Change to Burr Ridge Public Comment Procedure Voted Down

After several meetings at which public comments have come in bunches, the Burr Ridge Board of Trustees decided against making a policy change requiring some audience members wait until late in meetings to speak.

Trustees voted down an ordinance Monday night that would have mandated public comments at the beginning of meetings be related to items on that night’s agenda and push non-agenda-related comments to the end of the meeting.

The vote was 5-1 against approval. Diane Bolos, Guy Franzese, Janet Ryan Grasso, John Manieri and Al Paveza voted no, while Len Ruzak voted yes.

Before voting against the measure, Franzese and Manieri both expressed concern that folks who address the board on issues like retention pond problems or overnight parking would have to wait sometimes hours to speak.

“If they left their home and came here, it is a pretty important topic to them, so I think we should listen to them and hear them at the beginning of the meeting,” Manieri said.

Bolos called the ordinance “extremely restrictive.”

“I think citizen input is invaluable,” Bolos said. “We should not stifle free speech.”