I can’t remember the last time I saw a public official walk out of an executive session because he or she thought what was being discussed was not exempted from the Open Meetings Act.
McHenry County College Trustee Scott Summers did it twice at Monday night’s Committee of the Whole meeting.
Making it more significant than a layman’s walking out, Summers is an attorney.
The only one on the college board.
Summers signaled his displeasure before the board voted to go behind closed doors.
One purpose cited was “the setting of a price of a piece of land (to) purchase or lease or discuss whether a…”
At this point, I couldn’t keep up.
“It’s Mr. (John) McGuire’s proposal we’re considering. We’re considering acquiring rights of his real estate,” Summers said in open session.
Continuing, “It’s an easement in the future. I have my misgivings about being in closed session about it. I shall vote ‘No’ against going into closed session for this purpose.”
And, he did.
There were two exemption sections cited for the secret meeting: Section 1 and 6. Section 1 apparently has something to with a complaint that has been filed against an employee or legal counsel.
The legal counsel at the meeting was Sandy Kerrick, whose non-competitively bid billing Summers has questioned previously.
“Legal Services” was listed on the agenda during the open meeting, but moved to the closed session for some reason.
So, exiled taxpayers Iris Bryan and I stood in the hall for about an hour and fifteen minutes while the other six citizen-elected and one student-elected board members discussed a lease.
In the public comment period at the beginning of the meeting, I asked that the board require the revelation of all of those having beneficial interests in any future lease. That is the case with anyone selling property to a public body in Illinois.
Of course, I didn’t know the board would later be discussing a lease.
The foundation guy came out at 9:24 to get Summers for the second item to be discussed.
Two minutes later Summers was again walking out the board room door.
The meeting ended at 9:44.
I asked Summers why he left the second time.
“It was a a matter concerning litigation that I believe did not fall under the Open Meetings’ exemption again,” he replied.
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You can see McHenry County College Trustee Scott Summers leaving the secret MCC meeting on top and returning an hour an fifteen minutes later to stay about two minutes before leaving again. The map at the top was pointed to by both MCC Trustees Scott Summers and George Lowe in their top secret, hush, hush meeting about the tower.
You can see the two power point slides of which I took pictures above as well. Click to enlarge them.