Wood Dale mayor talks city’s future

It’s tough to get new Wood Dale Mayor Nunzio Pulice to crack a smile.

It’s not that he’s mean.

Instead, it seems Pulice takes his post very seriously and almost constantly focuses on ways to improve the city he’s called home for 23 years.

His devotion to Wood Dale helped keep him focused during a tough election campaign to unseat longtime incumbent Ken Johnson, a race the former alderman narrowly won this spring.

Now that Pulice officially has taken office, he remains clear on his campaign goal to reduce water rates for residents. He also faces the challenge of bringing cohesion to a city council that has three new aldermen.

To get a better idea about the man charged with these tasks, the Daily Herald asked Pulice some questions about both his professional and personal life. This is an edited version of that interview.

Q. Now that the election is over, what is the first order of business aside from addressing water rates?

A. We need to revitalize Irving Park Road, because we need businesses that will generate sales tax. We’ve been talking about making the area near the Metra station a transit-oriented district for some time, trying to bring restaurants and shops, and I’d like to see a movie theater.

It seems like after they put up the theater in Addison on Lake Street, all the restaurants and businesses started popping up. But the problem with a movie theater in Wood Dale is: Where is there room? A lot of the local strip malls like Georgetown are pretty full.

In the future, I’d like to also proceed with a River Walk and use Salt Creek to our advantage.

Q. Are your ready to take the top spot in the city?

A. Yes, but remember, it’s not a dictatorship where I make all the rules. There are eight aldermen the people have elected, as well as the city staff, and we are all going to have to work together.

Q. Wood Dale is one of the few suburbs in DuPage County that has not suffered layoffs or cuts in services since the recession. Do you think this can continue?

A. Yes, I do. But people should know that, while we have not cut services, we have become leaner. We have eliminated positions that we did not fill after people left or retired.

In the meantime, it’s normal for a municipality to have about six months of operating costs in reserves, and I am more comfortable with eight or nine. Some people think I want to raid the reserves, but right now Wood Dale is closer to 11 months and I feel we’re stockpiling a lot. That money needs to benefit the residents at some point.

Q. You keep a serious business demeanor most of the time. Is your job also in the business sector?

A. It is. I work as a purchasing agent for a company that supplies the airlines with food or anything else they need.

Q. Could you tell us a little about the personal side of the Wood Dale mayor, when you’re not at the office or city hall?

A. My family includes my wife, Antonella, and our three adult children, who are 19, 22 and 25 years old. When they were younger, I used to coach soccer, football, baseball and basketball for their various teams. Now that they’re moving on, I don’t mind donating my time to organizations like the Knights of Columbus and the Chicagoland Italian-American Charitable Organization.

Q. So you’re a sports guy. Do you have a favorite team?

A. Of all sports? Definitely the Bears.

Q. Now I must ask what many residents wonder: Would you have run for mayor if the scandal of Ken Johnson taking an interest-free loan from Wood Dale never happened?

A. I never would have run if that did not happen. I am fine being in the background, I don’t need to be the No. 1 guy. But I realized (corruption) is people’s perception of elected officials, and I don’t like it.

I could have run for alderman, probably unopposed, and likely won. But my wife kept asking, “If you walk away, will you be moping around the house complaining that you should have done something?”

I knew she was right and decided to run. If Ken had won, then I figured that’s what the people want.

But I had to try. My father always told me you’ve got to have values, and I tell my kids the same thing.