Turk Not Endorsed For Re-Election By Joliet Trade Unions

JOLIET, IL — Mike Turk has been on the Joliet City Council for 33 years and Turk continues to contemplate running for another four-year term in the April 6 elections. But if Turk runs this time, he won't have the support of Joliet's key building and trades unions, Joliet Patch has learned.

Tom White, executive director at the Three Rivers Construction Alliance, said that the Operating Engineers Local 150, Laborers Local 75, Pipefitters Local 597 and Ironworkers Local 444 have all agreed to endorse the re-election bid of Councilwoman Jan Quillman as well as candidates Joe Clement and Jim Capparelli.

Clement is a Joliet Park Board member who just retired in August as a detective at the Joliet Police Department.

Capparelli is a Joliet attorney in private practice at Castle Law who serves on the city's planning commission. Capparelli was a finalist for Joliet city manager back in February, although the council ultimately decided not to offer the job to any of the finalists, keeping Steve Jones as interim city manager instead.

Jones left Joliet in August, and the city re-hired Jim Hock out of retirement in Michigan as its new interim city manager. Hock was the city's permanent manager in 2014 through April 2017. Hock's current contract runs through December.

There are three at-large openings on the City Council in the April 6 races.

One of the incumbents, Don "Duck" Dickinson, announced in September he was not running for re-election.

On Sunday, Patch contacted Turk for his reaction about the trades unions not supporting his re-election.

Turk said it was not a surprise and that he had heard in recent days that the building trades might not be supporting him, if he runs again.

Turk said he believes the unions are mad at him for his vote against the controversial NorthPoint Development in April. The project passed on a vote of 6-3 but Turk was one of the no votes.

Turk told Patch he is still weighing his options but hopes to make a decision in the coming week on whether he will run for re-election or retire from public office. Turk was first elected to the Joliet City Council in 1987.

During the past several elections, Joliet's building trades were strong supporters of Turk, notably Operating Engineers Local 150, which consists of 23,000 members, White said.

Local 75 has 1,300 members. Pipefitters Local 597 has 12,000 members. Ironworkers Local 444 has 625 members.

Obviously, not all of these union members are residents of Joliet who can vote in the April 6 municipal elections. But many of them are, White stressed.

White said that Turk has gone against practically every major project that White has brought forward seeking Turk's support during Turk's current term in office.

"I think he turned his back on the building trades as well as the city residents," White said. "Mike Turk has turned down new tax revenue potential at the same time he was voting for tax increases on the citizens of Joliet."

Last December, Turk voted in favor of a slew of tax and fee increases upon his constituents of Joliet, voting in favor of a 3-cent per gallon fuel tax that went into effect across Joliet in January. Turk also agreed to raise property taxes to pay for a controversial multi-million dollar renovation to the downtown Joliet Public Library branch.

Turk also voted to raise the taxes on lodging at Joliet hotels and motels.

White said Joliet needs to be rebooted and getting rid of Turk from the Council will be a high priority for Joliet's building and trades unions.

In years past, Joliet city elections often had a dismal voting turnout, but the trades unions as well as city employees plus families and supporters of the Joliet Police Department and Joliet Fire Department often go to the polls to make a difference.

As of last week, 19 people have obtained nominating petitions to run for City Council. One of them, Zohaib Khan, a recent write-in candidate for Will County Coroner, lives in the village of Plainfield, according to the city clerk's office.

The other candidates are:

James Lanham

Cesar Guerrero

Marty Shanahan

Hudson Hollister

Isaiah Williams Jr.

Glenda Wright-McCullum

Brian Bettenhausen

Janean Jackson

Bob Wunderlich

Lindsey Heavener

Jeremy Brzychi

Roger Powell

Nicole Lurry

Kevin Hegarty

Peter Waitkus

Related Joliet Patch City Council Coverage:

Bettye Gavin Tells Joliet Taxpayers 'I'll Be Your Huckleberry'

Ferak Column: 33 Years On Council Enough For Mike Turk

Marty Shanahan Files Lawsuit For Steve Jones Dismissal