Selection Of Ex-Burr Ridge Trustee Questioned

He sought police records on a critic of the mayor. Then the reports appeared on social media, the critic said.

Nov 10, 2023 3:07 pm CST | Updated Nov 10, 2023 3:09 pm CST

BURR RIDGE, IL – A critic of the Burr Ridge village government is questioning the appointment of a former village trustee to a committee that plans to examine the redevelopment of an industrial property.

Last week, the village revealed that former Trustee Bob Grela was one of the 11 members of the committee that is set to take the community’s feedback on the CNH industrial site at 6900 Veterans Boulevard.

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Resident Patricia Davis said she has never met or had any interaction with Grela. But in February 2021, Grela filed a public records request for any police incident reports involving Davis. He identified himself as a “retired trustee.”

Starting in late 2020, Davis was vocal in her opposition to Mayor Gary Grasso’s proposal to raise the mayor’s salary to $30,000, from $6,000.

The Village Board later decided to ask voters whether they wanted to raise the mayor’s pay to $12,000 a year. In April 2021, 58 percent of voters rejected the idea.

In an email last week to village officials, Davis said the police department provided Grela reports from 2017 and 2018 about her problems with a former boyfriend whom she alleged was stalking her

“Why did Grela (file a Freedom of Information Act request) for these reports? Did anyone (our mayor, perhaps?) put him up to it? What did he want to know? How did he know to include my Burr Ridge address?” Davis wrote to the officials, including the mayor.

Soon after, the reports appeared on local social media pages, Davis said. They most recently appeared in September.

“If Mr. Grela bears a grudge against me, I’ve no idea why. I couldn’t pick him out of a police line-up!” she said.

Given Grela’s actions on the police reports, Davis said, he should resign from the committee.

Patch left messages for comment with Grela through Facebook and Grasso by email. It could find no phone number or email address for Grela.