Naperville mayor remains largely upbeat in State of City

Both successes and economic struggles shaped Naperville in 2008.

But Mayor George Pradel remained hopeful for the new year as he delivered his 14th State of the City address Monday at a Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce luncheon.

The talk, themed "Charting Our Course Together," was at times a more somber speech than usual, but the mayor also didn't hesitate to point to some accomplishments and even crack a few jokes along the way.

"We have faced many unexpected challenges this year, along with the rest of the world, and we met them all," Pradel said. "Rest assured we will make it through these turbulent times. We have done this before and we will do it again."

The city faced a $5.1 million budget shortfall this fiscal year, one projected to grow to $11 million in the coming fiscal year.

To shore up the budget, the city eliminated 23 vacant positions and another 20 employees lost their jobs earlier this month.

Pradel said his "heart aches for those wonderful people we have had to say goodbye to recently" and acknowledged their loss would impact city services.

"While we remain committed to great service all the time, please keep in mind that great service has its price," he said. "We may not be able to fill requests for services as quickly as we once did."

The city also battled Mother Nature in 2008 with heavy snowfalls in winter and flooding in September.

But budget and weather woes aside, the city did experience quite a few triumphs. Pradel highlighted the completion of projects within the city such as North Central College's Wentz Concert Hall and Fine Arts Center; the Van Buren parking deck addition; the opening of a $25 million public works center; the Sudanese Community Center opening; and the Springbrook Prairie Pavilion and Freedom Commons developments.

The Water Street development and the expansion of the Main Street Promenade will be taking shape in 2009.

The city also made use of technology, purchasing an interoperable radio system and instituting ways for residents to pay bills and view city council meetings online.

Naperville also ranked third on Money Magazine's "Best Places to Live" list and a residents survey showed 92 percent are satisfied with the quality of life in the city.

Pradel recognized some of the city's new leaders who came on board in 2008 including City Manager Doug Krieger, park district Executive Director Ray McGury and fire Chief Mark Puknaitis.

He also spotlighted Edward Hospital CEO Pam Davis, who helped expose corruption within the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board that eventually led to Gov. Rod Blagojevich's arrest. The crowd gave Davis a standing ovation as Pradel called her "our hero."

The talk was not without its lighter moments.

Pradel joked about helping the economy with his $275 ticket after a fender bender while he was operating a snowplow and also gave the crowd a laugh about Monday's luncheon taking place at the Hilton in Lisle.

"With the current fiscal situation. times have been a little rough in Naperville, so thank you for hosting us Mayor (Joe) Broda," he said. "We're privileged to accept your gracious hospitality and we put our lunch on Lisle's tab. A little brotherly, neighborly love."

Richard Greene, president and CEO of the chamber, called Pradel "the ever-optimistic mayor."

"I think as business owners we can appreciate his frankness as to what to expect from the city in the future," Greene said, "their commitment to bring everybody together to work together to work on the issues that are going to face us."