Story posted Friday, February 5, 2010
Aldermen Squirm Over Sims Story Leak
By TODD WESSELL Journal & Topics Editor
Two days after an exclusive Dec. 11, 2009 Journal & Topics newspaper article revealed publicly for the first time that the City of Des Plaines was strongly interested in buying the downtown Sims Bowl property, an aggressive movement began to take shape to discover how the local newspaper obtained that information.
At least three aldermen expressed concern about the leak with one, Matt Bogusz (3d), asking about the possibility of submitting a written Freedom of Information request to obtain email and text message records of fellow council members and certain city staff members to see if any had been in contact with the Journal & Topics. Discussion about holding a behind the scenes executive session on Dec. 21 ensued with two other aldermen, Patti Haugeberg (1st) and Jean Higgason, asking then City Manager Jason Bajor to help arrange a closed meeting on the subject, according to an email obtained by the Journal. But before the closed meeting could be organized, Bogusz informed Bajor that he now did not want to conduct an executive session following a conversation he had with Mayor Marty Moylan.
Bogusz's inquiries about how details of the city's intent to buy the Sims property became public are outlined in a six paragraph Dec. 13 email authored by Bajor to Moylan that was recently obtained by the Journal & Topics through the state's Freedom of Information Act.
As reported in the newspaper on Dec. 11, aldermen agreed on Monday, Dec. 7 during an executive session to move forward with negotiations to purchase the Sims property at 1555 Ellinwood St. City officials believed they could buy the property, which was placed in foreclosure in June, at a cheap price of less than $1 million. The idea was to buy the property and demolish the bowling alley and adjacent Depot Restaurant and cocktail lounge operated for 55 years by the Caparelli family. The city would transform the land into a parking garage and over time acquire connecting property to the east with the goal of eventually selling it to a developer. As reported in the Journal two weeks ago, three developers have expressed interest in building a mixed-use project there that would consist of commercial and residential units. When news of the city's interest in buying the property became public, many residents expressed outrage---not with the information becoming public, but with the five aldermen who approved the large expense during a severe economic recession when 38 city jobs were recently eliminated.
In another email obtained by the Journal & Topics, Ald. Haugeberg on Dec. 10 expressed frustration after learning that the Journal was about to publish a story on the city's potential purchase of the Sims property.
"He (Journal & Topics Editor Todd Wessell) knew everything that was discussed in exec. session," wrote Haugeberg to Bogusz. "There goes our bargaining. The unethical behavior by a fellow council member is really unacceptable and very discouraging to me. Whoever is doing this is really compromising the city and anything we would like to do."
City Council members two weeks ago approved purchasing the Sims property for $832,000. Voting "no" were Aldermen Bogusz, Rosemary Argus (8th) and Dan Wilson (7th).
Bogusz late last week denied wanting to hold an executive session on the matter. He also said he had no intention of submitting a Freedom of Information request to obtain the emails and text messages of fellow aldermen and city staff members in an attempt to find out who may have tipped off the newspaper.
"I just wanted to know the options," said Bogusz. "When I found out no laws were broken, I dropped it." In Bajor's email to Moylan, he wrote that City Attorney Dave Wiltse said no crime had been committed by any city official concerning the Sims information becoming public.
"We never had an executive session," continued Bogusz who earlier said, "I think it's regrettable when elected officials disrespect the trust of the voters and release information that could hurt the city. That said, I think we do far too many things in executive session and residents have every right to have the info we are privy to." He added that his whole intention on the Sims leak concerned his desire to protect the city.
"I don't think the story caused problems or did any damage," Bogusz added. "Before I began with the city council I did my homework. In the past, there have been things that have appeared in the papers that have influenced negotiations regarding personnel matters and pending litigation. I don't want history to repeat itself. Nothing bad happened.
"At no point did I say I would ask for records through a Freedom of Information request. Nor did I even suggest that I would do that. At no point was I interested in garnering email records from aldermen. We're all a team here and we have to act like it. We have to get back on track. It's incorrect to say I was going to ask for the records."
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