(a) No person shall retaliate against, punish, intimidate, discourage, threaten, or penalize any other person who serves or seeks to serve as a member of the Commission or District Councils, or participates or seeks to participate, in any capacity, in the work of the Commission or District Councils. No person shall knowingly interfere with or obstruct the Commission as the Commission carries out its powers and duties under this chapter.
(b) The Inspector General shall review all complaints alleging violations of this section pursuant to that Office's processes set forth in the Code.
(c) Any person who willfully violates this section shall be subject to a fine of not less than $1,000.00 and not more than $5,000.00 for each such offense, or imprisonment for a period of not less than 30 days and not more than six months, or both a fine and imprisonment. Each day that a violation continues shall constitute a separate and distinct offense. Actions seeking the imposition of a fine only shall be filed as quasi-criminal actions subject to the provisions of the Illinois Code of Civil Procedure. Actions seeking incarceration, or incarceration and a fine, shall be filed and prosecuted as misdemeanor actions under the procedure set forth in Section 1-2-1.1 of the Illinois Municipal Code, 65 ILCS 5/1-2-1.1.
(Added Coun. J. 7-21-21, p. 33219, § 2)