Married Illinois lawmaker releases kiss video after rival 'threatened to drop it if she quit her campaign'
Lyons Township Clerk Elyse Hoffenberg, 51, has released surveillance footage showing Bridgeview Mayor Steven Landek, 70, taking her face in both hands and kissing her on the lips for around two seconds inside her township office after hours on 13 July. Hoffenberg, a Democrat running for Cook County Board District 17, describes the moment as a 'lighthearted, friendly and non-romantic moment among colleagues' and says she immediately told Landek it was 'inappropriate and unprofessional.' The footage drew over 100,000 views within hours of going public, yet has prompted scepticism — slow-motion review shows Hoffenberg smiling once it ends and apparently reaching for Landek's hand as he walks away. Her husband, Jeff Hoffenberg, is a managing partner at a Chicago law firm, and the couple have multiple children together.
Hoffenberg accuses Republican rival Liz Gorman and Lyons Township Supervisor Chris Getty of threatening to leak the video unless she ended her campaign.
The footage contradicts her earlier description of a 'peck' — Landek turned, cupped her face in both hands and held the kiss for two seconds, with both smiling afterwards.
Gorman denied the extortion allegations, while Hoffenberg faces Gorman for the District 17 seat vacated by Republican Commissioner Sean Morrison.