A Harvey City Council meeting scheduled for Monday was canceled with only three hours notice, continuing a trend of City Council meetings being called off with little or no explanation. Harvey’s second City Council meeting of the month was scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday, and was set to be preceded by a public forum at 6 p.m. Second Ward Ald. Colby Chapman shared on social media that a notice both meetings were canceled was sent out at 3:35 p.m. “These meetings are a critical part of local government and public oversight,” Chapman said in her post. “Canceling them especially on short notice limits resident participation, delays city business, and raises transparency concerns, particularly during a time when Harvey is facing financial distress and residents are seeking answers.” A spokesperson for the city declined to comment on the cancellation. One item on the agenda was a settlement agreement for a lawsuit brought by local activist Ryan Sinwelski, who runs the Harvey Historical Society. Sinwelski sued the city last May over failures to respond to Freedom of Information Act requests he made in 2024, according to court records. “A lot of times, the only way we can get any answers is through FOIA,” Sinwelski said in a livestream Monday night. “And a lot of times, Harvey still doesn’t answer the FOIAs, so you have to try to sue or get the public access counselors through the attorney general to help. So this one had to come to a lawsuit.” There were three unanswered FOIA requests at issue in the lawsuit, according to court documents. The most substantial request was seeking records related to the acquisition and transfer of deeds by the city. Harvey eventually did respond to the requests, though well outside the timeframe required by FOIA, Sinwelski said. FOIA requests are supposed to be answered within five business days. His FOIA request regarding deed transfers was filed June 27, 2024, and the city provided responsive records Aug. 8, 2025, more than a year later, according to the settlement agreement. “They did eventually send some of the deeds,” Sinwelski said. “At the end of the day I still don’t think it’s a complete list.” If the settlement agreement is approved by the City Council, the city will pay $5,500 dollars to settle the lawsuit. Sinwelski said that money is going entirely to his law firm, Loevy Loevy, as they worked on contingency. “I don’t get paid from that,” Sinwelski said. “That goes to the lawyers.” Violations of FOIA have also been central to still-ongoing legal proceedings involving former Dolton mayor Tiffany Henyard. The Illinois attorney general’s office received more than 50 complaints of Dolton ignoring or denying records requests under Henyard’s administration. Scheduled City Council meetings were not held in Harvey in November and December, following the city’s declaration of financial distress and mass layoffs in October. Harvey City Council meetings are scheduled for the second and fourth Monday of each month, according to the city’s website. A City Council meeting was held Jan. 12, though Mayor Christopher Clark was not in attendance. [email protected] ...read more read less