Elmhurst Mayor Says No To Gaza Ceasefire Resolution

ELMHURST, IL – Elmhurst Mayor Scott Levin informed the public Monday that the City Council would not vote on a Gaza ceasefire resolution.

Over the last two council meetings, dozens have spoken up for adopting such a proclamation to address Israel's war in Gaza, which has resulted in thousands of deaths after Hamas' Oct. 7 attack.

At Monday's council meeting, Levin said he had spoken about a resolution with at least a dozen of the council's 14 aldermen. He found they opposed weighing in on the Middle Eastern conflict.

Levin said the speakers during public comments were respectful and informative. Aldermen, he said, are acutely aware of the pain that the war is causing.

At the same time, Levin said, the question was whether the council should address an issue beyond its authority. Aldermen told him they should not, the mayor said.

"Were we to step into the arena of international or even national policy, it would be opening a Pandora's box," Levin said. "Even if a ceasefire resolution seems direct and fairly evenhanded, we would be inviting others to bring their concerns with national and international issues to our council and request that we weigh in on one side or the other."

The council includes both progressive and conservative members and others who are in between, he said.

"In my 14 years on the council, we have never let those viewpoints influence our decisions on what's best for Elmhurst or decisions making sure our residents are safe and are not subject to discrimination due to their nationality," the mayor said. "This exemplifies how we have restrained ourselves to city issues."

At a meeting earlier this month, speakers noted the death toll of more than 35,000 Palestinians in Gaza since Israel launched strikes last fall. That followed Hamas militants killing more than 1,160 people and taking hundreds of hostages in Israel on Oct. 7.

Across the Chicago area, towns have been asked to adopt ceasefire resolutions. Some such as Burr Ridge have done so, while others have declined. Darien recently decided against taking up the issue, using the same reasoning as Levin's.