Island Lake stumbling on openness

It's no surprise there is more concern and discussion these days about transparency and openness at all levels of Illinois government.

Sending one former governor to prison and then impeaching his successor who awaits his own corruption trial tends to raise some red flags.

True, progress is slow, but we do have a retooled Freedom of Information Act. While far from perfect, it has more bite than its predecessor.

So, with all the attention on the need for good, open government, why do Island Lake leaders use the act as a political weapon to frustrate foes?

In a story last week, staff writer Russell Lissau reported some Island Lake trustees - but not all - are told they must file Freedom of Information Act requests to obtain documents available to trustees in other suburbs.

Trustees John Ponio, Don Saville and Laurie Rabattini, all political opponents of Mayor Debbie Herrmann, said they are forced to file requests for information about building permits, bills, financial reports and legal invoices. Rabattini said she needed to make a FOIA request for a copy of the budget and had to pay $7.95 for the document.

However, two Herrmann allies, Trustees Don Verciglio and Donna O'Malley, told us they haven't had to jump through those hoops.

"Ludicrous," was the reaction from Cindi Canary, executive director of the watchdog group Illinois Campaign for Political Reform.

Forcing some trustees but not others to file FOIA requests "underscores the fact that this is pure politics," Canary said.

Herrmann blames trustees. In December, the board adopted a new FOIA policy ahead of the state rules enacted this year. Island Lake's new policy eliminated a clause stating trustees were exempt from filing FOIA requests.

The situation has raised concerns for the Illinois attorney general's office. A critical document like a village budget "should be freely distributed to trustees and the community," said Cara Smith, the public access counselor who fields complaints about possible FOIA violations from the public and media.

This isn't Island Lake's first wink at the openness issue.

We reported in March that the village had failed to post village board meeting summaries on its Web site since last July. It took complaints from some trustees, local residents and the Daily Herald to spur officials to post summaries from January, December and September. The Illinois Open Meetings Act requires that minutes be posted within seven days of board approval.

A month earlier, Herrmann ignored calls to explain her decision to place the police chief on administrative leave without conferring with trustees, then refused to discuss it in public.

It's time for Island Lake officials to realize good government is open government.