NorthPoint Needs To Start ASAP: Doc Gregory

JOLIET, IL — On Tuesday night, at least 23 people addressed Joliet's City Council, and most implored Joliet to reject the controversial NorthPoint development proposed on a 103-acre parcel in the vicinity of Rowell Avenue and Breen Road. The first speaker of the night left satisfied with the final rezoning vote, 5-4, after Mayor Bob O'Dekirk joined forces with his nemesis, Pat Mudron, to support NorthPoint.

The first speaker, Doc Gregory is president of the Will-Grundy Building Trades Council. He addressed Joliet's nine elected officials on behalf of 25,000 union members.

With limited edits, here is Gregory's passionate speech that he gave to the city council on the heels of its vote. He also spoke at Monday's pre-council discussion meeting.

Construction jobs our members work at are very important to each and every building trades member. Right now, at this point of the year, our out of work lists are full and full of unemployed members and growing rapidly.

NorthPoint, their 103 acres of proposed business park, would be a great project that could kickoff this winter that would employ many building trades members that live right here in the city of Joliet.

I heard repeatedly last night about trade unions jobs, either one and done jobs or here and gone. I kind of get frustrated so I'd like to enlighten everybody about our construction scholars who have been in the construction business longer than me, which is 37 years. Yes, even the individual who wrote in the news article and I quote, 'The unions of course, want the projects.'

Skilled labor deserves the most respect; build-up wall, one-and-done, when it's up, the work is gone. Scorched-earth, a two-week paycheck. Well, let me tell you, our members deserve better. We're in it for more than a two-week paycheck.

There's been an ongoing project right to the west of Joliet. It's an 835,000-square-foot warehouse and for about the last six weeks, I drive by it all the time. It's on I-55 just south of Route 6. The earthmovers, which are union operators, have been working a minimum of 10 hours, seven days a week and this has been ongoing …

The site utilities and foundations, I have not even started yet. The project is scheduled for completion in the fall of 2020. These are similar projects that are near and dear to our hearts that will become reality if you guys vote, and women vote, for the NorthPoint project. After the 14 months of construction … 800 different building trades members work there, our members will have more in their pocket than a simple two-week paycheck. Our jobs mean a lot to us. We're not second-rate citizens. We value our jobs and right now our guys are sitting at home.

At that moment, Gregory became agitated at one of the anti-NorthPoint audience members who was sitting nearby. "No, it's not bulls***," Gregory snapped.

He continued:

We need NorthPoint's 103-acres to start construction ASAP to put our members to work. Our members need to work. We are not second-hand citizens. NorthPoint is our partner and I strongly urge every council member tonight to vote yes for the rezoning. Please do not turn your back on the building and trades members. Thank you.

The following five city council members voted for NorthPoint:

• Mayor Bob O'Dekirk
• Councilman Pat Mudron
• Councilwoman Sherri Reardon
• Councilwoman Jan Quillman
• Councilman Larry Hug

Hug is running in the March Democratic primary for the State Senate seat currently held by Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant. Reardon got a $1,000 donation from NorthPoint earlier this year when she was running for the only open seat on the Joliet council, against Joe Mutz.

The following four members of Joliet's City Council voted against NorthPoint:

• Don "Duck" Dickinson
• Mike Turk
• Terry Morris
• Bettye Gavin

Gavin and Morris both cruised to easy re-election on April 2.

Turk and Dickinson are up for re-election in 2021 as at-large members; so is Quillman.

Turk is the longest serving member, having been on the city council the past 30 years.