Hinsdale Leader 'Tempted' To Break Governor's Order

HINSDALE, IL — Hinsdale Village President Tom Cauley said Tuesday he was "tempted" to violate the governor's stay-at-home order related to the opening of businesses, but it wouldn't be worth it. At a Village Board meeting, Cauley said he had been asked by a restaurant owner whether he would have the village violate Gov. J.B. Pritzker's order.

"I am tempted to do so," Cauley said. "The problem is the governor has made it very clear that any municipality that violates his order will be denied any funds."

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He noted Hinsdale, like all Illinois towns, gets income tax revenue and other money from the state.

"Believe me, there's a lot of moeny we get through the state," Cauley said. While defying the order is "appealing," he said, it would not be worth it because of all the money that the village would lose.

At Monday's Darien City Council meeting, Mayor Joseph Marchese suggested defiance of the governor's order as a possibility. But several aldermen said Darien should not go it alone in doing so, recommending Darien join other towns.

On Wednesday, Pritkzer announced he would allow outdoor dining with social distancing guidelines as of May 29. But the state would still ban indoor dining until the next phase of recovery, possibly in July.