Assisted an Elmhurst Alderman to win a favorable ruling from the Illinois Attorney General’s Public Access Counselor. The ruling stated that under the Open Meetings Act, a public body may not convene in closed session to discuss land use issues under the guise of acquisition of property, (Addison Street) especially when the public body currently owns the land. (2013)
Organized Elmhurst community members to successfully advocate for public release of closed session tapes based on a ruling from the Illinois Attorney General’s Public Access Counselor. (2103)
Monitored the City’s fast track implementation of its fourth TIF district and inflated budget figures. Our advocacy contributed to District 205 and the Elmhurst Park District more actively participating in the TIF process and the identification of several necessary reforms to Illinois’ TIF statute with respect to transparency in decision-making. (2103)
Collaborated with York Community High School for the fourth consecutive year to make Constitution Week meaningful. We hosted a dynamic speaker who shared a first-hand account of experiencing adversity while upholding their First Amendment rights. (2013)
Helped community members successfully push for a referendum question of whether Elmhurst public officials should be prohibited from holding two public offices at one time. The ballot measure passed 77% to 23%. (2012)
Collaborated with Elmhurst College’s Urban Studies Department to bring Dr. Dick Simpson, former Chicago Alderman and University of Illinois at Chicago professor, to Elmhurst College to discuss his recent Corruption Report which profiled suburban political corruption and made recommendations for reform. (2012)