Democracy Dies in Darkness – Wikipedia
The man who popularized the above phrase was born in Geneva, Illinois, on March 26, 1943, at Community Hospital on Third Street. Robert Redford once portrayed him. Bob Woodward – Wikipedia
The City Council Committee of the Whole agenda for August 1, 2022, is published. While a noticeable improvement has occurred in the closed session citations of the specifically allowed exception in the Open Meetings Act, the August 1 agenda has the same stinker that was deployed during the Emma’s Landing debacle. Several OMA violations occurred during that process. But here is the Warning: The August 1 agenda cites an incorrect exception again because the word “sale” has been incorrectly inserted into 5 ILCS 120/2(c)(5). The sale of city-owned real property cannot be discussed in a secret session except for the specific purpose of setting the sale or lease price. In the Emma’s Landing sale of public property, many issues besides selling price were discussed secretly. Examples have been cited in other posts on this site. Please see “related” articles linked below for a sample.
5 ILCS 120/2 – Illinois General Assembly
(5) The purchase or lease of real property for the |
use of the public body, including meetings held for the purpose of discussing whether a particular parcel should be acquired. |
(6) The setting of a price for sale or lease of |
property owned by the public body. |
Here is the agenda item for the COW meeting of August 1, 2022:
- Closed Session on Probable Litigation (5 ILCS 120/2(c)(11) and the Purchase, Sale,
or Lease of Real Property for the Use of the Public Body (5 ILCS 120/2(c)(5)
This is not a trivial point of order. Fraudulent documents have been recorded by the City of Geneva and by the mayor personally, that pertain to the deed for Emma’s Landing. These frauds originated in closed sessions, for the most part. ILCS 120/2(c)(6) is the very specific “sale” exception.
Hopefully, a corrected agenda can replace the current one.
Paraphrasing Gideon J. Tucker: No Genevan’s life, liberty, or property is safe while the COW is in secret session.
Rod's Ramblings and Ruminations 