Politicians and city officials are typically not known for keeping a watchful eye on expenses, since it’s so easy to get more money by squeezing it out of residents with higher taxes and fees, in essence easy come, easy go. Spending other peoples’ money comes easy. However Naperville councilman John Krummen has been a leader on the council when it comes to employing sound business practices on issues involving money.
Most recently during the last Naperville city council meeting on June 19, councilman Krummen questioned two agenda items. The first involved the funding for Naperville’s Hazardous Waste Facility. Watch and listen as Krummen questions Public Works Director, Dick Dublinski and asks the always important question “what if..”
All too often little attention is given by city officials to ‘what if Plan-A doesn’t work’. In the business world, contingent plans are vital to successful outcomes. It’s been said that typically Plan-B’s are more successful than Plan-A’s, but if there is no Plan-B, that’s not good. So kudos to Krummen for addressing the need for contingent plans, “having discussions now, rather than later”.
Krummen followed with another expense related topic regarding the traffic light to be installed 95th Street and Knoch Knolls road. Watch and listen as he questions Bill Novack, Director of TED (Transportation, Engineering, and Development) concerning the $300,000 expense for the light, especially as it relates to the struggle that the city council had in trying to deal with $300,000 in budget cost savings.
Krummen didn’t settle with Novack’s answer, coming back at him with the possibility of ‘bargaining harder’ for a better deal with Will County.
Is it possible that councilman Krummen did something that Novack hasn’t done, and that’s reading President Trump’s book, ‘The Art of The Deal’.
