Watchdogs Find La Grange Park Accusations Unfounded

LA GRANGE PARK, IL — A watchdog group that monitors local governments across the state said Monday it sees no conflict of interest in the case of a La Grange village trustee.

This statement comes after Anne René Bennett, a La Grange Park attorney, circulated a mailer last week alleging that Trustee Jamie Zaura had a conflict of interest. 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.

But La Grange Park and the library are run by two separately elected boards. The two entities are considered independent of each other, unlike in towns where the library is considered an arm of the municipal government.

The village has noted the separation in defending Zaura. On Monday, the Edgar County Watchdogs agreed.

"There is no conflict of interest," John Kraft, the organization's director, said in an interview. "(Zaura) is a trustee for the village. The library is a library district. If it were a city library, that would be different. But this is a library district. They have their own governing body."

Last week, Patch left a message with Zaura, but she apparently referred it to the village government, which released a statement shortly afterward. The village said it consulted its attorney, who identified no conflict of interest.

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 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.

In an email to Patch, Bennett said Edgar County Watchdogs and Patch apparently did not read her mailer. She pointed to a state law that says a conflict of interest arises when a board member or employee benefits financially from a decision or action. She said this could involve "insider information" gained from official duties.

"The fact that the Village of LaGrange Park and the Library are two separate taxing bodies and there are two separate line items on a resident’s tax bill is a distinction without a difference for residents," Bennett said. "Municipal code notwithstanding, any entity that takes our tax dollars, such as a library, is the government, period. Therefore, this is the business of the Village."

The mailer pointed to minutes from an April 3 library meeting, which state that the board picked 845 Design Group, in part, for its "local tie-ins."

Bennet said she was looking into a cause of action involving defamation against Patch for a story that she said presented her as a "shadowy attorney."

An earlier version of the story in question cited the mailer as being "under the name of attorney Anne Bennett" because Patch was unable to confirm that Bennett herself sent it. She has declined requests to be interviewed.

In an email to Patch on Monday morning, Bennett sent her card with the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission. It shows she has been an active attorney since 2014.

She also told Patch "our conversation" is over.

"I'm putting you on notice that I do not want to be bothered or contact me again," Bennett said.