Cook County clerk sued over withheld kiss-cam video

Five business days is the standard window the state sets for public agencies to respond to records requests, a deadline Lyons Township missed by weeks. The gap triggered a lawsuit filed in Cook County Circuit Court on Sept. 28 by Judicial Watch, a Washington, D.C., nonprofit.

The legal action centers on video footage from July 13. Surveillance cameras in the Lyons Township government offices in Countryside captured Elyse Hoffenberg, the township clerk, sharing a kiss after hours with Bridgeview Mayor Steve Landek. Hoffenberg, a Democrat from La Grange, is currently running for a seat on the Cook County Board. She faces Republican Liz Gorman in the general election held Tuesday.

Landek holds several political roles that connect him to local power structures. He serves as the Lyons Township Democratic committeeman and previously held a seat in the Illinois Senate. He is also a longtime ally of Michael Madigan, the former Illinois House Speaker who has been convicted of crimes.

Gorman, an Orland Park resident, learned of the encounter and requested the video under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act. Hoffenberg initially refused to release the full file. She later provided a selected clip to news outlets, describing the kiss as inappropriate but non-romantic. Gorman argued that the setting, a government building, made the interaction improper regardless of its intent.

Judicial Watch stepped into the dispute on Aug. 31 when it sent its own request for the records. The township did not reply to that email. The lawsuit filed on Sept. 28 alleged that the township violated the state statute by failing to acknowledge receipt or provide the documents within the required timeframe. The filing stated that the defendant received the emailed request on the same day it was sent but failed to respond in any way up to that point.

In recent days, the dynamic shifted after Hoffenberg’s office sent a letter to Judicial Watch’s attorney. The letter described the earlier silence as an unintentional administrative oversight. Hoffenberg’s office provided some of the requested information and asked the plaintiff to consider voluntarily dismissing the parts of the case that sought records already turned over. The letter invited the group to discuss a resolution to avoid further litigation costs.

It remains unclear if the newly disclosed files cover everything Judicial Watch originally asked for. The group has not commented on the status of the case. Gorman believes the delay in releasing the records was a strategic move to protect Hoffenberg’s campaign during the final weeks before the election.

Gorman stated that the legal fees required to defend the township will now be paid by taxpayers. The law firm representing Lyons Township includes Burt Odelson. Odelson has worked for Lyons Mayor Chris Getty on both governmental and political matters.

Getty, who serves as township supervisor and is running for Congress as an independent in Tuesday’s election, is a political rival of Hoffenberg. She has accused him of leaking the initial footage to Gorman’s campaign team. Getty has denied that he released the video to her camp.