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Effort to remove mayor’s ‘Belvidere wins’ ads from city bills fails after council debate
Summary
Alderman Freeman and constituents objected to two taxpayer-funded ads placed by the mayor praising the reopening of the Stellantis plant; an amendment to remove those charges from city expenditures failed in a roll-call vote after debate about contract risk and whether the ads were political.
Alderman Freeman urged the Belvidere City Council on Feb. 17 to remove two quarter-page newspaper ads from the city’s bills, saying constituents wanted to know "if their taxpayer dollars went to pay for these ads" that read "Belvidere wins" and thanked Stellantis, the UAW and then‑President Trump. Freeman said residents viewed the ads as an inappropriate use of public funds in an election year.
The mayor responded that he wrote and paid for the ad placement "on behalf of the city of Belvidere," describing the reopening of the Stellantis plant as "a win for Belvidere" and defending the messaging as a unifying civic statement. The mayor said he had long advocated for reopening the plant and called the criticism a "smear."
Council members pressed procedural and legal questions. The city’s staff attorney (S11) cautioned that if the ads had already been printed and the city refused payment, the city could face breach‑of‑contract claims and harm relationships with local newspapers that publish public notices. The attorney also noted that many relatively small expenditures fall within the mayor’s discretionary authority and withholding payment could expose the city to legal risk.
Alderman Albertini and others said the ads largely repeated widely reported news and questioned whether taxpayer money should be used to reiterate information already in the media while the city is working on its budget. Alderman Brereton supported removing the line items.
A motion by Alderman Verda to remove the two ad charges from the expenditures carried a roll-call vote. Albertini abstained; Brereton voted aye; Aldermen Flurry, Frank, Grahamkowski, McGee, Peterson and Stevens voted nay; Alderman Freeman voted aye. The amendment failed and the items remained in the bills. After the failed amendment, council approved the full general and special fund expenditures as presented.
The meeting record does not show the exact invoice amounts for the two ads; council members asked staff to confirm payment status and amounts if further review is requested. The council did not take any formal disciplinary action or refer the matter to an ethics body during the meeting.
