Farmers Weekly Review

By Nick Reiher

Wife Tammy and I visited the Joliet Park District’s Inwood Recreation Center a few days before the April 1 election to cast our votes.

This is one of those years when just about every local government has skin in the race. Turnouts can be iffy, depending on whether there are any challengers and/or serious issues in those school districts, townships, villages, cities, etc.

It’s funny the issue of eliminating townships has come up again. Being in the biz for more than 40 years, I’d say this comes up about every 10 years. Other than a township turning over the roads it has overseen to a municipality that has swallowed most of them up, no one seems really serious about getting rid of townships.

One reason is that the people who are bringing it up begin to realize what townships do – even in municipalities – and don’t have an answer as to whom would take over their duties.

They also begin to realize that in more rural areas, townships are the closest form of government to the residents. They may not know their County Board reps, state reps or state senators, but they likely live pretty close to their township officials.

That doesn’t mean townships don’t have their political issues – ahem, Homer Township, Joliet Township — to name two. But there’s a better chance residents know what all the hubbub is about.

As a City of Joliet resident, I have seen a change in atmosphere in the government since Terry D’Arcy was elected mayor. Relatively less hubbub, for the most part.

One time things got a little heated is when D’Arcy brought in a guy who tried to explain to the council what a city manager form a government means.

In a nutshell, it means while the mayor and City Council vote on policy, the city manager runs the day-to-day operations of city government. In charge of all departments.

I mostly worked with the late John Mezera when he was city manager. John was deferential to the mayor and council, allowing them to take credit for the plans they made and he brought to fruition. But … day to day, he was the boss. Make no mistake.

Of course, he ruffled a lot of feathers. John and I had many, um, interesting conversations. But we respected each other. Same with his successor, former city attorney Tom Thanas.

That is pretty much the way city government ran until there were enough people on the council who didn’t like that idea. They wanted to be the bosses; involved in everything. And they pretty much hounded Thanas until he’d had enough.

Since then, the city had been stuck with a succession of city managers, with varying levels of success, who had to deal with mayor and some council members who would go around them directly to department heads.

When one council member heard that’s not the way it’s supposed to work, she wasn’t very happy. What do you mean I can’t call a department head directly with a concern from one of my residents?

Well, much as I as a reporter, like to do the same thing when needing an answer, I can understand a department head getting pretty overwhelmed when called by various council members, especially when the city manager had given them other directions and priorities.

When I have tuned in to City Council meetings, or read Bob Okon’s excellent coverage, I see City Manager Beth Beatty is channeling Mezera and Thanas. She doesn’t back down, and I respect her a lot for that.

Speaking of micromanaging and antagonism, what the hell is it with the presidents and boards of Joliet Junior College?

The oldest community college in the nation, and from what I have seen in my time in Will County, there are too few presidents and board members who aren’t flippin’ nuts.

I mean, school board elections of any types are often charged. You have people running who don’t like the lunches, the bus schedules and the like. If elected, they soon realize there is much, much more to it than those issues.

We’ve had two presidents in the last couple decades who appeared to have their heads on straight: J.D. Ross and Judy Mitchell. But they, too, were dogged by board members who wanted to micromanage.

Current President Clyne Namuo is fighting his own battles with a couple board members who, reportedly, have been disrespectful, if not downright threatening.

The only saving grace is that little if any of this has soiled JJC’s reputation or quality of education.

That is a credit to administrators and students.

As Tammy and I left Inwood after voting, one of the judges said, “See you next spring,” meaning the next election.

We just rolled our eyes and answered separately, “There’s always an election.”

Nick Reiher is editor of Farmers Weekly Review.