Kankakee Times

Manteno’s new mayor, Annette LaMore, a vocal critic of the Gotion lithium-ion battery plant, recently refused to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) during a visit to the company’s facility.

LaMore said she wasn’t allowed beyond the entryway at the before being told she would need to sign an NDA to proceed further.

“I was asked to sign an NDA and I refused," LaMore told the Kankakee Times. 

Several residents speculated that former Mayor Tim Nugent’s refusal to discuss the plant was due to an NDA. 

LaMore, accompanied by a trustee during the visit, emphasized the importance of openness in her administration, noting she was elected on a platform focused on transparency.

"I ran for this election on being very open and transparent, and there's no way I'm going to sign an NDA." 

During the visit, LaMore informed the plant managers that she would not sign anything that could restrict the free flow of information between her and her constituents.

"I am not keeping any secrets and I'm very open and transparent,” she said. “So if you either want me to see your plant or you don't. But today, obviously, because I won't sign this NDA, today's not the day." 

LaMore said that afterward, Gotion representatives contacted her, stating they would allow her and the entire village board to visit without requiring an NDA.

"They've called me back since then and they want us to come back and they said, ‘we won't have to sign an NDA and you can bring the whole board with you,’" she said. 

Many Manteno residents have expressed frustration over former mayor Tim Nugent’s reluctance or inability to publicly address concerns about the proposed $2 billion Gotion battery plant. 

The plant received a green light under Nugent’s oversight. 

Gotion purchased the former Kmart distribution center located on Spruce Street in Manteno in 2023 for $137.4 million, with plans to develop a $2 billion lithium-ion battery manufacturing plant.

Despite widespread local opposition and a pending lawsuit, the Gotion project was approved by the Manteno Planning Commission in 2023. 

Local resident Bob Forsyth criticized Nugent and other village officials for avoiding open dialogue with the community.

“(Nugent) sits up in front of us and doesn’t answer a question. I have a real problem with that,” Nugent told the Kankakee Times in 2023. 

Forsyth and others expressed alarm over the secrecy surrounding the project, particularly due to Gotion’s ties to the Chinese Communist Party.

LaMore was elected mayor of Manteno on April 1, running on a platform centered on blocking the battery plant, which she argues poses serious environmental and national security risks due to its Chinese ownership. 

A longtime critic of the project's secrecy and foreign ties, LaMore has pledged to halt further support for the plant by working with newly elected and potential Freedom Party-aligned trustees. 

During the campaign she criticized the Nugent administration for lack of transparency, claiming the plant was pushed through without proper community input. 

Upon winning the election she emphasized that voters feel “unburdened” and hopeful for greater transparency and accountability. 

The opposition movement to the Gotion plant has gained national attention, with LaMore’s team sharing their concerns with figures like Lara Trump and receiving donations from across the U.S. LaMore warns that allowing the plant to proceed sets a dangerous precedent, especially with China’s increasing acquisition of American farmland.