An Epic Political Flip-Flop? Elmhurst Park Official Says No

ELMHURST, IL – When Elmhurst park officials recommend a measure, they might not actually support it.

At least not this week.

During Monday's meeting, the park board's president, Kevin Graf, sought to explain that his latest recommendation wasn't really just that.

In a memo last week, Graf, along with the Elmhurst Park District's executive director, recommended that the board place an advisory referendum on the ballot. (The district had already rejected a citizens' petition with the same wording, arguing state law barred such a process.)

With the referendum, voters would have been asked whether they favored a bandshell on Wilder Mansion's east lawn.

In January, a 4-3 majority, including Kevin Graf, approved the east lawn site, which the district's earlier survey indicated residents overwhelmingly opposed.

Graf's support for a referendum, which wouldn't bind the board, signaled a board majority may approve it, which Patch reported.

But it turns out he opposed the measure.

An epic political flip-flop? No, Graf asserted.

"There are some misconceptions that have been published regarding this agenda item," Graf said before the debate. "I want to clarify that placing this item on the agenda should not be understood as a change in position on the citizens' petition or the district's prior legal determination."

He continued, "The item is before the board to address the only available procedural path for the board to act, and that is if an advisory question is considered for the ballot, it must be placed there for board action under the Illinois park code."

He provided the number for what he said was the relevant provision under state law. The provision allows the board to place a question on the ballot, but says nothing about requiring a board president or any other official recommending such a measure to get a vote.

In response to Patch's inquiry, the district's executive director, Jim Rogers, said all recommendations are phrased in the affirmative to provide a mechanism for the board to discuss and vote.

"As I am not an elected official and do not vote, whether I support the item being presented is not relevant to the procedure," Rogers said.

Patch could identify no advisory referendums in park districts, but it found binding questions involving tax hikes, like Elmhurst's in 2024.

On Aug. 5, 2024, the local park board voted on a referendum for the following November, but Patch could find no memo associated with the item. The board apparently voted without a written recommendation from Rogers, Graf or anyone else.

The same year, the park district in La Grange put a similar tax increase on the ballot. Neither the staff nor any park board member suggested the measure. The staff merely recommended a discussion and consensus.

In the last couple of years, Naperville, Oak Park and Northfield placed tax increases on the ballot. In those cases, their staffs recommended putting the questions before voters. No board presidents or members joined in the recommendations.

At Monday's Elmhurst park board meeting, members heard comments from residents before the referendum discussion.

Resident Andrea Hutchinson, who was among the petitioners who turned in nearly 1,200 signatures for the referendum, praised Graf and Rogers' recommendation. She said she appreciated what they did.

"We respectfully ask you to follow Jim Rogers and Board President Graf's recommendation and vote yes on this resolution and let the voters decide," Hutchinson said.

The board did not follow the so-called recommendation. It voted 5-2 against it.