Let's not forget Dick Furstenau...., oh, I forgot, he he's not a rich millionaire..his lawsuit got dismissed.

"Ok, fine with me. The Mosers, Lenerts, Riordans, Lehmanns, Oswald/Andersons, Drendels, Rubins-all of them long standing pioneers of our community--are what's wrong with Naperville."

Long standing does not equate to being a pioneer.

Some on the list are leaders, some are not.

Same have worked and earned their money, some have inherited it without any spectacular brilliance of their own.

Some are missing from the list, some don't deserve to be on it.

Truthfully most of the true "pioneers" of Naperville were a pretty rough lot who were followed by a bunch of poor farmers who were followed by what could best be described as a blue collar town for many, many decades. Those who want to brag about having long standing ties or roots around here aren't exactly saying much and for the most part, with a couple of exceptions, none of the old names have any notable or significant family wealth despite how long they have been around here.

So they ponied up some money? Big deal. It was their money and they can do whatever they want with it... good, bad, wise, stupid.

The real lesson learned for the history books is for elected government officials to not let half cocked ideas go forward in an emotional rush to just get something built, especially when something is being built like this on public land.

Not one brick should have been set in place until they had raised all of the money needed. That is a simple principle and it was violated because elected officials allowed their emotions to get in front of sound judgment. If our elected officials had used sound judgment they never would have allowed the project to proceed without adequate financing to complete the entire project and there would not have been any need to bail it out.

Penny Earned | September 7, 2011 5:33 PM | Reply
Anonymous,
Quite the horses derriere, aren't you?
I think it is clear that i am a lousy typist --- I am typing on a 4 inch screen.
Now, to clarify that last post:
"Anonymous and OR......,
Thank you.
I assume you both can read, so you are aware the list is that of what is right with Naperville.
Thanks again!!!!!!"
Do you get it yet?
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I get it now, I can't imagine how Anyone could have misunderstood your prose!! (not). So I'll change my original comment. In response to the inquiry as to who would be on a list of everything that is R-I-G-H-T with Naperville, Penny Earned would definitely NOT be on this list. Hope this clarifies it for you? Get it? (cue the banjos)

Imassume you both can read
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much better than you can spell Penny Earned. unless your spelling and dialect is something out of "Deliverance"?

I was going to say something like that, but you said it better.

the list would be too long and would not be limited to the "famous" names you keep parroting, but would include most of the town.
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and "penny earned" would be at the top of the list.

OK, so no one is an example of what's right for Naperville.

Check the records. These people contributed tens of thousands of dollars to the project. It was not their project. They had no leadership role. They just stepped forward when asked to do something for their city. Just like their families have been doing for decades.

And, you didn't answer my question. If these people are what is wrong with Naperville, who are the people who are right with Naperville.

Ok, fine with me. The Mosers, Lenerts, Riordans, Lehmanns, Oswald/Andersons, Drendels, Rubins-all of them long standing pioneers of our community--are what's wrong with Naperville.

Now, tell me who are the representatives of what is right of about Naperville?

"Do you want to tell that to the people who donated money to the project? Are they what is wrong with Naperville? The Mosers, The Stuarts, The Riordans, The Lenerts,"

Some would say... A fool and his money is soon parted...

There usually is a reason for old sayings...

Do you want to tell that to the people who donated money to the project? Are they what is wrong with Naperville? The Mosers, The Stuarts, The Riordans, The Lenerts, Girl Scouts, High Schools, Rotary, Jaycees, etc,? Go take a look at the long list: http://www.naperville-carillon.org/thanks-to-public-donations/

No, they weren't able to pull it off alone. But, these people are Naperville.

anon said:

Can they get around the bid process? Absolutely!
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Please explain how this is done on a multi-million dollar project. I understand that maybe the engineering might be exempt as professional services, but, how do they get around the construction bid process?

Can they get around the bid process? Absolutely! I completely understand that a job for a few months can be a lifeline - and that portion is great, but don't make the mistake of believing they are creating jobs with a project like this - they are enhancing their own standing and putting huge amts of cash in the pockets of friends and supporters.

Working for three months is definitely better than not working at all, but a permanent job is what these people truly need, and they won't get that so long as the connected are lining their pockets and throwing the rest of the world a few random scraps. That isn't the right thing to do with Tax Payer money ever, but especially not when finances are precious. OH, and after they have used our money to make their friends richer, they will cut more of our staff and services to "save money" and look fiscally conservative - so those three month positions that are temporarily gained, will ultimately result in indefinite unemployment for a whole new set of workers.

It would be wonderful if things like this were what we all want them to be, it just doesn't happen right now. Maybe someday.

"The benefit to the Council and to the connected company owner will be huge and at tax payer expense ...... the workers at best see a band aid for a few months. "

See that is why the Children's Museum and Carillon were both such a good deal. They were built as private sector projects and then taken over by the city when the finances failed.

Just imagine what either of these projects would have cost us if the city had built them in the first place!

Maybe there is a lesson to be learned somewhere in this?

First, the jobs are not City jobs. As you rightfully pointed out before, they are jobs working for construction contractors hired by the city to build the bridge. These workers employed by the contractor are guaranteed by law a wage which at the current time is probably better than what they would make on a non-governmental contract.

Second, don't be so gratuitous as to give up a steady paycheck for others. To you it might be a few months. To them it could be a life line.

Third, what of the competitive bid process required of public works projects in Illinois. Do you think the city council and their friends can get around the bid process?

