More Openness In Western Springs?

WESTERN SPRINGS, IL — Western Springs is one of the few area towns that do not post online the packet of information that its board members get before meetings. Such documents give the public a greater idea about what their elected representatives are considering.

At last week's village board meeting, resident James Holderman requested the board furnish such information beforehand, as other towns do. He said he tried to get a resolution dealing with 5G antennas, a controversial issue in town. But he said he was told it was not available before the meeting and that he could only see it after action was taken.

Members did not respond to his request, so Western Springs Patch asked Village President Alice Gallagher whether she would support such a move. She said the matter had been taken "under advisement."

"I personally have no problem with providing the entire agenda packet in advance of our regularly scheduled board meetings," Gallagher said in an email. "The issue will be considered in due course."

When someone suggests an idea, Gallagher said, the appropriate village department researches it and provides the results of its inquiry to the relevant village committee at an open meeting. The committee then makes a recommendation to the entire board.

Patch wrote a story last week about the meeting in which Holderman made his request, headlined, "Western Springs Less Open With Meeting Info." Gallagher took issue with the story and headline.

"The article's heading and tone suggests deliberate secrecy by the Western Springs board and staff, which is simply untrue," Gallagher said in the email to a Patch reporter. "In the interest of objective reporting, I ask going forward that you print articles that present a more balanced view."

Patch checked whether six other nearby suburbs post meeting packet information online before meetings. All do. They are Hinsdale, La Grange, Clarendon Hills, Burr Ridge, Darien and Elmhurst.

In some ways, the Western Springs government is more open than other towns. It has an email and text alert system about issues in village government. For instance, it provides such alerts about the 5G issue, immediately posting documents that may pertain to telecommunications companies' plans to install antennas.

Also, Western Springs quickly posts video of its board meetings. Some municipalities take days to post their footage.