In last week’s posting, I incorrectly wrote, “Mayor Steve Chirico is entering his final two years as mayor, in essence becoming a lame-duck mayor. Whatever he wants to get done as mayor, he has two years to do it.” Those two sentences qualified Watchdog to become part of the fake news, because if he chooses, he can run for another term in 2023 and keep pushing Naperville forward for another six years until 2027. This was pointed out to me initially by readers Mike Marek and Jim Haselhorst, followed by a few others.
My intent was not to push Chirico out the door, on the contrary, Mayor Chirico has been outstanding for Naperville. His predecessor, Mayor George Pradel, was in office for 20 years, and took Naperville from being a cozy, quiet town to become a city, and now Chirico has transformed Naperville from a city to a big successful city, well-known throughout the country.
I have been in Naperville since 1978 and clearly remember needing to spell ‘Naperville’ everytime somebody asked me for my home address. That no longer happens, and hasn’t for many years.
It remains to be decided if Chirico even wants to run for another term. Being elected to the city council can be, and in most cases, is a big sacrifice of time and money, if the job is done right. Everytime votes are cast and decisions are made, can cost council members votes during the next election, ultimately costing the council member or mayor the election.
Additionally, it can cost a council member or mayor to lose business and income in their primary business due to positions they have taken on issues. A cancelled or lost contract can be a hefty price to pay for taking any position on any issue. Running for office can involve far more than just the cost of the campaign.
