Rare Dissent On Hinsdale Village Board

HINSDALE, IL – It's rare to see a dissenting vote on the Hinsdale Village Board.

On Tuesday, Trustee Scott Banke broke a nearly 2½-year streak of unanimous board votes. He was the lone vote against approving a gated subdivision, saying it would play into a negative perception of Hinsdale as an "elitist" town.

The last time that the board had a "no" vote was on Aug. 11, 2020 – 49 meetings ago. At the meeting, Banke was the only one who voted against a "certificate of appropriateness" for the demolition of a house on Fourth Street.

In January 2020, Trustee Laurel Haarlow was the lone dissenting vote against referring a proposed senior citizen development at Ogden Avenue and Adams Street to the Plan Commission. She said the building would be too high and appear massive from Route 83.

Every vote in 2021 and 2022 was unanimous.