Mayor Bob, WTF?

[Blackdiamond]

Ald Tenpas has been an Alderman long enough to know "Robert's Rules of Order", "Henry's Rules of Order", and anyone else's "Rules of Order".He probably have them memorized.

[fedupinwaukegan]

We went the meeting last night as well. So many highlights... Could I respectfully ask what Margaret was talking about; the old tennis shoe in the closet, don't throw it out, replace it with a $100,000 one... The mom with the child spoke very well. It was all better than Kabuki theater. Went down and heard Sheriff Curran speak as well. Quite a day in Waukegan -reminded me of a summer day three years ago... some of us were there.

This was in the paper today if you missed it;


Waukegan facing economic crisis


July 7, 2009

When I assumed the office of mayor of Waukegan on May 4, 2009, I knew that the city was in severe financial difficulty. The extent of that problem has become more apparent every day since then.

The revenue the city receives through sales tax and from the state has fallen steadily since December of last year. Our revenue difficulties mirror those being experienced around the nation. There are few, if any, bodies of government or private corporations that are not experiencing the same problems we are.

The most recent figures for unemployment in Waukegan show us at 11.2 percent. It was at 14 percent just four months ago, according to a recent tracking poll published by Economagic, a Web-based tracking service. This reduction is more than likely the normal seasonal adjustment when summer jobs come on line and people are temporarily employed for the warmer months.

Annual economic growth is at a negative 6 percent and there are no indications of improvement any time soon. The city had only one permit issued for a new home in the last 30 days. Commercial development is almost completely stalled as well. These are figures that indicate our community is dire economic straits.

So the question is, where do we go from here? Like major corporations and other bodies of government, we are taking measures to bring our budget into the black. That means cutting costs wherever possible, and that must include addressing the issue of salaries.

When we first began the process of culling through the budget line by line, we realized we were at a $6 million dollar differential. With the help of Ald. Pat Needham and Larry TenPas, as well as department heads and Ray Vukovich, director of governmental services, we have reduced that to around $3 million. We have taken every suggestion offered by our employees and the unions into consideration and implemented them whenever possible.

Cuts or changes have included removal of car allowances; delaying or stopping infrastructure projects; instituting payment of a percentage of insurance costs by all employees and elected officials; cuts in support of not-for-profit organizations; delays in purchasing of equipment and vehicles; and cuts in salaries of management personnel. Everything is on the table; there are no sacred cows in this process.

We are fighting to reduce the enormous legal costs the city has incurred in past years. Last year, we paid out $3.2 million in legal fees. The city just took out a $10 million loan to pay off a legal settlement that could have been resolved for $2 million.

Over $900,000 has been spent on a lawsuit against the businesses on our lakefront in an effort to prevent the dredging of the harbor and to drive them from our harbor. The work the suit was attempting to stop will be done, including the cleanup of the OMC North Plant site, and will cost our community nothing. It will be fully funded by the EPA and the IEPA under the Superfund Mandate.

To combat these aforementioned legal costs, a plan has been put forward to our aldermen that can cut legal fees by $500,000 in the first year, over $1 million in the second and more in succeeding years. This is a crucial step in solving the budgeting problems we are faced with.

From the very beginning, we have taken an open book approach to our negotiations with our various unions. We have provided every bit of information available to them so they could see for themselves our situation. From the beginning I have told our employees that it would eventually come down to salary reductions, layoffs or furloughs to get us through this crisis.

I have never gone into this process with the mindset that the city would be laying off police, fire or any other personnel. I always believed that the unions would review the same economic information we have seen and come to the same conclusion that they would have to give something back in order to keep their numbers at peak levels. So far, they have not accepted this solution, but I am hoping that in the end a bargain can be reached that will allow the city to keep our safety personnel at full strength with some reduction in salaries until we get through this economic crisis in a year or two.

This problem cannot be solved without the cooperation of everyone involved. As mayor, I will continue to work to find a solution that will protect the safety of our residents, maintain the fiscal responsibility I have to the people of Waukegan and continue the excellent levels of service that the city of Waukegan has provided the people for generations.

