Urbana Mayor Sends Police to Block Citizens from Attending Public Meeting

On March 23^rd, 2020, the Urbana City Council held a meeting that brought scrutiny from citizens. Urbana City Mayor Diane Wolfe Marlin directly and willfully violated 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 Marlin, after she ask the City Council gave the Mayor executive powers to hold such closed meetings. It is not clear why Marlin, who was required to take Open Meetings Act training for her elected position, did not speak up or take any issue with the decision.

A full article about the March 23^rd meeting, including Marlin’s 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