BURR RIDGE, IL – The Burr Ridge Village Board violated its rules in allowing one of its members to take part in meetings remotely, the attorney general found Tuesday.
The issue involves Trustee Joe Snyder. He has missed or attended remotely all but one meeting since October.
Under the village’s previous rules, a trustee planning to attend remotely must provide written notice to the mayor and village administrator at least 48 hours in advance.
Snyder provided no written notice for the board meetings on Sept. 25 and March 11, according to a complaint filed by resident Patricia Davis. For the Jan. 8 session, he only notified Village Administrator Evan Walter.
The old rules also required an absent trustee to publicly explain at meetings the reason for taking party remotely. Snyder did not do that.
The attorney general examined the two meetings that were within 60 days before Davis’ complaint – March 11 and April 8.
The board’s lawyer, Thomas Halleran, acknowledged the village could not produce written notifications. But he said it was the village’s “custom and practice” for trustees to communicate verbally of their intent to attend remotely.
At the same time, Halleran confirmed the inconsistency of its rules. One provision did not specify the manner of notice, while the other required written notice.
The village has since dropped the written notice requirement.
As for stating the reason, the board’s attorney argued Snyder satisfied “the spirit of the rules” on April 8 when Mayor Gary Grasso said Snyder was in Florida on a business trip.
But the attorney general’s office said the rule’s spirit appeared to be for the absent trustee to publicly justify being absent.
The board has since changed the rule. It now mandates that the mayor announce the reason for a trustee’s need to take part remotely.
Given the violations, Davis asked for Snyder’s votes in the meetings to be rescinded. The attorney general declined the request, saying Snyder’s remote participation did not rise to the level of a “substantial transparency violation.”
In a statement to Patch on Wednesday, Grasso said, “We respect the AG’s opinion on not meeting the technical requirement of Trustee Snyder stating he was on business – which we knew. So, it’s form over substance, but a procedure we will follow of course when needed.”
On May 13, Snyder showed up at a meeting in person for the first time in nearly seven months, or 203 days to be exact. But he missed the next meeting on June 10.
Over the last year, Snyder has missed 40 percent of meetings and has connected remotely another 27 percent of the time.
Before the 2021 election, several trustees highlighted then-Trustee Zach Mottl’s missed meetings. This was before Mottl lost to Grasso’s allies.
Snyder’s absence rate is higher than that of Mottl, whom Snyder criticized for missing 26 percent of meetings. Snyder called that a “failing grade.”
The other trustees have been publicly silent about Snyder’s absenteeism. No one has indicated that Snyder was gone for health or family reasons.
Snyder owns a home in a gated subdivision south of Fort Myers, Florida. He was in the Sunshine State at least part of the time during his months away.
Snyder has not returned messages for comment.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
Click Here: clare gaa jerseys"