before Pace's board.

The park-n-ride lot at Lincolnshire and McClintock drives can be used for Capri's customer parking from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m.

In the last few years, Capri Ristorante, 324 Burr Ridge Parkway, has cited the 2015 agreement with Pace in zoning matters before the village government, showing that it has enough space for customers' cars. The restaurant's valet service parks cars in the Pace lot.

Last year, Neal Smith, an attorney for residents opposed to the opening of Are We Live, challenged the 2015 agreement. He said an agency could not provide public resources for free to a private business.

In response to a Patch public records request last year, Pace could produce no other agreements in the last two decades in which it provided a similar benefit to a business.

In an interview last year, Skogsbakken said the agreement with Capri "originated with the village of Burr Ridge." But she did not say who in the Burr Ridge government helped Capri Ristorante's owner, Filippo "Gigi" Rovito, get the deal. Burr Ridge is not a party to the agreement.

Rovito has close ties to Burr Ridge Mayor Gary Grasso, an attorney who has represented him on various matters over the years.

Late last year, former Burr Ridge Trustee Zach Mottl, a political rival of Grasso, filed a complaint with the Illinois inspector general about the parking agreement.

The inspector general declined to look into the matter itself, referring it to Pace for investigation.