By Illinois Review
A political battle inside Lyons Township is escalating just months before Election Day, as Democratic Township Clerk Elyse Hoffenberg pushes for an emergency board meeting amid a dispute over surveillance footage sought by her Republican opponent.
Hoffenberg, the Democratic candidate for Cook County Board’s 17th District, is facing former Cook County Commissioner Elizabeth “Liz” Doody Gorman, a Republican, in the November election.
At the center of the controversy is an after-hours encounter between Hoffenberg and Bridgeview Mayor and former Democratic State Sen. Steven Landek inside the Lyons Township government building.
Patch reported Monday that Gorman said she had not personally viewed the surveillance footage but had been told it showed what she described as a “romantic kiss” between Hoffenberg and Landek.
Hoffenberg acknowledged that a kiss occurred but characterized it as a “peck.” She said she immediately told Landek the interaction was inappropriate and unprofessional and that he apologized.
Hoffenberg is married.
The footage itself has not yet been publicly released. But according to sources familiar with the recording, Hoffenberg and Landek entered her private township office at approximately 5:38 p.m. on July 13 and remained behind closed doors for more than an hour.
Sources tell Illinois Review that the two emerged at approximately 6:42 p.m., embraced and kissed, then left the building.
The controversy began after Gorman filed a Freedom of Information Act request on August 3 seeking surveillance footage from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. between July 6 and July 20.
Hoffenberg, who handles FOIA requests for the township, denied the request as “unduly burdensome,” saying it involved more than 100 hours of footage.
Gorman later narrowed the request to two specific after-hours windows, including 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on July 13.
The dispute intensified after Township Supervisor Chris Getty downloaded selected surveillance recordings while the footage was being gathered in response to the FOIA request.
Hoffenberg has accused Getty of improperly accessing the recordings and is seeking an independent investigation into alleged harassment, retaliation and improper surveillance.
Three of the township’s four trustees called an emergency meeting for 5 p.m. Monday at the township offices in Countryside.
Getty has denied wrongdoing.
“The cameras were installed at the Clerk’s direction to the security company,” Getty told Patch. “The township has not released the requested video footage. It is imperative the township clerk follows the law when a records request is made.”
On Sunday, Hoffenberg also filed a complaint with the Illinois Attorney General’s office seeking an investigation.
The controversy now places an unusual FOIA battle directly in the middle of a competitive Cook County Board race.
Hoffenberg and Gorman are running for the 17th District seat currently held by Republican Sean Morrison, who is not seeking re-election.
The seat has become increasingly important for Cook County Republicans as Democrats maintain overwhelming control of county government.
Morrison has also drawn criticism from conservatives in recent years, including for joining a unanimous County Board vote to reallocate $70 million from migrant health care to food service for new illegal immigrant arrivals in Chicago.
Now, with Morrison stepping aside, the race between Gorman and Hoffenberg gives Republicans an opportunity to hold one of their remaining seats on the Cook County Board, while Democrats seek to expand their already dominant majority.
What began as a records request has now turned into a political fight involving an emergency meeting, allegations of improper surveillance and an after-hours kiss that both sides now acknowledge occurred — while disagreeing over the nature of the encounter and what the unreleased video ultimately shows.
The election is November 3, 2026.
