Skip to main content

Joliet City Council to Approve Mayor's New Appointee


John Raspante

            Joliet Mayor Bob O’Dekirk has decided to recommend a member of the city’s police and fire board to fill the Joliet City Council vacancy created by the sudden resignation of Don “Duck” Dickinson.

            Todd Wooten, a retired high-ranking member of the Joliet Fire Department, has served on the city’s police and fire commission board since O’Dekirk appointed him in 2015. By selecting Wooten for the City Council, O’Dekirk is nominating someone who is not planning to run for one of the three open seats on the council in the April 6 elections.

            “Todd definitely has a strong personality, but he’s an independent thinker and I think he’s more of a straight shooter,” O’Dekirk said in a statement. “He’s not running for the position [in April] but he’ll be a strong voice for the people of Joliet over the next few months.”

Later today, December 1, the Joliet City Council will be asked to approve Wooten. If the recommendation is approved, Mayor O’Dekirk said Wooten will be involved in several major decisions facing the city in the coming months.

Some of the council members are willing to give Wooten a shot. Councilman Larry Hug said in a statement that, “He got a unanimous vote from all of us to get on the police and fire board. That’s a positive.”

However, some members of the council aren’t so quick to approve the mayor’s recommendation. “I’m not for him,” Councilwoman Bettye Gavin said. “I’ve had several conversations with Todd over the years that led me to believe that he has an axe to grind with this city.” Gavin said she thinks Wooten is a “good guy… [but] I think we should have someone who’s ready to come on hand and help move the city forward.”

Council members Pat Mudron, Michael Turk, and Sherri Reardon have all said they have questions for Wooten before approving him for the board. “We’ve got to talk to him first,” Reardon said.

For now, the Joliet City Council seems divided on the decision, but the council meeting later today will hopefully help them come to a solution.

Image courtesy of www.thetimesweekly.com

 


 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A New Board Game Coffee Shop in Shorewood: The Critical Grind

 Noëllie Inard Credit: www.criticalgrind.com  On Thursday, November 10th, a new cafe named the Critical Grind Board Game Café opened in Shorewood, Illinois. This coffee shop is a little different from cafes already opened in the Joliet, Plainfield and Shorewood areas. Situated on 852 Sharp Drive in the Sharp Center off Black Road near Route 59 in Shorewood, the coffee shop, previously owned by a kickboxing studio, is close to the Bliss Hair Studio. The owners, Dana Buxbaum and her husband Shaun Tenant, mixed what they loved to create their idea of the perfect coffee shop. “I always wanted a coffee shop,” said Dana Buxbaum, “My husband and I combined our love of gaming with my vision of the coffee shop.” The coffee shop has made available bookshelves full of games such as Clue, The Serial Killer Trivia Game, Sorry, Dragoon and many more. In an interview with Patch editor, Buxbaum stated that they have “[...] about 400 games in [their] library” with family-friendly and inclusive...
Post a Comment
Read more

Troubled Criminals in Joliet

 A numerous amount of Joliet's crimes have been committed by troubled individuals. A lot of these people need help and need to get a better grasp on life and the decisions they make. The following stories detail some of these troubled criminals' experience with breaking the law.  Man Caught With Child Pornography     Joliet, IL - Bernard Kelly, a 29-year-old man, had his house raided by Illinois State Police. The police conducted the raid at Kelly's home on the 1300 block of Copperfield Avenue after an in-depth investigation. They found the child pornography in a file on one of Kelly's electronic devices.  Kelly was arrested and taken to Will County Jail. He is facing 3 counts of possession of child porn and currently has a bail of $250,000. Police announce that the investigation is still open and will be ongoing.  Man Turns Himself In After Domestic Violence     Joliet, IL - Back in October a woman was attacked by her partner Justin Gillett. Gill...
Post a Comment
Read more

A Charlie Brown Christmas: Live On Stage is Coming to the Rialto Square Theatre!

Photo Courtesy of A Charlie Brown Christmas Live By: Saba Aamir Joliet, IL.  – The Peanuts gang is coming to the Rialto Square Theatre on November 30th at 6:30 p.m. for  A Charlie Brown Christmas: Live on Stage . The on-stage adaptation of the animated television show will feature your favorite scenes and expand the story we all know with fun music and performances.  "‍Adapted from Charles M. Schulz's timeless story and featuring the music of Vince Guaraldi,  A Charlie Brown Christmas: Live on Stage  is a present that the whole family can enjoy," the official  A Charlie Brown Christmas Live   website states. Since the television show's release 50 years ago, the story's withstanding tradition has warmed the hearts of millions of fans. Every year during the Christmas season in the United States, Schulz's story is broadcast on television. It has also been awarded an Emmy and a Peabody Award. The unique on-stage adaptation of the story will give the audi...
Post a Comment
Read more