Robert Sabonjian is mayor of Waukegan

MY TURN/ROBERT SABONJIAN

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[TypesWithFist]

Greetings all!
We were also at last night's City Council meeting, and would like to thank all of the Waukegan Police, Fire & Public Yard employees for their participation & solidarity. It was wonderful to see everyone attend and refreshing to see everyone conduct themselves so professionally.

The taxpayers of Waukegan truly do have a voice because "evil wins when good people fail to speak!" ~W.S

We would like to publicly commend Alderman TenPas for showing his leadership at the meeting. You are right...he DID know the rules of order, and held Mayor S. and Mr. Finn to them. Although it seemed like bickering on his part, he was actually correct in standing his ground. Mayor S. cannot/should not remove agenda items arbortrairly (sp?). Good job TenPas for not letting him do so!

This meeting brought the citizens of Waukegan togther, regardless of Democrat, Republican, Independent views. Kudos!!

Mayor S...the taxpayers of Waukegan have you on our radar...you made many promises for a "better Waukegan." We want/expect to see those promises carried out...

Funny, Larry never complained when Hyde, Drew, or Durkin arbitrarily removed items from the agenda. Larry wasn't worried about following Robert's Rules of Order, he's just trying to cause trouble that may benefit Larry himself.

[fedupinwaukegan]

For those who missed it, there is an article in the News Sun today.


TenPas tempest
Battle royale between mayor and alderman

July 8, 2009
By DAN MORAN <!-- e --><a href="mailtoMORAN@SCN1.COM">DMORAN@SCN1.COM</a><!-- e -->



WAUKEGAN -- A power struggle between Mayor Robert Sabonjian and 6th Ward Ald. Larry TenPas dominated the proceedings at Monday night's City Council meeting, as a debate over the hiring of a city prosecutor featured some 90 minutes of raised voices, pounded fists and threats of lawsuits.

"The City Council is checks and balances. It's not a dictatorship," TenPas said, adding at another point that "Mayor, I'm not going to let you say, 'I'm King Robert.'"


Monday's dispute came three weeks after the council met in closed session to discuss a proposal by Sabonjian and corporation counsel Newton Finn to appoint Ted Kuderko as prosecutor. An alternate proposal, backed by TenPas, was to retain the current firm of Smith & LaLuzerne.

Though other aldermen -- including Thomas Koncan (2nd Ward) and Rick Larsen (6th) -- joined in at times against Sabonjian, Monday's battle was primarily between the mayor and the council's senior alderman, and it unfolded in two stages.

First, TenPas objected to the meeting's agenda being altered to remove consideration of the Smith & LaLuzerne proposal, and he also quarreled with Sabonjian over whether or not TenPas could correct minutes on the issue from the June 15 meeting.

"Why wasn't it put on the agenda?" TenPas said, rising to his feet. "When it's held over, it has to be taken up at the next meeting."

"Mr. TenPas, you're out of order," Sabonjian said.

"No, I am not out of order," TenPas said. "I'm not out of order, and I refuse to be called out of order ... I demand we vote on it, up or down. If you try to remove me, I will sue you on it."

While the argument over correcting the minutes was eventually settled and the council moved on to other business, a second round began when the agenda worked its way to where the Smith & LaLuzerne proposal had been before it was removed.

Sabonjian said he wanted the city's representation and general approach on legal issues to be reviewed in light of expenditures over lawsuits.

"Before tonight, no alderman sitting at this dais called our legal costs into question," Sabonjian said. "How do you think we got to $3.2 million (in fees) last year? You think that was an accident?"

The primary issue boiled down to whether or not Sabonjian can appoint a city prosecutor without a vote of approval from the council. Reading from the city's ordinance book, TenPas quoted a passage stating that the hiring of "other" attorneys is "authorized by the council."

Finn responded that the council controls payment to city attorneys, but "you don't, however, select the attorney to fill that position." Finn contended that the prosecutor is not a city officer, so the hiring of one doesn't require the advice and consent of the council.

"We went through meeting minutes, (and) there has never been one entry where the City Council hired a city prosecutor, or approved one," Finn said. "Quite frankly, this is not the business of the City Council, it is the business of the executive branch."

Finn and TenPas also sparred over the course of the debate, with Finn saying at one point, "Can we talk like gentlemen about this?" TenPas responded "I am a gentleman. I beg your pardon."

