Naperville City Officials Lose In Court

It was a great day for the residents of Naperville. As good of a day as it was for residents, it was as bad of a day for Naperville city officials including the Naperville city council, along with Mayor George Pradel and city manager Doug Krieger. When things are good for the residents, things are bad for city officials. Naperville city officials have created that inverse relationship.

On Wednesday, Naperville resident and mother, Kim Bendis was declared not guilty by a jury of her peers on a trumped-up charge of obstructing and resisting a peace officer. Kim Bendis is one of two Naperville moms who was cuffed and arrested for protecting her home and family from the City of Naperville’s forced installation of a so-called smart meter on her home. Naperville city officials sent installers and armed police to her residence to over-power her into submission. When she requested that they leave her property, they forcefully arrested her, and then installed the meter.

Naperville’s ill-advised actions gained national attention, most likely causing the city to drop to #33 in the rankings of most favorable cities in which to live.

Everybody knew city officials over-stepped the line of good behavior; everybody except the city officials who continued to make Kim and her husband’s life miserable by pushing the issue through the overloaded court system. City officials were doomed to lose again in court because the case was going to be decided by a fair and impartial jury of Kim’s peers. The Naperville city council doesn’t like it when a jury decides a case, they don’t like it when residents get to vote on an issue, they don’t like it when residents express their views. City officials don’t like it when they lose control. If it involves common sense, or wisdom, city officials lose.

This is the same city attorney who couldn’t get out of town fast enough when accusations were made that the City of Naperville promotes a hostile work environment. This is the same city manager (Doug Krieger) who was required to participate and complete a course in ‘sensitivity and harassment’ training. This is the same Mayor Pradel who presided over this travesty of justice by allowing the ‘cowboys’ on the city council to arrest residents. This is the same eight members of the city council who didn’t have the decency to stop bullying the Bendis family. This is the same councilwoman Judy Brodhead (the only woman on the council) who didn’t speak up in defense of Naperville women getting arrested for protecting their homes and families.

Not one council member spoke up in favor of doing the right thing. The bugle boy and the flag carrier (Grant Wehrli and Bob Fieseler) kept steam-rolling the residents. If you look up the word ‘bullying’ in the dictionary, you’ll see a picture of the Naperville city council . While they were downtown pounding down some cold brews, the Bendis family was trying to defend themselves in endless court battles.

The three newest council members, Steve Chirico, Joe McElroy, and Dave Wentz, did nothing to stop the bullying. Not one stood tall and challenged the other members of the council. They allowed it to continue. Since those three were not part of the solution, that made them part of the problem.

Naperville city officials wasted tax-payer dollars in the pursuit of this sham of a court case. And they want to get re-elected, so they can do this again to other residents. If the election was held tomorrow, most likely they would all get tossed out of the council chambers. Shame on the Naperville city council, Mayor Pradel, and Doug Krieger for allowing this bullying of the Bendis family to occur.

Show 8 Comments

8 Comments

  1. Gerard H Schilling

    Couldn’t agree more and there should be a price to pay for these slugs vindictively with malice and forethought persecuting this family and the other one for daring to protect their Constitutional rights. The city should be made to pay their legal expenses, fire the city manager and whatever this police chief is called and put people into these offices who know and respect the law and the citizens they are suppose to represent.

  2. Ed James

    That’s good. Of course they should have never brought that case to court. So, what’s next? Don’t be surprised when the Council votes to appeal the verdict, hires some high-priced outside lawyers, and tries the case again. They won’t bat an eye at spending six figures of taxpayer dollars to prove that THEY are right and WE are wrong.

  3. Makempay

    I hope she sues everyone! The police for false arrest, the city manager for issuing the order, the non-police police chief who followed those insane instructions, and each council member individually for tacitly agreeing with the whole cocked-up scheme. It seems that money is the only thing they understand, so it’s time to get them where they’ll feel it. And yes, I understand that we, the tax payers will actually be paying for the bulk of it, but if the aforementioned goons have to go through depositions, court time and shell out even one penny, it would be worth it.

  4. Sandy

    This is the same council who tried to publically shame citizens, during an election, for participating in our government through public speaking and utilizing the FOIA process (as instructed by City Manager Krieger himself). How much tax payer money was spent for this legal debacle? Kim Bendis, a Master prepared nurse, is a true American hero that was brought to this country as a small child, from Viet Nam, after her parents and family were killed. She understood the nightmare and consequences of tyranny. Shame on the Council, the City Manager, and our Mayor for their treatment of Kim, and her wonderful , family. These government thugs made our city a laughing stock, ensuring its place in history along with Boss Hog, Tammany Hall, and the Keystone cops. Anyway, now that the City hiked our electric rates, borrowed over $14M from our Water Utility (with no public plan to pay the cash back) to stop the financial hemorrhaging at the Electric Company and has now projected for this year over $3.0M in additional debt..I guess we all know that Kim was right.

  5. Sandy

    As an aside, I emailed most of our Council regarding the Octoberfest beer flags lining the front of Naperville Central High School. I thought it strange that our City Council would think it proper, if not outright cruel, to emphasize the beer drinking at Octoberfest in their advertisements of a city celebration that is so much more than beer. Octoberfest is great hearty food, music, dancing family and friends. Some families are struggling with teen drinking, and it’s just so wrong to fly multiple city flags advertising drinking directly in front of the high school, especially close to homecoming. These multiple beer flags are near the same area that two young men drowned, after an accident that was reported to involve alcohol. I bet their families appreciate the irony of the beer flags being flown, after the City removed the makeshift memorial. Naperville has had a lot of press regarding its reputation of being a weekend hot spot, I’m so surprised and discouraged that these beer flags continue to fly in front of our high school. Mr. Wentz was the only Council person to reply and promise to talk to staff about the situation. Thanks, Mr. Wentz for standing up for Naperville as a family town.

  6. Sandy

    Today’s Wallstreet Journal: “One in 10 Cellphine Anntennas Violates Safety Rule: Cellphine BoomSpurs Anntenna-Safety Worries. ”

    http://www.emfacts.com/2013/03/top-liability-expert-a-m-best-identifies-radofrequency-radiation-as-a-risk-for-insurers/

    It also mentions that AM Best and Hardford Financial Services has classified radio frequency radation from wireless Anntennas as an “Emeging Technology-Based Risk”

    The City of Naperville forced the installation of wireless smart meters on all of us. If we wish to protect our children and families we are being gouged $24.94/month to have a wired meter. However, all of our children are being exposed 24/7 to this radiation in and around our homes, businesses, church’s and schools. The wireless mesh network has enveloped our entire city to continually send data signals to the City, from the City and between the meters.

    Kim and all the other concerned citizens appear to be correct in their health, safety and civil rights concerns. I wonder how much the City will have to pay out in settlements if this safety risk continues to grow.

    Per Claims Journal, “As the population of workers becomes aware of the hidden RF hazards and their potential for exposure, claims will likely be filed by the thousands, and long term litigation will result, in a similar manner to the way asbestos evolved.”

  7. Richard Garrison

    We are now getting ready for our local city electric company to implement SMART Power Meters. A “pilot program” is now in progress, and taxpayers are being told the City of Morganton will NOT give us an “Opt-Out” with these Smart Meters

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