Des Plaines mayoral candidates weigh in on city manager's role

Though rumblings about the increasing powers of Des Plaines' city manager persist, two of the four mayoral candidates say that with proper oversight, the two offices should work well together.

All four candidates vying for the top job on April 7 said they support the current city manager form of government, formally adopted in 2004 by a referendum that put to rest a controversy that has raged in town for decades.

Not everyone believes the new system is perfect.

Mayoral candidate Dick Sayad, 65, who at the time vehemently opposed taking away power from the mayor and city council, said he still prefers the old way.

"I didn't see anything broken that we had to go and fix," Sayad said. "I think we should go back to that."

Sayad acknowledges, however, that's not possible since residents overwhelmingly voted for the change in government handing over more administrative authority to the city manager's office. Yet, he contends the system needs improvement.

Sayad opposes City Manager Jason Bajor's recent moves placing more department heads under his direct control. He also thinks Bajor needs to do a better job of communicating with aldermen and the mayor.

"We have to work as a team, and that's everybody, including the mayor, the city manager, all the department heads," Sayad said.

Candidate Michael Lake, 61, among the residents who sponsored the change in government referendum, said the old system of having a weak mayor with a strong council wasn't really working.

Lake says it's more efficient to let a trained professional handle day-to-day city operations, including hiring and firing of employees.

The mayor "needs to be the lobbyist for the city really," Lake said. "The mayor doesn't run the city. It literally is a part-time job for $9,000 a year."

That doesn't mean the city manager can do as he pleases.

"He does nothing without being told by the city council or the mayor," Lake said. "He sets no policy."

Candidate and 2nd Ward Alderman Martin Moylan, 58, believes the distribution of power between the mayor and city manager is adequate. He views the city manager as the CEO of a major corporation.

"We (the mayor and city council) are the legislative branch," he said. "I don't see any problem. We are working very well together. I would think that you would have to have the process run a little bit longer in order to see if there are any conflicts."

Though the mayor and city manager are clearly not equals, Bajor taking the seat once occupied by the city attorney next to outgoing Mayor Tony Arredia seemingly puts the two positions on par, said candidate Mark Thompson, 53. That's not good for public perception, he said.

"I really do think that kind of sends the wrong visual message to have the city manager sitting up there with the mayor and the clerk," Thompson said.

Thompson says the mayor still must keep the city manager in check.

"I think the mayor has more of a role in the accountability function than the council does," he said. "What you don't want is the city manager basically running the mayor and the council."