At the March Member Luncheon, five Districts were invited to speak on the election for the Joliet City Council which will take place April, 2.
District 1: Larry Hug started off his speech by saying he has been a resident of Joliet since 1984, and he has a wife and two kids. Then, he proclaimed in the last four years, the city under his scheme as brought in 1.5 billion in new business, structure and development.
“Bringing fire and police back to full staffing, doing straight repairs and not raising a single tax in four years are what we have been able to do from the success,” Hug said. He concluded that he thinks private businesses and owners should “run their businesses and get the hell out of the way.”
Hugs adversary, Marc Ragusa, countered Hug by also stating he has lived in Joliet most of his life, except for the time he was in the Navy.
“We are now the third largest city in Illinois,” Ragusa said. “With that growth comes challenges.” Ragusa mentioned that Joliet also needs a new source of water, which will solve a huge problem in the city, to go along with a new sewer system and newer infrastructure.
District 2: Pat Mudron, who is running for another term, stressed that giving back to his native city is the important thing.
“We’re almost a $380 million corporation here,” Mudron said. Accountability and sustained success were what Mudron said he will bring again if he gets voted for the second term.
Roger Powell spoke next, opening up about how hard and how much dedication is takes to get things done with the hierarchy positions.
“Actions speak louder than words,” Powell said.
He said that he would use his advantages of going around the world, to bring more diversity to the position, while working diligently to do the best possible job for Joliet.
Vincent Alessio finished off District 2 stating he himself is a small business owner who deals with customers intimately every day.
“There’s going to be issues every
day, but I figured out through business we provide solutions and opportunity to solve these solutions,” Alessio said. He ended his speech saying that he wants to help diversify economic development, and it’s essential to improve the infrastructure within the city.
District 3: Joe Mutz kicked off District 3 by stating he wants to be the voice of Joliet, and keep developing the work that has already been done to date.
“My goal is to make Joliet the best place in America to live,” Mutz said.
Mutz said that his commitment to the economy and making sure that workers have jobs by investing in small businesses is unparalleled, so that in the next 10 years there can be a more promising future for Joliet.
Sharon Reardon started off her speech by saying she is not someone who can just stand around on the sidelines to watch, she needs to get the job done at all costs. “I’ve ran a successful business in Joliet for the last 14 years, for the past five weeks we have been working tirelessly to touch 800 households in our district,” Reardon said.
Ernest Crim concluded District 3 stating that he is a small business owner and a teacher at Joliet Central High School. “If you know anything about education, it’s like managing a business because it’s difficult but I love it and it’s the best thing in the world,” Crim said.
Crim wants to contribute to students after they graduate in society, with job training programs to help further the quality of life for the kids.
District 4: Bettye Gavin kicked off District 4 by saying that Joliet needs someone who fiscally dependent.
“When I came to the council we have a lot of issues that come before us, but we have been able to solve a lot of these issues that have been presented to us with our team,” Gavin said. She also mentioned that there has been just more than $19 million spent for water and sewer renovations, $17 million in roads and she wants to continue the project.
Damon Zdunich followed Gavin stating that he is a lifelong Joliet resident, received a degree in finance from NIU and became a CPA while joining the military.
“The city I think understands we need to diversify the economic base,” Zdunich said. Zdunich said he would want to partner with local colleges to create more diversity, help bring out better jobs to the city.
James Foster finalized District 4 by saying he sees sidewalks that are unpaved, lack of businesses and lack of unemployment.
“District 4 to this day is the left behind District of Joliet,” Foster said.
Foster wants to lean on his education to focus on the safety, economic development and affordable housing to make Joliet a better city.
District 5: Suzanna Ibarra started off the final District speech with saying she is one of the most motivated people anyone can meet.
“I worked at a top financial institution and managed multi-million dollar accounts on a daily basis,” Ibarra said.
She concluded with by saying from her position and her being a woman, she will bring a new set of fresh eyes that will outwork anyone to make Joliet a great city again.
Terry Morris was the final speaker of the event, who is seeking his third term. “In this business, you help people, that’s what we do as councilman,” Morris said. He concluded the night by saying whatever the problem may be in Joliet, he is open to and very willing to correcting it and making it a better place to live, because to him, people are what matter the most.