It has been over a year since a Wayne’s Words column appeared in The Times Weekly. I decided then that it was time to move on into what I call a “semi-retirement mode.” The intention of my column was always to bring a perspective to issues that would be more transparent and understandable than much of what is offered by other outlets. That’s not meant to take anything away from those outlets because I believe in a free and fair press and reporting the facts and reporting the issues are valuable and necessary services. Public officials often tell us what we want to hear and when they want us to hear it, which is often after it happens. Sometimes that’s called transparency, but frequently it’s just rhetoric.

     So, it was last week that the issue of hiring a Communication Director for the newly created position piqued my interest. The idea to create the position was rejected twice before by the previous administration. Council member Larry Hug opposed the idea both times before and received support to defeat the idea. His was a no vote on Tuesday also. He especially resisted the idea that the person hired was previously and personally a paid employee of current Mayor Terry D’Arcy. The individual hired was the mayor’s campaign director/advisor. Hug accused the mayor of exercising “cronyism.” The mayor appeared disgruntled that Hug would accuse him with such a lack of integrity. Cronyism. Really!!

Let’s look at that idea for a moment. Cronyism has been a part of government as long as government has existed. Whether you like it or not depends on which side of it you’re on. The bigger issue seems to be the conflict of interest the new individual brings to the table. The new director is Rosamaria DiBenedetto. She has continued her campaign role with the mayor on an informal basis while being paid directly by Mayor D’Arcy. The question arises of how transparent the director can be when it comes to being loyal to the mayor. Her credentials are more than adequate for the job, but one has to wonder about the conflict of interest that exists because of her previous position of campaign director. Avoiding the appearance of interest conflict is preferable to the doubt raised by hiring a loyal employee for a public sector job.

The mayor continued his defense of hiring a Communication Director by implying the press bears some responsibility for the City of Joliet’s negative image. Perhaps, but previous councils, including this one, oversee how the city is perceived. How the city looks isn’t the fault of the press. Neither is the lack of transparency or the decades long neglect of the city’s infrastructure the fault of the press. The mayor continues to emphasize the importance of a comprehensive plan for the city. He was elected in April of 2023. They’re working on it, no doubt but there are several past Comprehensive plans paid for by the city still on the shelf. Maybe it’s time for the honeymoon to be over. 

Joliet needs more than a Bo-Dome or an under-utilized ballpark. The infrastructure work being done in and around Joliet is desperately needed. Hiring someone in the inner circle at city hall can’t change that. Writing press releases for the media outlets isn’t what’s needed. The media outlets can publish, with transparency, the information the public needs and that is generated by the government. 

 The mayor concluded his comments at Tuesday’s council meeting by telling the public there’s a lot going on that we don’t know about. Sounds like maybe that’s the problem. 

Enjoy the holiday weekend and don’t forget what Memorial Day is about.