Elmhurst Aldermen's Idea Ignored For 3 Years

ELMHURST, IL – It's been nearly three years since a minority of aldermen proposed that the City Council look at recording the meetings of its four committees.

On June 20, 2023, the 14-member council voted to send the matter to the Finance, Council Affairs and Administrative Services Committee.

But the committee has failed to discuss the issue in the three years since.

City Council sessions are on video. But committee meetings are not recorded in any way, even though aldermen say that's where the real work gets done.

Mayor Scott Levin, who appoints committee chairmen, is against recording the meetings.

Heading the committee in question is Noel Talluto, a longtime alderwoman. She did not return an emailed message for comment on Friday.

In 2023, three aldermen signed a referral, asking for a discussion on recording meetings.

Under the city's procedures, a matter goes to a committee with the council's approval, as long as at least two aldermen sign the referral.

Before the April 2025 election, Mayor Scott Levin was asked at a forum about recording meetings. He argued against it.

"People need to speak freely," Levin said. "It's so easy to take a piece of a clip that's recorded and use it against the person who says it."

He also said it could be intimidating for residents who want to speak at committee meetings. They, too, could become the victim of out-of-context online clips, he said.

With the April 2025 election, the original referral expired. It had to be reintroduced.

In 2023, aldermen Michale Bram, Rex Irby and Karen Sienko proposed the measure. In the next go-around, they added one more alderman, Dan Virgil.

Asked about the proposal's status on Friday, Bram said in a message, "I have no idea when it will be addressed since it wasn't discussed the first time I did the referral, and this is the second time."

Proponents say recordings would give residents a greater ability to know what's going on in city government.

Aldermen, too, could benefit. All four council committee meetings occur at the same time. Now, if other meetings let out early, aldermen gravitate toward the one with a particularly significant or contentious issue.