Lawyer? Lyons Township High Gets One For High-Stakes Meeting

LA GRANGE, IL – Lyons Township High School officials plan to meet Friday with their Willow Springs counterparts over the controversy of selling the school's land in the village.

When told of this at Monday's school board meeting, members said they wanted their lawyer on hand.

Member Michael Thomas said the school had no expert in zoning, so the school's delegation was going in at a disadvantage. He said an attorney was needed.

Member Jill Beda Daniels, a lawyer herself, agreed.

"I wouldn't want to go into the meeting without legal counsel," she said.

She said she was nervous about sharing too much. She said the meeting should be seen as an opportunity to listen and gather information.

Member Tim Albores, who was presiding over the meeting in the absence of President Jill Grech, said the gathering was to find out the strictness of the village's terms and conditions related to zoning.

"This is no offense to any attorneys at the table," Albores said. "But when you have attorneys at the table, it certainly changes the dynamics of the conversation. It becomes less of a casual conversation."

But he said he was willing to go along with the others' wish for a lawyer present.

Attorney James Levi of the Itasca-based Hodges Loizzi law firm told the board he could attend.

"We're going to talk back and forth without any promises, without any negotiation," Levi said.

In an email to Patch on Tuesday, Willow Springs Village Administrator Ryan Grace confirmed the meeting, but said the village would have no lawyer present.

"My understanding is that the discussion is to determine how Willow Springs and LTHS can work together to ensure a smoother process if they choose to sell their land again. I do not feel that legal representation is needed or that the cost is warranted for such a low-level discussion," Grace said.

Such a school board discussion about the land used to be behind closed doors. But the attorney general's office last year determined that the board's previous closed meetings about the topic violated the state's open meetings law.

The board's dealings with Willow Springs about the property can be subject to long discussions

Last September, one board member suggested the superintendent send a quick email about the latest development with the land. That triggered a debate that lasted several minutes.

Daniels was the most concerned about emailing Willow Springs, fearing it would set a precedent.

"They can follow our meetings and attend if they had chosen," she said.

Others agreed.

Members concluded no email would be sent.

In a closed session in January 2023, Superintendent Brian Waterman said the school's relationship with Willow Springs and two other public bodies was "napalmed."

That was months after the high school board decided against telling the other entities what it was up to on the land. Those entities ended up opposing the board's plan to sell to an industrial buyer. The land is zoned for residential and small retailing.