Froehlich resigns from Schaumburg library board

Marilyn Froehlich, wife of Democratic state Rep. Paul Froehlich, has resigned from the Schaumburg Township District Library board, citing regular violations of the Illinois Open Meetings Act by her fellow trustees as the reason.

But board President Ruth Jonen refuted the charge, saying the mistake Marilyn Froehlich is reacting to was acknowledged and addressed in March - and that Froehlich hasn't attended a meeting since.

A strategic planning meeting the board scheduled in March wasn't properly posted for public notice, and Froehlich was the one who caught the oversight, Jonen acknowledged.

But that particular meeting was canceled and rescheduled. In April, the board invited its attorney to reexplain the law and lay out ways to avoid making similar mistakes, Jonen said.

However, Froehlich never attended that meeting or any since, Jonen said. Froehlich's Sept. 2 resignation letter was received a few days ago.

"The fact is we made a mistake, acknowledged it and went way beyond a reasonable effort to insure it doesn't happen again," Jonen said.

Froehlich also accused the library board of neither recording nor posting minutes of meetings, as required.

"I saw the writing on the wall when I saw no one there taking minutes," Froehlich said of the last meeting she attended. "I don't wish to participate in that kind of futility."

But Jonen said meetings have long been recorded to be transcribed later. Also, in recent months, a staff member has taken notes.

Froehlich said her relationship with most trustees remained spiky ever since a contract for the current cafe vendor at the central library was extended through 2018 - a measure approved over her objections the night before her election in 2007.

Her principal objection to the lengthy contract was that it wasn't opened up for bid.

Library officials at the time said they'd used previous vendors who couldn't stay in business, and didn't want to take another chance on failure.

Jonen said trustees will likely discuss at their Sept. 21 meeting how to fill the remainder of Froehlich's term, which ends in 2011.

Froehlich said the timing of her resignation has no relation to her husband's recent decision not to seek re-election.