Chowing Down At The Dais

I doubt if anyone has ever described Naperville city council meetings as non-stop events of excitement, maybe non-stop, but not excitement. Most meetings and agenda topics are boring, which is probably why most residents don’t bother attending or watching meetings. The fact that you are reading this posting makes you part of the vast minority of local government fans.

Most meetings last about two hours with a range of 30 minutes to four-plus hours. There is a noticeable difference between this city council and previous recent Naperville city councils, in the fact that Mayor Steve Chirico runs a tight meeting. He’s not one for wasting time, he starts the meetings on time and if a break is necessary during the meeting, he will announce the amount of time for the break, and then promptly resume the meeting on time, as council members are rushing to get seated. One would think that council members would be aware of this  by now, but not so. During the June 6 meeting, council members Becky Anderson, Patty Gustin, and Paul Hinterlong along with city manager Doug Krieger were tripping over themselves to get to the dais and get seated. Punctuality (respect for other peoples’ time) apparently is not a value they subscribe to.

It’s been said that on your last day at work, you can do whatever you want. It also applies to council members during their last term in office. They no longer have to be concerned about being elected for another term in office, because term limits can do what voters couldn’t do, which is to get them out of office.

This applies to Naperville councilwoman Judith Brodhead. She has maxed out her term limits and now gets to do whatever she wants, which may explain why she was caught chowing-down, what appeared to be the final bites of a huge burrito after a 5-minute break during the last council meeting.

Now in all fairness to Brodhead, it may have been the final bites of a quarter-pounder, either way, it must have been good. What is difficult to understand is why did she request to be recognized by the mayor for a comment, if she still had some tasty morsels to consume. Maybe it’s simply a perk for being in her final term.

From the desk of the Guard Dog:

Perhaps a palate cleanser?