On March 23rd, 2020, the Urbana City Council held a meeting that brought scrutiny from citizens. Urbana City Council member Dennis Roberts 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 Roberts and the rest of the City Council gave Marlin executive powers to hold such closed meetings. It is not clear why Roberts, who was required to take Open Meetings Act training for his elected position, did not speak up or take any issue with the decision.
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
