Joliet City Manager Beatty, council member Hug spar at meeting

Tension between City Council member Larry Hug and City Manager Beth Beatty erupted Tuesday at a Joliet City Council meeting as Beatty accused Hug of “bullying” her and being “disrespectful to women.”

The public showdown was the first open controversy around Beatty in a city that has had a series of city manager disputes since 2017.

The Beatty-Hug argument arose in the midst of a discussion about downtown parking as Hug questioned Beatty’s ability to authorize free parking on the city deck.

The discussion escalated as Beatty accused Hug of not returning her phone calls, and Hug accused her of not responding to his texts.

“I’m sorry. I can’t take it anymore,” Beatty told Hug at one point. “You can’t be that disrespectful to me.”

“I can’t take you anymore,” Hug responded.

“OK, we agree on that,” Beatty said.

“Yes,” Hug answered.

It was apparent the argument had to do with more than free parking downtown.

But it started with a discussion about the parking situation, particularly amid construction that has impeded access to a number of businesses.

The city is moving toward free parking downtown in part to improve the business environment during construction. But the council has not yet approved the elimination of paid parking on streets, and the city intends to keep fees in place for its Ottawa Street parking deck.

Hug contended that any validation, or waiver of fees, for parking on the deck fell under the same ordinances as street parking rates and would require council approval of a change in ordinance.

Beatty interrupted him to state that as city manager, she has the authority to validate parking on the deck.

That set off a series of comments in which the two talked over each other repeatedly. Hug complained that Beatty was interrupting him during his time to speak, while Beatty contended that Hug was bullying her and being disrespectful.

“Quit interrupting me. It’s my time,” Hug said, referring to the fact that he was speaking during a section of the meeting allowed for individual council members to make comments.

“I would like you to lower your voice and speak to me in a respectful manner,” Beatty told Hug. “I’m not going to let you bully me.”

“I’m not bullying you,” Hug said.

Beatty later broadened her comments to tell Hug, “You are disrespectful to women.”

Just what action Beatty was taking to validate parking downtown was never made clear.

But she and Mayor Terry D’Arcy insisted that the city manager has the authority to validate parking downtown.

D’Arcy at one point tried to end the argument between Hug and Beatty.

“I’m going to interrupt this conversation,” D’Arcy said. “Under the ordinance, she has the authority to validate parking, and we’ll give it to you [Hug] after the meeting.”

It was apparent that Hug’s comments Tuesday did not mark the first time the subject came up and that tensions between he and Beatty had been building for some time.

Hug referred to a series of texts, apparently sent to Beatty, going back to May that had gone unanswered.

“You refuse to talk to me,” Beatty said. “You want everything in writing.”

“There’s nothing wrong with that,” Hug said. “I’m willing to put everything I say in writing.”

“Sometimes it’s easier just to talk on the phone so we can work together,” Beatty said.

Joliet has had four interim city managers and two permanent city managers since 2017, with the change in management typically reflecting disputes with the City Council.

Beatty arrived in December following a city manager search initiated by D’Arcy after his election in 2023. The search for a city manager led to the resignation of James Capparelli, the only other city manager hired on a permanent basis since 2017. Capparelli left when it was apparent that he would not be kept on with D’Arcy as mayor.

Beatty is the first female city manager in Joliet.