At various points, both 1st Ward Ald. Sam Cunningham and 3rd Ward Ald. Greg Moisio called for the animated back-and-forth to stop, with Moisio saying "I think we've had enough discord for the evening."

The drama finally ended when Cunningham asked for the prosecutor issue to be tabled, pointing out that "it is 11:10 (p.m.) and we're not even halfway through the set agenda."

"It's gone on way too long," Cunningham said. "It's come dangerously close to an embarrassment to our city."

In the end, Sabonjian agreed with a suggestion from 7th Ward Ald. Patrick Needham to seek a legal opinion from the Illinois Attorney General's office on whether or not a mayor needs council approval to name a city prosecutor.

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[stargazer4082]

My wife and I were up for giving Mayor Bob a chance but so far he has been a huge disappoinment. He wants to lay off fire and police in a town where crime is rampant. Just listen to the news or read the paper. Everyday there are reports of more hold ups and car break ins. Now he has taken on the sheriff who is warning against police layoffs. Wasn't Bob the one who also said he thinks we need a city manager with experience? Instead he reappoints Ray Vukovich who was an insurance salesman and has no professional experience and not even a college degree. According to todays paper Bob is now at odds with the city council. Bob doesn't seem to have any idea how government works and what the people want. Bob needs to get a handle on how to manage the city before the damage he is doing goes any further.

[wakluvit]

WalktheWalk wrote "During the audience comment period, it was brought up that most-nearly none of the people working industry at the lakefront actually live in Waukegan."

I'm sorry, if someone says something at a council meeting then it must be true. Not.

There are many people that work on the lakefront that actually live in Waukegan. Some have even lived in Waukegan for most of their lives. Be careful who you listen to, they aren't always correct.

Besides, what City measures the value of its businesses by how many people that work there actually live in the same City? Businesses have many other benefits besides employment. They pay property taxes, payroll taxes, unemployment tax, taxes on the goods it purchases, income tax, etc. The employees and vendors that travel to the property stop and buy gas, food, etc. and thus pay Waukegan sales tax. Everyone is always giving the lakefront businesses a bad rap because they are the unattractive kind - industry. It's time we give them a break. You never hear that most-nearly none of the people working at U-Line actually live in Waukegan.

[wakluvit]

I'm not sure where everyone is under the opinion that Mayor Sabonjian wants to cut Police and Fire jobs. I was at the council meeting on Monday and got the impression that the City wants to negotiate with the Labor Unions to afford to keep all of the jobs. I work in private business and we agreed not to take a pay raise this year so our company could remain viable in this economic downturn. I don't think it is too much to ask our public employees and their unions to agree to the same thing.

I have an idea, why don't the union leaders agree to reduce their union dues so the police and firemen can afford to take less of a raise this year? That way the City can remain solvent and keep everyone employed.

[WalkTheWalk]

Well, if the employees of lakefront industry actually lived in Waukegan, why were none present last year when the harbor dredging became such a hot-button issue? Obviously Wakluvit wasn't at that meeting where NOT ONE PERSON that spoke on behalf of lakefront industry actually LIVED in Waukegan. Not one. Nada. So, it's obvious that you're a lakefront industry owner hellbent on preserving the status quo. Lakefront industry does what for Waukegan? Their trucks tear up our roads and their employees speed down the Amstutz and Sheridan road to get going home--where they live. OUR lakefront is for OUR people now, it's not for industry any longer and it shouldn't be. Maybe you could place it in Libertyville or Pleasant Prairie or Grayslake or Gurnee or Lake Bluff--the towns where the industry employees said that they actually live, the towns where they pay their property taxes, support their local businesses and where they keep industry and its trucks OUT of their towns. It's not in Waukegan. It's time for us to take OUR TOWN back. Wakluvit is a phony.

[mommalu]

Here’s an article I found on the internet. As they say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree or in this case the “nut”, check out the antics at city council meetings by “The Rock” and compare to “Mayor Bob”. Is he trying to be his father?

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[Frankzilch]

I take most of this mayor bashing as coming from Peter Couvall & Co. They will do this at every chance for the next 3 years 8 months. They will try to drive a wedge into every little opening that presents itself. They will sow the seeds of division at the expense of our city for they care not for the city but only for themselves. Don't play into their hands.