An Open Letter From The Participating Burr Ridge Trustees

The undersigned members of the Board of Trustees for the Village of Burr Ridge condemn the continued misstatements and falsehoods being made by Zach Mottl. We have voted to demand his resignation for repeated disruptive and demeaning behavior toward the Board, our police officers and staff. We now underscore that demand for Mottl’s immediate resignation for his admitted participation in “donations” to a now convicted Cook County Commissioner to obtain a large property tax reduction for his family’s business in Lyons as detailed below.

The Board of Trustees have been working steadily during the pandemic to figure out ways to support village businesses struggling under the enormous weight of the Covid-pandemic, while accomplishing our number one priority: keeping our Village residents safe. Rather than attend meetings and offer to productively work with the rest of the Board (without name-calling the Board, the Mayor, Staff, residents, or business owners), Mr. Mottl has failed to attend the majority of our meetings during this period. He refuses to follow the policy and procedures in place for our meetings during the pandemic, citing various excuses for his absences including the threat of Communist-China infiltrating our Zoom meetings. He has had the option to safely attend recent board meetings in the Covid-configured Board room, but did not use that option either. Instead, Mr. Mottl chooses to irresponsibly insert negativity and falsities into the community by way of personal narratives in The Patch. During this pandemic, Mr. Mottl has offered no suggestions or ideas to help our businesses and to keep our residents safe. Instead, he has offered only negativity, false statements, twisted innuendos, and fear mongering. That is the Mottl method of “representing” our community.

Given the reckless conduct of Mr. Mottl, we have no choice but to write and inform the residents and businesses of the facts.

The Mayor and Board are NOT subsidizing $600,000 to Burr Ridge Restaurants

Several of our businesses and restaurants from the Village Center and County Line Square attended the Economic Development Committee (“EDC”) meeting on September 2, 2020. The restaurants, with the help of a Burr Ridge business, made a presentation for a more permanent plan to allow outdoor dining through the winter. Some of our Village restaurants presented an economic plan that would cost THEM $600,000 to contemplate permanent tenting structures and additions. At no time did any of our restaurants request $600,000 from the Village of Burr Ridge. At no time did the EDC or Village of Burr Ridge offer to subsidize $600,000. Mr. Mottl misstated the facts in his letter to The Patch. This was a discussion phase at the EDC level. The EDC is an advisory body whose mission is to be an active partner with businesses, investors and residents. The EDC is made up of members of the business community of Burr Ridge, Mayor Gary Grasso and Trustee Tony Schiappa. The EDC performed its duty to listen to the presentation and provide constructive feedback. The minutes are available on the Village’s website. Noting many challenges with the restaurants’, plan the EDC recommended the Petitioners file a request for a Public Hearing, with the Plan Commission—another independent advisory body. Mr. Mottl knows all of this or should know all of this as a sitting Trustee. Instead, Mr. Mottl attempted to stir up fear and resident angst by spreading false rumors that the Village was funding the $600,000. This is not true.

Mr. Mottl does not own Property in Burr Ridge, Shop in Burr Ridge, or Eat in Burr Ridge

Mr. Mottl, by his own admission, has told the community that he sold “his” townhome, which was actually owned by his parents. They sold it this year and Mottl moved out. Mr. Mottl apparently has not, and does not, own any property in the village. It is not known if he actually lives here. He has publicly declared that he neither eats nor shops in Burr Ridge. He is the only Trustee that is not a member of any committees serving the Village and barely attends the Board Meetings as required. When he does attend meetings, he continues to indulge in name-calling and criticizing rather than offering solutions or creative ideas to help our Village move forward in a positive direction. He went so far recently as to condemn our police officers with exaggerated, unsubstantiated claims. Mr. Mottl appears to have no positive or vested interest in our community.

Mr. Mottl Demonstrates a Complete Lack of Support for the Burr Ridge Business Community

The undersigned do not believe Mr. Mottl is in sync with the current economic condition of our business district--especially since the pandemic took full force and effect. Rather than work with the Board, Mr. Mottl went to The Patch on September 4, 2020 to issue his uninformed opinion regarding the creation of a Business Development District for Burr Ridge. While staff, committees and the Board are investigating this recent proposal brought forth by Assistant Village Administrator Evan Walter, Mr. Mottl unilaterally declared this idea bad without the proper due diligence. He then goes on to make false accusations of the Mayor, Trustees, and of the business owners that the District would serve. The Business Development District idea includes a minimal increase in sales tax to consumers of the retail area of Burr Ridge (currently estimated at .5%) with the hope that the collection of added monies will promote increased tenant occupancy, retain existing businesses, generate new sales and help with infrastructure improvements. Many Burr Ridge businesses have already come forward and supported this as a positive idea to stimulate occupancy particularly in the Village Center. Regardless, the Board had already declared that we require resident input before we decide on the efficacy of this plan— Mr. Mottl knows this or should know this. Given our already very full political plate, which includes a national election and state Progressive Tax referendum, we decided to move slowly and cautiously in order to have the time to properly vet this issue---which includes multiple opportunities for public comment from our residents. We look forward to hearing the pros and cons of this idea and, as always, encourage our residents and business owners to attend upcoming board and committee meetings.

