Villa Park City Council Removes Community TV Board Member

In a hotly debated vote, a City Council majority removed Wayne Silzel, a former mayor and councilman, from the board of directors of the nonprofit Villa Park Community Access Television Corp.

The move last week comes after months of allegations that Silzel gave a question or altered questions to a candidate at a Villa Park Women’s League event during last year’s City Council election.

Silzel, a former mayor and councilman, had served several years on the board of the Villa Park Community Access Television Corp. which is elected by the council but acts independently to provide service to the city.

“It was a difficult decision, but it was not something I could look away from,” said Mayor Barry L. Denes, who voted in favor of removing Silzel.

Councilman Bob Bell cast the lone dissenting vote. “Mr. Silzel is an outspoken individual, and he and those on the board have clashed before,” Bell said.

Silzel said he doesn’t have a clear picture of why the council sought his removal.

Council members, on the recommendation of the community access board president, voted unanimously to replace Silzel with Teri Elmendorf. Her term ends in September 1998.