La Grange Park Official Has No Conflict of Interest: Village

LA GRANGE PARK, IL — The village of La Grange Park is disputing a mailer that alleges one of its trustees has a conflict of interest.

The mailer, put out by attorney Anne René Bennett, identified Trustee Jamie Zaura as having the conflict. A few months ago, the mailer said, the La Grange Park Library board approved Zaura's architectural firm, 845 Design Group, as the architect for a library renovation.

The mailer pointed out the library board's meeting minutes, which state that the board picked 845 Design Group, in part, for its "local tie-ins."

In some towns, the municipal board controls the library. That is not the case in La Grange Park. The village and library are run by separately elected boards. The village government holds no power over the library.

Bennett emailed Patch last week about the allegation. Patch then determined the two elected boards are structured independently of each other.

Informed of this fact, Bennett responded it didn't matter whether the village and library are separate.

"The issue is Zaura's position was an unduly influential deciding factor in her being selected as stated by the Library Board and staff," Bennett wrote.

On Friday, a La Grange Park resident emailed a photo of Bennett's mailer to Patch. It was unclear how many residents received it.

Patch then emailed Zaura about the matter. A while later, the village released a statement through Village Manager Julia Cedillo's email account. The village said its lawyer determined Zaura had no conflict, noting the library and village are separate from operational and taxing standpoints.

A conflict of interest would exist, the village said, if a trustee took part in discussions or voted on a matter in which he or she had had an interest — for instance, if the library sought zoning relief from the village and Zaura was serving as a consultant for the library. In such cases, trustees recuse themselves when they have economic interests, the village said.

"There is nothing inherently wrong with the Library Board's taking into consideration Jamie's experience as a former Zoning Board member and a current trustee," the village statement said. "Those experiences have likely increased her knowledge of La Grange Park Zoning and Building Codes. This knowledge is valuable to any client, since zoning and building ordinances vary greatly from village to village."

To suggest otherwise, the village said, "impugns the motives of both Trustee Zaura and the Library Board, neither of whom have done anything improper."