See Video Of Quarrel At Burr Ridge Meeting

BURR RIDGE, IL — On Monday, it was a lot like old times for the Burr Ridge Village Board. For the first time in months, Trustee Zach Mottl was in the same room for a meeting with Mayor Gary Grasso and his fellow trustees, who have reprimanded him four times in the last year.

See video of Burr Ridge's mayor and a trustee get into quarrel at meeting.

In the first months of the pandemic, the board met remotely, which allowed members to cut off Mottl when they believed he was dominating the meeting. During September's meetings, the board met in person and voted to bar Mottl from taking part by phone.

But it's a little more difficult to cut off Mottl when he is in the same room. The big squabble during Monday's meeting was while Police Chief John Madden presented his proposal for a department restructuring.

Veering from that topic, Mottl asked the chief whether he alerted the mayor when someone submits a tip about drug activity in town.

Madden could be heard saying "no" before Grasso tried to stop the line of questioning, saying it had nothing to do with Madden's proposal.

The mayor and Mottl interrupted each other repeatedly and raised their voices at each other. Mottl said he had the right to ask the chief questions as one of the trustees.

The chief then responded again to Mottl's question.

"That's not what we do," he said. "I know you work hard to discredit me and attack my integrity."

Through the crosstalk, Mottl could be heard saying that he knew of an instance where Madden "forwarded" a tip on drug activity to the mayor instead of investigating it.

Grasso asked for a motion to exclude Mottl from the meeting. Trustee Joe Snyder moved to have Mottl "quieted."

Asked for advice, the village attorney told the trustees all they needed to do was vote to remove Mottl from the meeting.

Grasso asked Mottl whether he was done asking his questions. The trustee said he was.

The trustees voted 5-1 for the chief's restructuring proposal, with Mottl dissenting. The plan includes eliminating the corporal rank. It would mean saving at least $30,000 a year with no reduction in officer positions, officials said.