Des Plaines clerk takes heat over missing aldermanic photos

Some Des Plaines aldermen are upset that the city clerk temporarily removed their pictures from the lobby of City Hall, but the clerk says she was following election law and trying to avoid confusion.

The photos of the city's elected officials - eight aldermen, the mayor and clerk - were taken down at least a week ago after the Cook County Clerk's office told Des Plaines officials to remove or cover the photos of anyone whose names appeared on the spring election ballot.

The county clerk's office advised that photos, along with fliers, posters, and other campaign materials, weren't permitted in the lobby of City Hall while it served as an early voting location.

City Clerk Gloria Ludwig went a step further, also taking down the photos of officials who weren't up for election Tuesday.

"My thought was that it would invite less questions by the public if all the photographs were removed," Ludwig said during Monday's city council meeting.

Fifth Ward Alderman Jim Brookman, who wasn't running in Tuesday's election, was the first to express frustration with Ludwig's decision last week when he noticed the photos were gone. And after the photos still hadn't been returned to the wall over the weekend, he lashed out at the clerk at Monday's meeting.

"The city clerk in my view is exceeding her authority," Brookman said. "It wasn't her call to make. She only has the right to take down photos of those running for office."

Sixth Ward Alderman Mark Walsten, who is stepping down after eight years due to term limits, also wanted the photos back up.

"Why don't you give them to me, and I'll put them up in five minutes after this meeting?" Walsten said.

"No sir," Ludwig responded.

On Tuesday, the photos of three aldermen not up for election - Brookman, Walsten and Patti Haugeberg - returned to the wall. The other photos were scheduled to return Wednesday, the day after the election.

But not all were upset their pictures were taken down - and one alderman not up for election wanted hers kept down until Wednesday. Third Ward Alderman Denise Rodd said if Brookman had the authority to demand his photo be returned to the wall, she had the authority to keep hers off.

"The impression of removing photos from the wall of fame is that they are no longer in office. In order to eliminate confusion you did the simplest thing," Rodd told Ludwig. "It's all for one. We're a group here."