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June 12, 2015 • $1.00
DAILY CHRONICLE
DeKalb hurdler Savannah Long named Daily Chronicle Girls Track & Field Athlete of the Year / B1 HIGH
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AG: DeKalb violated meetings act Ruling says executive session in January not in compliance; new complaint arises By BRITTANY KEEPERMAN bkeeperman@shawmedia.com DeKALB – The Attorney General’s Office has found that the city violated the Open Meetings Act when it convened an executive session without announcing the appropriate reason for the session and taking final action at that meeting, according to letters from the public access counselor and the city of DeKalb. In Illinois, the act requires all meetings of a public body – including all legislative, executive, administrative or advisory bodies – be open to the
public except in a few circumstances. The public body must appropriately announce the reason for convening an executive session on the meeting agenda. Appropriate circumstances for closure include a variety of personnel actions, such as disciplining or firing a member of the body, discussing things such as purchasing or leasing property for the use of the public body and so on. Another acceptable reason to close a meeting is to discuss pending or imminent litigation. When the city convened an executive session in January,
officials didn’t include imminent litigation as a reason. The city only announced they were discussing pending litigation, as they were talking about a settlement between the city and the Department of Justice over a discrimination complaint. City Attorney Dean Frieders said the finding represents a new level of detail. “We respect the opinion of the Attorney General’s Office. … This is a bit of a departure, but we will work to ensure we are complying with the Open Meetings Act and the new ruling,” Frieders said.
Campaign looks to lessen St. Louis regional divide
The meeting minutes from that executive session are under further review, according to Mayor John Rey. “There is no action we need to take under that opinion,” Rey said. “Executive session minutes are reviewed every six months. If release of those meeting minutes are appropriate, it will be under the normal review.” Going forward, the city will pay more attention to the details of what they will discuss, Rey said. “Imminent litigation was something that previously had not been the level of focus
by the Attorney General’s Office,” he said. “We will be giving more attention to that.” Questions also were raised over the city’s compliance with the OMA on May 27 at a joint City Council-Finance Advisory Committee meeting when a member of the Finance Advisory Committee was asked to leave the meeting. Three members of the seven-member committee were at the meeting, which was enough to trigger a need for an open meeting, but not enough to actually convene a session, according to Frieders. “A quorum of a public body
are required to be physically present at the meeting for a meeting to occur,” Frieders said. From a legal perspective, a quorum of a public body would be the majority of the members of a public body. So, a majority of the seven-person Finance Advisory Committee would be four. But a majority of a majority is enough to trigger a need for the meeting to be open, according to Esther Seitz, an attorney with the Illinois Press Association.
See DeKALB, page A6
FREE SUMMER PROGRAM OFFERED AT UNIVERSITY VILLAGE
By ALAN SCHER ZAGIER The Associated Press ST. LOUIS – For many Missouri residents, crossing the Mississippi River into neighboring Illinois marks a mental hurdle as much as a physical divide. The oil refineries, toxic waste incinerators, strip clubs and decrepit buildings that line the highways eastbound out of St. Louis don’t inspire weekend getaways. But civic leaders in southwestern Illinois are out to change that perception, focusing an image-boosting effort on the area’s small-town values, affordable housing and family-friendly activities. The campaign’s name – “Get to Know M.E.” – refers to the Metro East, which the Illinois suburbs are referred to in St. Louis. Metro East boosters acknowledge that the cluster of communities ranging from historic towns such as Alton and Edwardsville to economic engines such as Scott Air Force Base, a top regional employer, have long suffered from an inferiority complex, in no small part due to East St. Louis’ reputation for poverty and violence. “The river is wider coming over to Illinois
See MARKETING, page A6
Monica Synett - msynett@shawmedia.com
Residents pack the community center Thursday at University Village to sign their children up for the second year of Camp Power during a kickoff event.
Kids register for Camp Power Eight-week program offers activities, provides lunch for youth By BRITTANY KEEPERMAN bkeeperman@shawmedia.com
AP photo
Three-year-old Sydney Woodward (center) of Eureka, Mo., dances atop the dugout June 5 at a Gateway Grizzlies’ independent league baseball game in Sauget, along with marketing intern Taylor Glueck (right) and team mascot Izzy the Grizzlie. A new “Get to Know M.E.” image-boosting campaign in St. Louis and its Illinois suburbs focuses on affordable housing, small-town values and family-friendly activities. The campaign’s name refers to Metro East, as the area is referred to locally.
DeKALB – Marlena Boyer sat with her 6-year-old daughter at a crowded table filling out forms Wednesday in the pool house at the University Village housing complex. The pool house was crowded as members of the community, University Village residents, police officers and city officials gathered for the Camp Power kickoff event. Boyer said her daughter attended Camp Power last year and was looking forward to going back. “She loved it,” Boyer said. “It gave her a chance to leave the house and have something to do every day,”
Camp Power is a free summer camp program offered to the 307 school-age children that live in University Village, DeKalb’s low-income housing complex. The program offers kids a chance to participate in sports, field trips, leadership activities and other special events throughout the eight-week session. The program also provides lunch to the kids, addressing the issue of summer food access, according to Mary Hess, asset specialist for the Ben Gordon Center Prevention and Education Program. “Summer was selected because during the school year, most University Village kids are on the free or reduced lunch plan,” Hess said. “We found that they didn’t have access to food during the summer.”
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The neighborhood doesn’t have a lot of structured activities offered either, particularly to families who may face barriers, Hess said. “It’s a time to give them something to do when they have little option,” she said. Camp Power is funded through a variety of grants and donations from community organizations, including the Roberts Family Foundation, KishHealth System, DeKalb/ Sycamore 100+ Women Who Care, Tri-Counties Endowment, DeKalb County Community Foundation and Ben Gordon Center. One of the biggest benefits is the community interaction, Hess said.
See CAMP POWER, page A6
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