Law firm takes blame for Open Meetings Act violation
Headline News
A law firm took the blame Monday for two Open Meetings Act violations during a Campton Hills Electoral Board hearing that dashed one man's bid for office.
Attorney Bill Braithwaite of Arnstein & Lehr LLC said board members should not have been advised to deliberate in private at the Dec. 10 hearing. An attorney for the firm, Donna McDonald, also failed to make sure the closed-doors deliberations were recorded, he said.
"It was not a good night," Braithwaite said. "We are fully responsible."
In an effort to set the record straight, the board plans to reconvene at 6 tonight at Campton Community Center, 5N082 Old LaFox Road, for the sole purpose of deliberating in public.
Last week's hearing centered on objections to election filings of village president candidate Robert Young and village clerk contender Carolyn Higgins. It resulted in Young being kicked off the Feb. 5 ballot.
At the hearing, the board deliberated privately in a back room, upon the advice of McDonald, then returned to public session to vote.
It wasn't until resident Robert Skidmore Jr. filed a complaint Dec. 11 with the Illinois attorney general that officials acknowledged state statute prohibits electoral boards from meeting in private. Municipalities also are required to keep verbatim records of closed-doors discussions.
Skidmore also alleged that Village President Patsy Smith, who agreed to not participate in the hearing because she is running for office, went into the closed session. But Smith and other officials said that didn't happen.
Founded in 1893, Arnstein & Lehr LLC has offices in Chicago and Hoffman Estates. The firm specializes in five areas of law, including local government, according to its Web site.
Related listings
-
Hughes & Luce merges with international law firm
Headline News 12/18/2007Texas law firm Hughes & Luce LLP will merge with international law firm Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Preston Gates Ellis LLP. Partners at both firms today voted to merge the two firms, creating a law firm of more than 1,500 lawyers in 23 offices lo...
-
California's emission-control law upheld on 1st test
Headline News 12/17/2007[##_1L|1305336780.jpg|width="120" height="118" alt=""|_##]California's first-in-the-nation effort to limit cars' emissions of gases that contribute to global warming took a big step forward Wednesday when a federal judge upheld the state's right to c...
-
Council to vote on Melton's law team
Headline News 12/17/2007The Jackson City Council on Tuesday could vote to hire an outside law firm to represent Mayor Frank Melton in two civil lawsuits. Melton said he hoped the council would agree to hire Jackson law firm Coxwell & Associates, which represented the ma...
Is Now the Time to Really Call a Special Education Lawyer?
IDEA, FAPE, CHILD FIND and IEPs: The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) guarantees all children with disabilities to a free appropriate public education (FAPE). FAPE starts with a school’s responsibility to identify that a child has a disability (Child Find) and create an Individualized Education Program (IEP) to suit the needs of the child.
Forte Law Group is one of only a very few law firms within the state of Connecticut that is dedicated to exclusively representing families and children with special needs.
Parents need to be persistent, dedicated and above all else aware of the many services and accommodations that their child is entitled to under the law. As early as this point within your child’s special education, many parents will often find themselves in the situation asking, “is now the time to really call a special education lawyer?” Here are a few things to consider when asking yourself that question.