The Village of Burr Ridge will likely take up some sort of action on the ongoing Gaza and Israeli war at their next meeting, on April 8.
Burr Ridge Mayor Gary Grasso said he would support a board vote on a ceasefire resolution or at least welcome a chance for trustees to air their opinions on the matter if they wished.
The Israel-Hamas war continues since Hamas fighters attacked Israel in October, killing over 1,000 people and taking about 250 hostages. Since then, Israeli attacks in Gaza have reportedly killed 32,000 people and the conflict shows no signs of a permanent ceasefire, let alone a peace negotiation, while civilians along the Gaza strip have limited access to food and medicine.
In March, during both Burr Ridge village meetings, crowds of supporters of a ceasefire attended the meetings and asked the mayor and board to pass a ceasefire resolution. The resolution of course would be nonbinding and thus largely symbolic, but it would also follow numerous other, similar resolutions passed by elected leadership in cities across the US, including in Chicago. At the first meeting in March, those who spoke identified themselves as Muslims, though at the second meeting, some people identified themselves as Jewish and Christian as well.
Even so, the board and mayor have made no comments from the boardroom. However, in a recent interview, Grasso said he could foresee something coming from leadership at the April 8 meeting.
“As my perspective as mayor, there’s some interest in making a statement whether there’s a resolution or trustees make a statement or I might make a statement,” Grasso said. “We have residents who do feel strongly on this and we are their elected representatives.”
That said, he added he would not support any partisan resolution that blamed either side in the conflict or the United States, which has faced growing criticism for political inaction. Rather, Grasso said, he wanted something that supported the interest of civilians.
“It’ll be focused on the loss of life, the loss of life of children,” he said. “Israel had the moral high ground as a result of what happened on Oct. 7 but I believe that moral high ground might be eroding.”
Nationally, both Democrat and Republican leadership have made similar statements and at least publicly, none of the public speakers urged for anything more partisan than a resolution supporting a ceasefire in the interest of allowing food and other aid into Gaza.
Behind the scenes, Grasso said he hasn’t heard much from constituents outside of what’s been said during the meetings.
“Aside from the people who have spoken in the board rooms, I have not received any other calls,” he said, though he added he did expect that, should there be an agenda item next week, he would hear more.
“There will be something about it, is my guess. I have not yet talked to all six trustees, but I think there’s some sentiment to do something in the April 8 meeting.”
That meeting’s agenda will be public by the end of the week and the meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the Village Hall.
Jesse Wright is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
