Mayoral forum: Joliet candidates debate economic development, police accountability, housing

Improvements to economic development for Joliet’s south and east sides, housing, the police department and downtown projects were the focus of Saturday’s first mayoral forum Saturday in advance of the April 4 Joliet municipal election.

Some criticisms were exchanged between the candidates at the otherwise largely cordial forum that was held at the building for the Joliet chapter of the National Hook-Up of Black Women at 1705 Richards St.

It was the first forum for incumbent Mayor Bob O’Dekirk and his challengers, Terry D’Arcy, and Tycee Bell, something that O’Dekirk himself found “kind of odd.”

“It’s kind of odd that it’s gone this deep into the campaign season and this is the first forum of the elected officials and that the candidates are able also to talk with the public,” O’Dekirk said.

Dozens of people were gathered at the forum that was presented by the National Hook-Up of Black Women, the Joliet NAACP and the African-American Business Association of Will County.

Denise Winfrey, a Will County board member and legislative chairwoman for the National Hook-Up of Black Women, said those organizations were not making endorsements and the forum was meant to be educational for voters.

Throughout Saturday’s forum, O’Dekirk touted the accomplishments of the city under his leadership since he was first elected as mayor in 2015 as evidence that the city is moving forward on the right path.

By contrast, D’Arcy pushed for the need to create a city he believes needs to be more responsive to residents. He also criticized the revolving door of police chiefs and city managers in the past few years.

D’Arcy pitched bringing new life to the downtown through student housing and by establishing long term comprehensive plans for housing and business development.

Bell pushed for improved housing and economic development, such as creating business incubators and empowering women working in business. She recommended examining why the south and east sides of the city have been neglected and making the city more inclusive to all of its residents.

During the discussions on economic development, O’Dekirk said Councilman Larry Hug once made a request in the past for an economic development committee in Joliet, which was rejected by O’Dekirk’s predecessor Tom Giarrante. O’Dekirk said the issue was rejected because the city at the time had what he called, a private committee named the Committee to Attract and Retain Business, or CARB.

O’Dekirk said D’Arcy was a member of the committee.

“When you talk about backroom dealing, this was the epitome of backroom dealing. Again, no oversight from the public or any elected officials. That isn’t the case anymore,” O’Dekirk said.

D’Arcy addressed this in his closing statement at the forum. He acknowledged Giarrante put together a group of “influential people and business people and people in the community” that Giarrante and the city manager at the time met with on a handful of occasions.

D’Arcy said it wasn’t a “clandestine, ‘we’re all trying to do something behind the scenes’ private meeting.”

“I’m not that person,” he said.

Regarding improving education in the city, D’Arcy said he’s met with the superintendent of Joliet Public Schools District 86 about the promotion of a referendum for the development of two new schools that he said will not result in tax increases.

O’Dekirk said he’s worked with area school officials and if they ask for support of a referendum, he’s certain that he and others at the city will do so. But he also said the city does not manage the schools and it’s important to know what city’s government does.

“Quite frankly, I think the last answer was a little telling in maybe there isn’t a real understanding of what the role is of city of Joliet government or the Joliet mayor,” O’Dekirk said.

Bell said she would push for more community involvement between families and the schools and recommended the idea of a town hall so families “feel empowered to speak their truth about what’s happening at the schools.”

When candidates were asked about what they will do to make sure police officers are held accountable, O’Dekirk cited the incident involving the 2020 death of Eric Lurry in police custody. O’Dekirk said he and three other council members did not believe retired Joliet Police Chief Al Roechner’s administration was handling the matter properly.

While O’Dekirk and those other members asked Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s Office to investigate the Lurry incident, Raoul’s office has instead been conducting a civil investigation of the police department since 2021.

“I can tell you in the meetings that I’ve had with Mr. Raoul, he’s complimented me for the changes that we’ve made in the Joliet Police Department,” O’Dekirk said.

On the other hand, Bell brought up the Will County Progressives’ failed bid to create together a citizens review board for the police department. She said there were police officials who were not in support of the citizens review board and that the city council reflects a “government where police and police influence are heavily involved.”

D’Arcy recommended more training for police officers, especially in areas of mental health issues and cultural awareness.

At one point, D’Arcy asked if big business, which he wasn’t sure brought in high wages, have been a “great partner” to the city.

“The ones we brought in, we got more truck traffic, we’ve got air pollution, we’ve got congestion on our streets,” D’Arcy said.

O’Dekirk said Centerpoint, which came to Joliet in 2007, contains intermodals that constitute the largest inland port in the the North American continent. He spoke of the voluminous amount of containers picked up by trucks that deliver them to warehouses or logistic centers.

“That’s the issue with the truck traffic in Joliet. It’s not warehouses, it’s not logistic centers, those are byproducts of what’s happening inside Centerpoint,” O’Dekirk said.

O’Dekirk said he’s tried to resolve the issue of truck traffic by putting forth the Houbolt Road Bridge project, stepping up police truck enforcement and the implementation of the closed loop concept for the NorthPoint project.