Attorney General continues Review as Village responds

SAUK VILLAGE - A recent appeal for review was filed to the Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s office because the village denied a request for information under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).  The Village was asked to respond to the Attorney General as to the reasons why the Village denied the request and what, if anything, the village did to complete the FOIA request.

Village Clerk Debbie Williams, her daughter Village Trustee Rosie Williams and a resident and now member of the Police and Fire Pension Board Patricia Couch took a trip to Washington D.C. to attend a conference July 18-19th hosted by Building One America organization. There are critics of the Building One America organization claiming that they are on an “anti-suburban” crusade and that this organization is trying to abolish the suburbs consolidating them with larger cities.

A website (***click here to view site***) claims the goals of Building One America is “one approach is to force suburban residents into densely packed cities by blocking development on the outskirts of metropolitan areas, and by discouraging driving with a blizzard of taxes, fees, and regulations. Step two is to move the poor out of cities by imposing low-income-housing quotas on development in middle-class suburbs. Step three is to export the controversial “regional tax-base sharing” scheme currently in place in the Minneapolis–St. Paul area to the rest of the country. Under this program, a portion of suburban tax money flows into a common regional pot, which is then effectively redistributed to urban, and a few less well-off“inner-ring” suburban, municipalities.

Hoping to learn more about this“personal trip”, including who the “sponsors” and benefactors were who had helped fund this trip touted by the Williams duo on the Village’s website calling for “donations” and “sponsorship”. Also hoping to learn if the public interest were being served or self interest, this reporter made a request to the Village of Sauk Village citing Illinois Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The FOIA law guarantees public access to all public documents, with limited exemptions.

The Village Clerk, through the auspices of the Village Attorney, denied the FOIA request claiming that it had nothing “responsive to your request”. Under Illinois law this is considered a “denial” of the request.

Under Illinois law you have two courses of action. One, to have the Illinois Attorney General review the basis for the Village’s denial and compel the Village to comply with the law under an order or two, file a lawsuit. Better Government Agency President and CEO Andy Shaw said “When government withholds potentially important information that the public is entitled to, and refuses to work toward an amicable solution, going to court is the only option”Shaw said in reference to a denial of a FOIA request.

The Illinois Attorney General’s office has sent the information to the Village’s attorney and is awaiting their official response. The Attorney General will make a determination and based upon that determination, either party may appeal to the courts.

“This clearly shows the lack of transparency in this government. When government is not responsive to the public, one needs to be concerned and ask why” Joseph Wiszowaty said.

Debbie Williams, Village Clerk and Rosie Williams, Village Trustee