Campton Hills board censures trustee; She calls it ‘petty political theater’

A majority of Campton Hills village board members voted this month to censure Trustee Janet Burson this month, alleging she leaked confidential information from closed meetings and abused appointed officials, creating a hostile environment.

“We are not attempting to limit your ability to achieve what you seek through your office,” Trustee Jim McKelvie read from a statement before the vote. “But we will not allow a member of the corporate authorities of the Village of Campton Hills to engage in conduct which raises new potential liabilities, expenditures and compliance issues for our village. It is for this reason that the members of the board hereby censure you as a result of your actions.”

Burson denies the allegations, saying she never disclosed closed meeting information to anyone — and besides that, it isn’t against the law.

“There is no statute … there is no village code, regarding the confidence of closed session,” Burson said.

“Policy disagreements, no matter how strong, are fair game in our meetings,” she added. “Personal attacks and petty political theater such as this are not … I will not be bullied out of a position to which I was elected by residents with a nearly two-to- one majority. And I will continue to do my work here.”

Before Burson’s election as trustee in 2023, the village was suing resident Brian Larsen for more than $22 million over alleged zoning code violations.

Larsen is known for his Larsen’s Christmas Lights Show, which he relocated to Pingree Grove.

The lawsuit has since been settled, but Village President Barbara Wojnicki said Burson went to Larsen’s property to talk to him after she was elected.

“It was not right for her to go speak with him,” Wojnicki said. “She violated the trust of the board to do that”

Burson said when she went to Larsen’s property, she had not been sworn in and had not been part of any closed meetings.

She also denied claims she berated an attorney for the village and Village Administrator Mark Rooney when the town dissolved its planning and zoning commission and created a new panel.

“The only reason she was angry was because we didn’t include (her friend) in the new zoning and planning board commissioners,” Wojnicki said.

Burson said she was not upset just for her friend, but for the residents removed from the dissolved commission.

“It was high-handed and disrespectful to our residents,” she said. “We have 38 people serving on eight committees. … They’re volunteers. It seemed to be a chilling effect on people’s willingness to volunteer.”