Naperville mayoral hopefuls weigh in on police contract

Naperville police can stage as many informational pickets as they'd like, but the three men vying to lead the city for the next four years say they stand by the recently approved contract and subsequent layoffs.

Mayor George Pradel wasn't involved in any of the closed-door negotiations and neither were his likely challengers in the April election, councilmen Doug Krause and Kenn Miller. But they all agree the city's budget is in no shape to fund the raises officers received without the corresponding job cuts.

Pradel, Krause and Miller all are expected to file nominating petitions for mayor next week in preparation for the spring election. All three are expected to be at city hall Nov. 16 when the city's police union conducts an informational picket to protest this week's layoffs of six officers.

The police union filed an unfair labor practice complaint Tuesday against the city with the state labor relations board.

The city laid off six officers and eliminated a vacant position less than a week after an arbitrator signed off on a new three-year contract with the police union.

The contract provides officers with raises of 3.3 percent for 2009-10 and 3 percent in both 2010-11 and 2011-12.

The pact is retroactive to May 1, 2009, and runs through April 30, 2012.

Miller declined to discuss the troubled relationship between the city and its police union on Wednesday, calling the situation “too volatile.”

Ultimately, he said, there's only one thing left to do.

“After 17 months (of negotiations) the city and FOP have come to an agreement so let's go back to work,” he said. “I don't want to get into discussing the matter in public. It is a volatile situation and I'm not going to fan the flames any more than they already have been.”

Krause said he was unhappy the council approved the contract behind closed doors but said it's time to focus on finding the money.

“That contract is a contract now and we're stuck with it. All the posturing isn't going to change anything,” he said. “The checks have to be written to the police officers and I honestly don't know where some of my fellow councilmen are getting the cash for that.”

Krause said he would like to get the contract back before the council so councilmen could vote to approve it publicly, but he's not optimistic.

The council originally authorized the agreement in a 6-3 vote taken behind closed doors. Because an arbitrator signed off on it as a “consent award,” the council was not required to take a public vote.

“I'd have to get five people to raise their hands to make it happen and I don't see any of the other six doing that,” he said.

Pradel, a former Naperville police officer, said the turmoil over the last week has broken his heart. He said he hoped the officers would agree to a pay freeze like many nonunion employees.

“Those are my buddies and that's where I come out of, but we all have to work together and try some give and take,” Pradel said. “We're trying desperately not to cut services but anyone who takes an honest look at the budget has to realize cuts are being made in every department.”

Pradel said he doesn't believe the city can risk any additional layoffs in the police department but he's not sure where the city goes from here.

“I feel that we councilmen only have one employee and that is (City Manager) Doug (Krieger),” Pradel said. Doug and his staff are in charge of the day-to-day operations of the city so we look to them to tell us where we're going and what we're doing.”

For Krause, the first plan of attack is to get the city council and its employees on the same page.

“Somehow we have a problem getting everyone to buy into the notion that in these tough times, we can keep more people employed if we cut out these automatic raises in tough times,” Krause said. “I just don't know how to get that to resonate. I wish someone would tell me.”