To my knowledge there aren't any positions within the City of Naperville that build bridges ..... but for the sake of argument - let's say these temporary workers make a decent hourly wage, for a few months. Once those workers finish the project, they are right back in the same unemployed space that they were in before the project. Those who are connected don;t have that problem, this will be another opportunity to make thousands off the taxpayers without any long term benefit to the community and at best a short term respite for part-time contractor who will be looking for a job again 5 minutes after the project is complete. The benefit to the Council and to the connected company owner will be huge and at tax payer expense ...... the workers at best see a band aid for a few months.

anon said:

Most likely some contractor with connections to the Council will bid on the job, they will of course also get the job, because that will benefit someone's close personal friends. This contractor will hire cheap labor - pay no benefits
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Have you ever heard of the Illinois Prevailing Wage Act? The one that requires workers on public works projects, like building bridges, to be paid the normal wage and benefits for people who work in the locality? The one where the Ill. Dept. of Labor, and not the City, establishes what those wages and benefits to be paid are?

Most likely some contractor with connections to the Council will bid on the job, they will of course also get the job, because that will benefit someone's close personal friends. This contractor will hire cheap labor - pay no benefits, and someone who is desperate because there aren't any permanent jobs out there will do the work for half what they are worth, and the day this project is over, they will be back out of work. The friend of the councilman who owns the company will make LOTS of money .... the same guy will owe the City a favor, and that will benefit at least some of the Council .... but the people who ultimately do the work will still not be making a fair wage or have medical benefits or anything else to show for making the the others a little bit richer.

So, how are they going to build the bridge without people working on it, making money, feeding their families, paying for their homes, ........?

Seems the word "pristine" has been bantered about a bit to describe the area where this bridge is proposed.

I'm wondering if those who are using the word are all using the same definition of pristine?

If they are, wasn't any measure of truly being pristine lost once the area was first developed into a farm?

Adjacent parcels of developed farmland were further redeveloped to create housing and no one thought that farmland was pristine or historically significant, so what makes this section of farmland any different?

Sometimes we have to be a bit careful in terms of what we wish for. I've seen other large tracts of ground where attempts have been made, without a huge degree of success, to remove invasive species and restore native plants. In an area the size of this tract it would easily cost a lot more than $33M with no guarantee of success. Plants die for all kinds of reasons and invasive species still come back. Attempts to maintain restoration efforts usually have high maintenance fees... just ask the forest preserve.

Those who live in the area might not want a bridge though they will probably end up using it more than anyone else. They might prefer to see open green space. For the rest of us green space or bridge it will end up costing us the same one way or the other.

Given a choice of green space, which is a forest preserve responsibility and they don't seem to be interested in this property, or building a bridge I think far more people would benefit daily from a bridge than would benefit from not developing this property in some manner.

While the government may have an option to buy this property, if they don't build the bridge the option is going to expire. Whoever owns the land may have been patiently waiting for the government to exercise eminent domain but if the government decides not to build you can bet your bottom dollar this land isn't going to sit around idle forever.

Whoever owns this land is going to do something with it that will make them money. Even if the government has already purchased it they will most likely get rid of it to a developer if they decide not to build a bridge there. The unknown is how the land is currently zoned and if it might be rezoned for some other use.

Given the possibilities and uncertainties those who are against the bridge might want to reconsider if having a road and bridge off in the distant is a better or worse alternative to backing up to whatever may make some future developed the most money.

That would be GREAT, but it isn't the way the City does things. They spend millions on pet projects, but put zero value on people. They don't want to create jobs, they want to cut people whenever they can .... how else are they supposed to fund their bonus's and car allowances?

anon said:

and build 31 million dollar bridges when the people who live and work here are not struggling to make it through the week.
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Or, build $31 million bridges to put people back to work so they are not struggling to make it through the week.

No crime? Seriously? We are all fortunate to live in a reasonably affluent area with a relatively low crime rate - but you can hardly say no crime when just last week there was an armed robbery ion Washington, we have people driving 100 miles an hour down 59 for kicks, I don't remember the dates, but not that long ago a body was found on 59 after a drug deal went badly, there was a stabbing at a downtown bar, etc... etc... Those of course are the headline cases - there are hundreds more things that happen that aren't such "big news", but they happen every day.

Love the police, hate the police .... I've seen reasons to feel both ways in the 20 years I've lived here, but to pretend we don't need a strong police force is ridiculous.

On the spending - I'm not that familiar with the project itself, but if it is a waste of money you can bet that the City Council will vote to do it. Spending millions for the benefit of a few while cutting services is the trademark of this group. Look at the smart grid, the Childrens Museum, the Carillon, need I go on? All nice enough projects, but MILLIONS spent while they tell us all how broke we are and how we can't afford to pay the people who actually do the work. Here's an idea, wait on these mutli million dollar projects, cut the inept management bonus program .... heck, cut the inept management .... take away their $450 a month car allowances, and THEN, IF we have the money to do these nice things, then do them. If we don't have the money, well guess what, we all have to put things off that we'd like to do but can't afford.

I'd love to invest in a nice property that is cheaper today than it may ever be again ... but no matter what a great deal it might be, I still need to care for my kids and take care of my lesser home because I DON'T have the money to do what I wish I could. It's time for the City to do the same thing - take care of the residents and the staff and wait on their pet projects and self rewarding programs. Give the people back their brush pick-up - and let private industry take care of Museums and Carillons - do the Smart Grid on the original schedule of 9 million over 4 years instead of pushing it down our throats at 22 Million right now, and build 31 million dollar bridges when the people who live and work here are not struggling to make it through the week.