Who doesn’t love completing surveys. I for one enjoy them, or least I did, until I began to get so many, that I decided to save precious time by deleting or tossing them. I crossed that bridge when I found out that some surveys worked against me. By completing a survey from my auto insurance company, and indicating I was a very happy customer, I was placed in a group with less opportunity of getting a better insurance rate. Why? Because I was happy; there was less chance of me leaving for another auto insurance company.
Watchdog decided to do a survey and rather than investing a lot of time on it, I decided to survey one person whom I could trust to give honest answers, myself. I horizontally listed all nine council members in alpha order, and then rated each one from 1 to 10 vertically, with ‘1’ being equal to an empty seat, and ’10’ being “getting it right” most of the time.
Of course ‘getting it right’ was based on my definition of ‘getting it right’, which likely is different than your definition, but in the spirit of keeping the survey simple, my definition seemed appropriate.
Additionally to add some pizzazz to the numbers Watchdog listed each council member from Watchdog’s first impression of that person’s contributions to council meetings, to Watchdog’s current impression of each. In other words, has Watchdog been open-minded about each council member’s contributions over a period of time; have they gotten better or worse over time.
Finally, considering it would be rude to rate a council member’s contribution equal to an empty chair, Watchdog refrained from a rating of ‘1″. Likewise, considering a ’10’ rating means there is no room from improvement (which there always is), a ’10’ was there only for reference.
With all that in mind, here is the result of the one-person survey:
Becky Anderson went from 7 down to. 2.
Many of her decisions and positions are based on what’s best for Anderson. Her rating fell drastically when she took the position of wanting Naperville to be a ‘Welcoming city’ (sanctuary city). She lost Watchdog with that one.
Judy Brodhead went from 5 down to 3.
She adds very little if anything interesting to meetings and seldom if ever, takes a strong position on any topic, while playing it safe, and nearly always votes with the majority.
Mayor Steve Chirico went up from 3 to 9.
When Chirico was first elected as a council member, Watchdog was very critical of some of his comments. He owned-up to his mis-steps in the very beginning (which most elected officials don’t do) and has become an absolutely outstanding leader for Naperville.
Kevin Coyne went from 5 to 8.
Initially losing his first attempt running for election by just a few votes, he tried again and was elected. His somewhat quiet demeanor should not be mis-interpreted. When he speaks, people listen; he doesn’t waste words. He can say more with fewer words, than anybody at the dais.
Patty Gustin went from 7 down to 3.
Simply stated, Gustin as been a disappointment. Too much talk, and not enough originality.
Paul Hinterlong went from 6 up to 7
It’s taken nine years to move up one number, which means it could take another 18 years for him to move from 7 to 9. He does add a little humor to meetings and asks some interesting questions. Overall, a good member on the council.
John Krummen moved up from 2 to 3.
But 3 is a long way from 5 which is average. He entered the council as a 2 because of his position and performance as an “ambassador” for the hotly divided debate on Smart Meters. It’s difficult to erase the image of him constantly looking over his shoulder at the podium during Smart Meter debates as if someone was about to dump a pail of water on his head.
Rebecca Obarski went from 6 to 8.
The last thing we needed on the council was another lawyer, but she came to the dais knowing she had a bit to learn, and has become an outstanding member of the council to the point that after Chirico finishes his term limit as mayor, she would be a strong candidate.
Benny White entered as a 7 and remains a 7.
He is a valuable member of the council with an appealing style of communication. He limits his comments, which makes what he has to say important.
Overall the council averaged a 5.6 with 5 being average. Definitely room for improvement at election time, however as an overall city council, they are getting the job done making Naperville a good place to be as a resident.
