Okon: Councilman Hug appears in Las Vegas

Larry Hug in Las Vegas may sound like a comedy movie made for Joliet City Hall aficionados.

The Joliet councilman, known to expound at length on matters at council meetings, is occasionally ribbed by his more tight-lipped colleagues. But Hug said it was serious business last week when he and city economic development specialist Derek Conley represented Joliet at the Global Retail Real Estate Convention (RECon) in Las Vegas.

“We made I would say a hundred good, solid contacts that we’ll follow up on,” Hug said. “It was pretty successful.”

Hug, chairman of the Joliet City Council Economic Development Committee, said he will report on RECon, at the next committee meeting. Joliet has sent people to RECon the past three years. This is the first year an elected official went.

Hug said more should go, noting that many elected officials were there. Hug said Mokena had five representatives, including elected officials.

Developers want to talk to elected officials, Hug said, because they don’t always have the same outlook staffers do. Hug said he and Conley flew on Spirit Airlines to save money, leaving Saturday and coming back on a 12:50 a.m. flight on Wednesday to save more money.

Back home, the idea of Hug in Las Vegas did generate a couple of jokes during his absence from the city council meeting on Tuesday.

“Can we send Mr. Hug on assignment for two weeks,” Councilman Terry Morris quipped during an open comments section of the meeting.

“I got a call from the mayor of Las Vegas,” Mayor Bob O’Dekirk replied. “They want to send him back.”

Keys to the prison

O’Dekirk on Tuesday was the recipient of an iron key to the Old Joliet Prison.

So were interim City Attorney Chris Regis and Tom White, executive director of the Three Rivers Construction Alliance. The keys were presented by Quinn Adamowski on behalf of the Old Joliet Prison Preservation Coalition for contributions to the opening of the prison without which, Adamowski said, “this never would have happened.”

The mayor led the effort to get the state lease that gives Joliet access to the old Joliet Correctional Center. Regis was recognized for long hours of volunteer work. White has been a leader in bringing building trades volunteers for prison restitution work.

Another interim

No news on whether Joliet will open up the city manager position to applicants or simply promote interim City Manager Marty Shanahan. But Shanahan now has a compadre after this week's sudden retirement of Joliet Park District Executive Director Tom Carstens. Shanahan introduced park district interim Executive Director Brad Staab to the council with emphasis on "interim."

“We interims have to stick together,” Shanahan remarked.

Staab was there for a vote in which the city agreed to pay up to $40,000 for police security at Taste of Joliet.

• Bob Okon is a longtime Herald-News employee. He can be reached at bokon@shawmedia.com or 815-280-4121.