Council Candidates Throw Down Tuesday

Eight city council hopefuls went toe-to-toe Tuesday night fielding questions—most, focused on union issues—during a candidate forum hosted by the Coalition of Naperville Collective Bargaining Units.

Incumbent candidates Bob Fieseler and Richard Furstenau were joined by six newbies: Patty Gustin, Charles Schneider, Steve Chirico, John Krummen, Joe McElroy and John Adair.  Nearly 20 residents attended the forum to listen as candidates discussed their takes on collective bargaining units falling under recent scrutiny, pensions, the role of unions and improving local negotiations.

Formed in 2010, the Coalition of Naperville Collective Bargaining Units' mission is to promote and protect the benefits and security of all union employees by combining resources. It works to "maintain the good and welfare of organized labor, while encouraging active participation in the political and legislative arena," according to a written statement.

Among the issues on the table Tuesday was the ; announced within one week of settling on a new union contract that city officials have alleged they cannot afford.

"I think there are a lot of things we could have done better," said Fieseler, who was fired up enough to rise from his seat while speaking at the forum. " … As long as I'm on the council, you guys will have a fair shake. I think there were a lot of mistakes made in this last wave of union negotiations."

He and Councilmen Paul Hinterlong were the only two naysayers to the Dec. 7 motion that reduced the police force.

Prospect Patty Gustin said Tuesday that "tough economic times have delivered to us a very uneven citizenry." If elected, she hopes to be a voice of reason on the council, maintaining honest communication with the city residents.

"There has been a lot of animosity, a lot of distrust and a lot of difficult times among the city council for all these years," said Gustin, who lost the council race two years ago. "I bring a lot of hands-on experience to the job … and (will) be open-minded about the residents, the council and city staff."

Many candidates said they understood the repercussions of bargaining and the plight of local unions—comments Fieseler classified as "platitudes."

" … Most importantly, I feel the city has a moral obligation to conduct negotiations honestly," Schneider said.

Furstenau, who has served on the council for a dozen years, said he believes strongly in unions. He also voted in favor of the police layoff decision, attesting that every city worker should share the burden of economic turmoil.

"The reason we've got what we've got is because the unions have been so successful," he said to the group. "You folks have been very successful. You've done a great job promoting yourselves, promoting your unions and promoting the situation you have. You have been so successful that it's not sustainable."

Krummen, who moved to Naperville six years ago with his two sons, used analogies to discuss the issue of bargaining units falling under public scrutiny. He said the city must "face the fire."

"There are those who run into a burning building, those who run out of a burning building and those who look for who's to blame for starting the fire," he said. "… The issue is as complicated as it is simple. It's about respect."

Adair, Chirico and McElroy all agreed that scrutiny of bargaining units is positive and should even be embraced.

Attendees, who were mostly—if not all—union men, said they were glad to have the opportunity to meet the candidates and hear what they had to say on such specific issues. Tuesday's forum was the first of its kind for bargaining coalition.

"We've never had this type of opportunity before," said Vince Clark, president of Naperville's Fraternal Order of Police Local 42. "Hopefully, it will be taken back to the group and implemented again in the future."