Elmhurst Officials' Ideas Ignored? Some Push Fix

ELMHURST, IL – Some Elmhurst aldermen are apparently frustrated that their ideas are not getting a hearing.

One such proposal – recording committee meetings – has been ignored for more than 2½ years. The mayor opposes the idea.

Aldermen follow a process for presenting proposals, known as "referrals." At least two aldermen must sign a referral.

But if the assigned committee fails to review the matter by the next election, then the referral expires. It must be reintroduced.

Elections are in April of odd-numbered years.

In June 2023, three aldermen proposed recording the meetings of the City Council's four committees. They said this would provide greater openness.

Aldermen often have said committee meetings are where the real work gets done, as opposed to the televised council meetings.

The committee meetings are held at the same time twice a month at City Hall. So even aldermen who want to stay informed about other committees' issues face an impossibility: They can't be in two places at once.

Before last April's 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.

A few months after the election, four of the council's 14 aldermen resurrected the referral for recording meetings. It has yet to get a hearing.

This week, four aldermen – Michael Bram, Karen Sienko, Brian Belanger and Jacob Hill – presented a referral that proposes changes to the referral process. (Bram and Sienko have signed on to both of the previous referrals for recording meetings.)

They propose requiring an assigned committee to hold an initial discussion on a proposal within six months. It also calls for a recommendation report to be sent to the council within six months of the discussion.

They said their proposal would ensure the timely consideration of referrals.

On Tuesday, the council plans to vote on the aldermen's referral, which assigns the matter to a committee. The council has not rejected a referral going to committee in recent memory.