'Rogue' Agency Employee Working In La Grange?

LA GRANGE, IL — A resident told the La Grange Village Board last week that a "rogue" employee of a countywide agency was spreading misinformation about the village government's efforts to combat flooding.

During a board meeting, Glenn Thompson, a member of the Dry Up La Grange group, said at least one employee of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District was walking around the village and its parks questioning residents whether they understood the village's slowness in dealing with flooding.

The employee, he said, was asking residents why the village doesn't drop its long-running litigation with a nearby quarry that residents blame for local flooding.

"We are getting tired of MWRD employees and staff making false statements and making half-truths," said Thompson, a Spring Avenue resident.

Unfortunately for the agency, he said, the employee ended up speaking with a member of Dry Up La Grange, a group that formed after the flooding in late June.

In response, Village President Mark Kuchler said he had no knowledge of the "rogue" employee. He urged residents to get the employee's name.

"Find out if it is a rogue employee or if it is somebody doing their job and find out exactly what was communicated," Kuchler said.

A spokeswoman for the water reclamation district said she was unaware of such an employee. She said her agency was working with La Grange on flooding solutions.

Also at the meeting, Thompson asked the village for a copy of its intergovernmental agreement with the district.

Kuchler said he was not sure whether the agreement was confidential, saying the village would need to consult with its attorney.

No exception exists under the state's open records law that would allow the village to keep confidential an agreement with another government agency.

Founded in 1889, the district handles wastewater and flooding issues throughout Cook County.