While other restaurants and businesses have shut down forever, your Village Board, sans Mr. Mottl, voted for a recovery program and then subsidized tent rentals for an approximate 11-week period to help them survive the pandemic. We have spent $125,000 from our hotel/motel tax fund, which is money that normally is spent on marketing our hotels at the airports and along the highways. Mr. Mottl knows, or should know, that spending $125,000 on airport and highway marketing during a pandemic, when no one was flying or driving, would have been a colossal waste of taxpayer money. Instead, the Board used the monies more wisely to assist the economic health of our village. Mr. Mottl chose to vote against this restaurant support, and then made false accusations against the Mayor, the Trustees, members of Staff, and local restaurant owners. He wants our fine restaurants to fail.

The Mayor and Board are NOT eliminating Local Sales Tax from Truck Sales

At our September 14th board meeting, we approved and welcomed M&T Truck Sales to Burr Ridge. M&T is taking the place of a restaurant location that has struggled and changed ownership several times over the years. Knowing that changing the use of that location is a loss of sales tax revenue to the Village, M&T agreed to make an annual payment of $10,000 to more than cover the loss of sales tax to the Village. No past restaurant has ever generated sales tax in the amount of M&T’s gracious offer of $10,000 to compensate the Village for the lost restaurant sales tax revenue.

As was stated at the Board meetings, the State of Illinois exempts the sale of heavy trucks from sales tax. Had Mr. Mottl attended these Board meetings, he would have known this critical fact. Since we are not a Home Rule Municipality, we have no authority to override this law and begin collecting sales tax. The state of Illinois exempts trucks from sales tax statewide – not the village. Mr. Mottl knows this or should know this fact and most certainly should not falsely suggest to the community that we are neglecting the collection of potential tax dollars.

M&T Truck Sales will be located adjacent to the following industrial Burr Ridge and Willowbrook businesses including, but not limited to: GTS Transportation, a commercial heliport, Donnelly Transportation, Saia Trucking Company, Compass Truck and Rental, Finkbiner Equipment Sales (heavy construction equipment), Burr Ridge Truck Repair and Lyons Truck Sales.

Mottl Pays Convicted Commissioner Tobolski for a Property Tax Break

And speaking of Lyons, the undersigned demands the immediate resignation of Mr. Mottl who has admitted to making a “donation” in exchange for a property tax break on his parents' business in Lyons, Illinois. https://www.bettergov.org/news/its-a-fixed-cost-thats-all-i-ask-a-politicians-pitch-for-campaign-cash. There have been many articles noting that Mr. Mottl admitted to making a “campaign donation” to former Mayor of McCook and Cook County Commissioner Jeff Tobolski in exchange for his support of a critical and lucrative property tax break for his parents’ business, Atlas Tool & Die of Lyons.

Mr. Mottl’s $750 donation resulted in an $870,000 tax break. Mottl admitted in February that he knew it was “very, very unethical” to make a “donation” in 2018 to now convicted Jeff Tobolski, while his application was before the Cook County Board. Yet Mottl did it anyway claiming he was “pressured”—however the reported facts show Mottl was prepared to pay-to-play for an $870,000 property tax reduction over 12 years for his family’s business. Those of you who live in Cook County, guess who foots the bill for that huge tax break—you do!

The article does not show any pressure – that’s a self-serving, convenient excuse Mottl offered after the fact. Mottl came forward and played the victim card only after Tobolski’s staff and office was raided by the FBI. Tobolski pled guilty to two counts of public corruption a few weeks ago and is now cooperating with the FBI. As the article notes, Mottl was “no political neophyte” and knew full well for what he was paying Tobloski for. The tax break for Atlas was approved about three weeks after the donation was made by Mottl. Mr. Mottl also admitted to cutting a side deal with the Lyons mayor to pay the Village of Lyons a fixed amount each year for its support of the tax break. That too seems improper.

Mr. Mottl has been belligerent, degrading, and hostile to the Village Trustees, the Mayor, Staff, our Police, volunteers, residents, businesses, business owners, and vendors. This is why the Board has unanimously censured him four (4) times in the last ten (10) months. If you attend our meetings or watch the recordings, you will see that he has no problem name-calling anyone and speaking up when someone disagrees with him. Mr. Mottl could have said NO, and SHOULD have said NO to Mr. Tobolski, but he chose to play.

Mr. Mottl did all this while he was a Burr Ridge Trustee. We demand – you should demand – that he immediately resign.

Sincerely,

Guy Franzese, Trustee, Village of Burr Ridge

Anita Mital, Trustee, Village of Burr Ridge

Al Paveza, Trustee, Village of Burr Ridge

Tony Schiappa, Trustee, Village of Burr Ridge

Joseph T. Snyder, Trustee, Village of Burr Ridge