Law firm takes blame for Open Meetings Act violation
Headline News
A law firm took the blame Monday for two Open Meetings Act violations during a Campton Hills Electoral Board hearing that dashed one man's bid for office.
Attorney Bill Braithwaite of Arnstein & Lehr LLC said board members should not have been advised to deliberate in private at the Dec. 10 hearing. An attorney for the firm, Donna McDonald, also failed to make sure the closed-doors deliberations were recorded, he said.
"It was not a good night," Braithwaite said. "We are fully responsible."
In an effort to set the record straight, the board plans to reconvene at 6 tonight at Campton Community Center, 5N082 Old LaFox Road, for the sole purpose of deliberating in public.
Last week's hearing centered on objections to election filings of village president candidate Robert Young and village clerk contender Carolyn Higgins. It resulted in Young being kicked off the Feb. 5 ballot.
At the hearing, the board deliberated privately in a back room, upon the advice of McDonald, then returned to public session to vote.
It wasn't until resident Robert Skidmore Jr. filed a complaint Dec. 11 with the Illinois attorney general that officials acknowledged state statute prohibits electoral boards from meeting in private. Municipalities also are required to keep verbatim records of closed-doors discussions.
Skidmore also alleged that Village President Patsy Smith, who agreed to not participate in the hearing because she is running for office, went into the closed session. But Smith and other officials said that didn't happen.
Founded in 1893, Arnstein & Lehr LLC has offices in Chicago and Hoffman Estates. The firm specializes in five areas of law, including local government, according to its Web site.
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