Staff Report
The State Journal-Register
The Illinois attorney general’s office said Tuesday that eight Springfield aldermen did not violate the state’s Open Meetings Act when they gathered for a campaign fundraising event at a downtown restaurant two months ago.
The attorney general’s involvement in the issue began in October, when a reporter for WICS TV-20 asked the AG’s office to review whether the Sept. 27 non-public event at Saputo’s Restaurant dealt with city business. The Open Meetings Act requires that public bodies let the public know when and where they’re going to meet and that when a majority of a quorum gets together, members must conduct discussions and votes about public business in the open.
On Oct. 16, the attorney general’s office requested that the Springfield City Council provide a detailed explanation of what happened at the Saputo’s gathering.
***
The eight aldermen who attended the fundraiser were Ward 1 Ald. Chuck Redpath, Ward 2 Ald. Herman Senor, Ward 3 Ald. Doris Turner, Ward 4 Ald. John Fulgenzi, Ward 5 Ald. Andrew Proctor, Ward 8 Ald. Kris Theilen, Ward 9 Ald. Jim Donelan and Ward 10 Ald. Ralph Hanauer. Ward 6 Ald. Kristin DiCenso and Ward 7 Ald. Joe McMenamin did not attend.
Joe McMenamin for Ward 7 