This Time, the Mayor Crossed the Line

In the very second column I ever wrote, I managed to have some fun with 3rd Ward Alderman Ray Pawlak over an eminent domain issue. Just last month, I took the outgoing alderman to task for taking aldermanic candidate Dean Kilburg’s place at a political forum. Thankfully, there are some things in life that never change.

At times, Pawlak has displayed a tendency to grandstand, a penchant for seeing his name in print, questionable judgment and a capacity to bring political misfortune upon himself. Though we occasionally find ourselves on same side of an issue, over the course of the past decade, I’ve generally disagreed with him.

But until I watched Monday night’s City Council meeting on cable, I’ve never felt sorry for Ray Pawlak.

Pawlak’s unpardonable transgression was having the temerity to question water chief Bob Van Gyseghem's request to replace a 14-year-old dump truck with only 75,000 miles on it. Pawlak did that at a Committee of the Whole meeting two Monday's ago.

It was when that issue came up for a final vote on Monday that the public spanking commenced.

Oh, it all started off innocently enough, with Mayor Kevin Burns explaining that he and the alderman are “policy makers” and that, once that policy is in place, they should see it through. He went on to say that, with a minimum of questioning, alderman should accept the recommendations and judgment of city staff.

You mean the same city staff who budgeted for 2011 employee raises and a $7,000 Segway? You mean City Administrator Mary McKittrick, who told a group of aldermen that if they didn’t make such a big stink over water rate hikes, then the public wouldn’t? Or maybe he meant Assistant City Administrator Stephanie Dawkins, who told me, when I asked about the availability of the salary survey she'd just presented at City Hall, that the survey might never be done.

Do I believe Geneva city employees have the best interest of Geneva at heart? Yes! Do I implicitly trust their judgment on every issue? Absolutely not!

So let’s talk about policy, Mr. Mayor. Sometimes policies need to change. For example, when your city is suddenly faced with potential Springfield tax grab which will slash your general fund in half, maybe, as Alderman Pawlak pointed out, it might not be the best time to be buying new trucks—whether it’s already in the budget or not.

And what about following policy yourself, Mr. Mayor? When Alderman Richard Marks noted the old truck met only one of the three city vehicle rotation policy criteria, the room got suddenly silent. Even Van Gyseghem himself said the new truck was a “want” and not a “need.” Don’t tell me we couldn’t have coaxed a few more years out of ol’ Bessie.

Then, accusing Pawlak of shamefully trying to “screw the Water Department” by playing a “game of gotcha,” Burns turned around and demonstrated exactly how the game is played. And the attack was so brutal and persistent, it made anything Pawlak may have done pale in comparison.

In fact, the only “shameful” act I witnessed that evening was the unnecessary, uncalled-for and unconscionable public humiliation of a long-term alderman. Burns continued by attacking Pawlak on previous votes, asking him questions and then cutting him off when he tried to answer, and generally acting like a petulant bully. Don’t believe me? You can see it for yourself Friday through Sunday nights on Comcast Channel 10 at 7 p.m.

And just for the record, when it comes to questioning city employees, former Alderman Paul DesCoteaux makes Pawlak look like Mister Rogers, but DesCoteaux was never subjected to that kind of abuse.

But what really bothered me was the clear collusion between the mayor and certain aldermen. Though they weren’t nearly as acerbic or relentless as the mayor, their arguments were obviously rehearsed. I’ve heard of kissing up to a mayor before, but Bob Piper, Craig Maladra, Dawn Vogelsburg and Sam Hill might want to consider playing a little hard to get.

Every single alderman on the dais that night—other than Pawlak—ought to be ashamed of themselves. And I’m not talking about just the ones who piled on, I’m talking about the councilmen who sat there and did nothing while a colleague was excoriated for no good reason.

Mr. Mayor, you should be ashamed of yourself. I expect this kind of stuff from the County Board, not from the Geneva City Council. I’d say you can do much better than this, but that wouldn’t be setting the bar nearly high enough. For starters, you need to personally apologize to each alderman, the citizens of Geneva and especially Ray Pawlak for your inappropriate behavior.

And if, for whatever reason, you can’t do better than you did on Monday night, then perhaps it’s time to step down.