On March 23rd, 2020, the Urbana City Council held a meeting that brought scrutiny from citizens. Urbana City Council member Bill Brown took part in violating the Illinois Open Meetings Act by holding a meeting that did not allow for public access or public input. The meeting was held behind locked doors at the direction of Mayor Diane Wolfe Marlin, after Brown and the rest of the City Council gave Marlin executive powers to hold such closed meetings. Brown, who was required to take Open Meetings Act training for his elected position, did raise the issue at the March 16th Urbana City Council meeting, but he ultimately abandoned his principles.
A full article about the March 23rd meeting, including the use of Urbana Police to direct citizens to leave the City Building, can be found here: Urbana City Council Locks Out Citizens, Violates Open Meetings Act
