Trustee Zach Mottl Costs Burr Ridge over $60,000 in FOIA requests

I am shocked to have received the following information from the Village of Burr Ridge in a memo prepared by Evan Walter, Interim Village Administrator, dated February 10, 2021:

“At the February 8, 2021 Board meeting, Trustee Snyder asked staff to quantify the financial cost to the Village related to Trustee Mottl’s FOIA requests and other legal matters initiated by either Trustee Mottl or his legal counsel….

From October 1, 2019 through December 31, 2020, the following information is provided:

• Spent $25,635 with Storino, Romello, and Durkin (SRD – the Village Attorney’s office) in responding to and managing FOIA requests
• Spent $15,425 with SRD responding to and managing other legal matters initiated by Trustee Mottl
• An additional 350 hours of staff time has estimated to be spent managing these requests internally. At $55/hour, this equates to $19,250 in additional in-kind resources.

In total, the Village has expended $60,310 in responding to these matters in the corresponding period.” (emphasis added)

Mr. Walters also confirmed that Trustee Mottl is not required to file a FOIA request to obtain information that is relevant to his role as Trustee. In an email dated February 10, 2021, Mr. Walters further states: “I am not aware of any instance where Trustee Mottl has been deprived of any requests for information made in advance of public meeting, vote, agenda item, etc. that would be relevant to his ability to perform his duties as a Trustee.

So why are we taxpayers footing a $60,000 FOIA bill? If you have been paying attention to the Burr Ridge Board meetings, you know that Mottl has been making unsubstantiated claims and accusations since he lost the mayoral election. For two years, he has been on a delusional inquisition---at our financial expense and at the expense of our Village’s reputation.

If you haven’t been watching the actual Board meetings, you are probably getting a slanted narrative through his manipulation of the media. Mottl is a master spin doctor. You see, I watch and participate in most Village Board meetings and it saddens me to see that this Trustee makes a mockery of our board room, only to indulge himself, which ultimately creates the controversial headlines that we read.

The narcissist of the board room has gotten his attention, but sadly, the village, which I call home and love, has been collateral damage—caused by the relationship Mottl has with the Burr Ridge media. As I write this, I find it equally preposterous that the media has failed to report on the reckless conduct of this disturbed Trustee.

In full disclosure, I have been verbally abused and humiliated by Trustee Mottl so there is no love lost here. Trustee Mottl in a childish display-that only illustrates his lack of control-made disgusting and obscene comments targeted at me as I tried to participate in the village meeting. For this and a million other reasons that are embarrassing to Burr Ridge, I urge my neighbors to deny Mottl this stage by NOT voting for him or his running mate, on April 6th.