Lyons Township Investigation Pushed; Harassment, Retaliation Alleged

LA GRANGE, IL – The Lyons Township board is holding an emergency meeting Monday to vote on an independent investigation into alleged surveillance, harassment and political retaliation, an official said Saturday.

The issue appear to involve the township's elected supervisor, Chris Getty, who is also the Lyons mayor and an independent congressional candidate. He disputed with the allegations against him.

The township's elected clerk, Elyse Hoffenberg, emailed a meeting agenda early Friday evening. The agenda said the meeting met the qualifications of an emergency under the state's open meetings law.

In an email to Patch, Hoffenberg said three of the four township trustees, David Imielski, Candice Mares and Miriam Cruz, called the meeting. It is set for 5 p.m. Monday at the township's office, 6404 Joliet Road in Countryside.

In June, Hoffenberg said, two cameras were installed inside the clerk's office, while none were put in other township offices. Democrat Hoffenberg is facing Republican Liz Gorman in the November election for the Cook County Board's District 17 seat.

"After my political opponent, Liz Doody Gorman, narrowed a (Freedom of Information Act) request to after-hours footage of me working alone, I discovered Supervisor Chris Getty had downloaded footage that was never released," Hoffenberg said.

She continued, "Given years of alleged harassment and retaliation, the Board should determine why Getty accessed the footage, who received or viewed it, and whether Township resources were used for surveillance, cyberbullying, or political retaliation, including any connection to Gorman."

The meeting agenda states the board will vote on the preservation of security camera footage, access logs, electronic materials and metadata.

The board also plans to vote on an independent investigation to look into whether the access and dissemination of records was coordinated for harassment, bullying, cyberbullying, political retaliation, or harm to someone.

Additionally, the board is set to vote on a new law firm, Burke Burns & Pinelli, as the independent counsel.

Asked about the issue, Getty said in an email, "The cameras were installed at the Clerk’s direction to the security company. The township has not released the requested video footage. It is imperative the township clerk follows the law when a records request is made.”

Gorman could not be reached for immediate comment Saturday morning.

Holding two elected positions, Getty has collected hundreds of thousands in campaign donations from companies that do business with the township and the village of Lyons. His campaign recently bought a car with the money.

Getty makes full-time salaries at both jobs, totaling $160,000. His pay has increased dramatically in recent years.