By Illinois Review
Lyons Township Clerk Elyse Hoffenberg is facing new scrutiny after a government ethics watchdog said a campaign video filmed during a taxpayer-funded township event may have violated rules governing the use of public resources for political activity.
Patch reported Wednesday that Hoffenberg posted a 33-second video to her campaign YouTube page recently featuring footage from Lyons Township’s free STEM Camp, held August 10-14 at the township office in Countryside.
The video shows Hoffenberg speaking directly to the camera while students work behind her, includes footage of children using computers and ends with her campaign logo.
The video also raises questions about whether children attending a taxpayer-funded STEM camp were used as a backdrop for Hoffenberg’s political campaign.
Hoffenberg is the Democratic nominee for Cook County Board District 17, where she is running against Republican Liz Gorman.
According to Patch, the footage was recorded during an official township event that Hoffenberg hosted in her capacity as clerk – raising questions about campaign activity taking place during government business, inside a taxpayer-funded building and at a taxpayer-funded event.
Alisa Kaplan, executive director of Reform for Illinois, told Patch that Hoffenberg “shouldn’t have done that” and said the video appeared to repurpose an official township event for campaign purposes.
Kaplan noted that the event, venue and Hoffenberg’s time were publicly funded and said the conduct most likely violated ethics rules restricting the use of government resources for political activity.
Patch reported that Hoffenberg did not respond to a request for comment.
The episode raises several unanswered questions: Who recorded the campaign footage? Were any township employees or government equipment involved? And did campaign work occur during compensated government time?
The new controversy comes as Hoffenberg is already under intense scrutiny over the now-infamous surveillance footage showing her and Bridgeview Mayor Steven Landek kissing inside her township office after hours.
That video became the most-watched video in Illinois Review history, drawing more than 1.6 million views across Illinois Review’s Facebook and X accounts.
The story also exploded nationally and internationally, with coverage from the New York Post, Daily Mail, Hindustan Times, The Times of India and Barstool Sports – outlets with a combined estimated monthly reach of more than 230 million readers worldwide.
Hoffenberg, who is married, previously described the encounter with Landek as a “peck” and a “lighthearted, friendly and non-romantic moment.”
Now Hoffenberg is facing scrutiny over her conduct both after hours and during official business hours at the township office.
The earlier controversy involved her after-hours kiss with Landek inside her government office. The latest raises questions about whether a taxpayer-funded event, government space and children attending a township STEM camp were improperly incorporated into her political campaign.
For Hoffenberg, the questions are no longer limited to what happened inside her government office after hours – they now extend to what she was doing there during the workday.
