Mayoral candidates pitch themselves at Joliet forum

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Updated: August 4, 2011 4:20PM

JOLIET — All nine candidates for mayor were at a Wednesday forum sponsored by the Joliet Region Chamber of Commerce and Industry. What follows are highlights from each candidates’ three-minute presentations about themselves and their candidacies in the same order as they spoke at the forum.

Michael Marconi

Marconi was a Joliet firefighter for 36 years, a battalion chief for the last 11, before retiring in 2003. “I’m comfortable making tough decisions and taking full responsibility for my actions,” he said. Keys to future city development, he said, include utilizing Joliet’s transportation advantages to attract business. He’s pro-downtown development but believes the city is wasting its effort trying to make Joliet a tourism attraction. “Investment in tourism is a bad investment,” he said.

Diane Harris

Harris has worked for ComEd for 30 years, is a liability representative in the company’s claims and legal department and is a union member in the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. She also is a tax preparer, a board member of the Cathedral Area Preservation Association, and has been active in fundraising for local organizations. “I’m honest, accountable, reliable and responsible,” she said.

Dale Vollmer

Vollmer is a former Joliet police officer who retired as sergeant after 22 years in the department and went on to work as chief of police for the Forest Preserve of Will County. He is a past president of the police union in Joliet and works in property management. “I feel that my experiences as a law enforcement officer and as a property manager shows that I am effective in dealing with people,” he said. Vollmer said the city should seek voter approval in referendums before beginning multimillion dollar projects.

Lester Brown

Brown is pastor of Good Samaritan Ministry of Joliet and executive director of a counseling agency affiliated with the church. He called his candidacy “a divine call,” saying he has the ability to bring people together to solve the city’s problems. “The first thing that I would do is get all of the stakeholders to sit down at the table of brotherhood and look at the problems that we have,” he said. “I am committed to leadership. I am able to bring people to the table.”

Thomas Giarrante

A city councilman and a retired Joliet firefighter, Giarrante said, “When I am elected mayor, I will give Joliet what it deserves — a full-time, hands-on mayor. … I will actively court labor and industry to do whatever it takes to bring jobs to Joliet.” Giarrante said he would form a coalition of business and labor interests to work with the city in attracting new business to town. “We’re at a crossroads that I think with my experience we can get through,” he said, “but we need help from the community.”

Kevin Hegarty

Hegarty emphasized past experience as the city’s first public information officer and special events coordinator, a job he lost due to budget cuts. “As hard as it’s been for me in losing my job, I’ve never lost my passion for this city,” he said. Hegarty criticized the current city council for “a wait-and-see attitude,” saying they look at what other communities do before acting. “I want to put Joliet first,” he said. He said the city needs to jumpstart projects that have stalled in the recession, like the proposed lifestyle mall.

Warren Dorris

A longtime councilman, Dorris also pointed to his experience as a former executive for Caterpillar Inc. in Joliet and beyond. “I helped run facilities in Mexico, the United Kingdom, and in Asia,” he said. Dorris said the city needs a strong leader to deal with a $21 million deficit projected for next year and to attract business to Joliet. If elected, he said, he will form four stakeholder committees from various sectors of the community, and, “We will form a 100-day plan to deal with the financial issues in this city.”

Andrew Mihelich

Mihelich said Joliet city government “taxes too much and spends too much.” The average salary in Joliet is $48,000, he said, while the average city worker makes $83,000. “This is neither fair nor sustainable,” he said. Mihelich said he would hold the line on property taxes to provide a stable environment in which to attract business. And, he said, “I will purse policies that help Joliet families be successful.” Mihelich also said he would eliminate all health insurance benefits for the city council and mayor.

Jan Quillman

Now a councilwoman, Quillman pointed to council actions she voted against: the 2009 property tax hike, the 2010 budget bolstered by use of reserve funds, and the decision to replace an East Side fire station with a new one next to Chicagoland Speedway. Quillman said she would focus on urban development to help ensure the success of the multimodal transportation center planned for downtown. “Public safety will always be my main priority,” she said. And, she promised to hold quarterly town meetings to hear from residents.