East Central Reporter

The Village of Rochester is set to hold a special meeting this evening to address a federal civil rights lawsuit linked to the actions of Mayor Suerdieck. The agenda, which has not been publicly posted on the village's website, indicates that the village plans to settle the lawsuit brought against them due to the mayor's conduct.

The settlement in question pertains to "RES 24-32 Ratifying a Settlement Agreement pertaining to Henry’s on Main, LLC v. Village of Rochester, et al., Central District of Illinois Case Number 2024-cv-3040." This agreement includes authorizing payment and other related actions. The estimated cost for taxpayers is approximately $175,000.

In previous court proceedings, there were critical remarks regarding Mayor Suerdieck's behavior. The court denied an "absolute immunity" claim by both the president and village. It was noted that “Suerdieck’s decision could also be interpreted as being motivated by personal considerations given that Plaintiff’s principal, Mark Clemens, evicted the prior license holder, Surdieck’s son.” During a Village Board meeting prior to Suerdieck's decision, Clemens described the process as “corrupt from the beginning,” which Suerdieck later called “disparaging,” “rotten,” and inaccurate. Subsequently, Suerdieck testified that Clemens lacked character for holding a liquor license.

The judge compared Suerdieck’s denial of Clemens’ application for a liquor license with past cases where officials harassed plaintiffs for personal gain. This comparison raises questions about whether further action can be taken against Mayor Suerdieck by the board.

The meeting will take place at 7 pm at the Rochester Community Center and will be live-streamed for public viewing.