Naperville councilman Fieseler made it official, well as official as a politician’s word can be; he said he is not running for re-election to the Naperville city council in next spring’s 2015 election. Much can happen between now and then, including a change of heart on his part by tomorrow. However if he truly does take his bat and ball and goes home, both he and the Watchdog will agree, it’s for the best.
Recently Fieseler has been supportive of Naperville residents when he voted against the electric rate increase, and he is one of the very few who have questioned the leadership and performance of city manager Doug Krieger. While the vast majority of the city council allow Krieger to skate free without being accountable for huge missteps in judgment and decision making, Fieseler has had no problem in calling him out.
Fieseler’s problem is that it was too little, too late. And the major speed bump that Fieseler couldn’t navigate was the not-so smart-grid and not-so-smart meter fiasco. He along with councilman Grant Wehrli lead the ill-advised charge forward which has and continues to cause all kinds of problems for Naperville residents and businesses.
It’s doubtful whether or not Fieseler could have been re-elected; smart money would say most likely not. With fewer perks for council members, and the realization of likely defeat, Fiesler knows that it’s time to go, and Watchdog agrees.
Another stumbling block that often times faced Fieseler is that even though he ‘had the right to remain silent’, he didn’t have the ability to do so. Numerous times during public forum, his interactions with residents were less than cordial. Rather than simply listening to the concerns of residents, he turned it into a wrestling match, determined to win a take-down.
Watch and listen as resident Jeff Anderson speaks during public forum regarding ‘council member compensation’
This is followed by Fieseler taking a couple of ‘shots’ at the Naperville resident…
and then Hinterlong taking issue with Fieseler.
Now watch and listen as Fieseler goes for the ‘take down’ of resident Kristin Jungles during the same topic and boils it down to a round of golf.
Yes, it’s time for Naperville councilman Bob Fieseler to go. Next year at this time, instead of Fieseler enjoying one-on-one combat with residents, we’ll probably find him at the Ultimate Fighting Competition in Naperville.
Can you do something about the audio level for these videos? I have my sound cranked all the way up on my computer and it’s still not easy to hear these video segments. I suspect the problem is really with the original recording by the city since I have to crank the sound way up on my TV to listen to the chamber’s broadcasts. I don’t have that problem with other channels. But maybe that is part of the city’s/council’s way of dodging issues with the residents of Naperville. If you can’t hear what anybody’s saying, they could be “saying anything” (or maybe nothing of value!)
I will look into this. Before joining the City Council I had trouble hearing the meetings on TV, but it was even worse in the City Council chambers. A few years ago we installed a new sound system, which was supposed to help.
I’ll bet Fieseler, as a lawyer, doesn’t mind logging every minute he spends working on a client case for billing. Does he keep mileage records for the IRS for auto use deductions?Somehow he is offended when he is asked to verify that he works 1000 hours a year as a Council member because of the fear of perjury? Why won’t he extend the same courtesy to the taxpayers that he does for his paying clients? Why not log all the time he spends working on City issues so citizens can evaluate the “value” they are paying for his “service.”
Mr. Thommes, I checked some earlier Council meeting videos, but they seemed fine, better than a few years back. If you send your email address to me, mcelroyj@naperville.il.us, I can put you in touch with somebody who knows more about this than I do.
Councilman McElroy