JOLIET — Four-term Joliet City Councilman Larry Hug was scolded toward the end of Tuesday night’s regular meeting by City Manager Beth Beatty following a heated exchange that included Mayor Terry D’Arcy taking the side of Joliet’s first-year city manager.
You can watch the entire exchange in the YouTube version of the Council meeting below. The incident with Hug begins around the 1 hour and 14 minute mark and lasts about 4 minutes.
Moments after asking Joliet Police Chief Bill Evans to compile a report for the Council surrounding all shootings in Joliet since June 1, Hug turned his attention to the topic of public parking in downtown Joliet.
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“And the other thing I wanted to bring up, and I don’t want to speculate on this, but I am pretty comfortable saying, none of us nine (Council members) would vote against free parking in the downtown, we’ve been trying to work toward that since almost 10 years ago. Time to pull the trigger. But to suspend it right now, we still need to do things the right way,” Hug told everyone.
“In Joliet, parking, Todd (Lenzie, interim city corporation counsel) you can reinforce this or challenge it, parking is done by legislation. It’s done by ordinance and the fees are set by ordinance and the ways and the way we collect are set by ordinance. We can’t just stop doing that without a vote up here. I’m pretty confident we’ll get a 9-0 vote, but we need to dot our i’s and cross our t’s.”
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And that’s when Beatty spoke up.
“Yeah, for free parking downtown, yes, that’s got to come to Council,” Beatty explained around the 1:14:25 mark of the meeting.
“And for the parking decks and all that we own,” Hug continued.
“The validation that we’re doing for the parking decks right now, we do not need Council approval,” Beatty explained. “I have that authority.”
“Beth, that’s under the same ordinance as all parking,” Hug maintained. “It’s the division of the ordinance.”
“So, Councilman Hug, you have the authority and honestly, it’s a dollar an hour, in that parking deck. So we’re not going to get anywhere near $25,000, that you think we are.”
At that point, Hug could be heard talking in the background as Beatty had the floor and her microphone on.
“What you need to do right now is help the businesses downtown,” Beatty insisted.
“Hold on,” Hug raised his voice at Beatty. “It’s my time. I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about doing it right.”
“Well,” Beatty spoke up,” I would like for you to lower your voice and speak to me in a respectful manner.”
“Quit interrupting me, it’s my time,” Hug told her.
“I’m not going to let you bully me at the pulpit here,” Beatty told Hug.
“I’m not bullying you,” Hug replied.
“Yes, you are,” Beatty remarked.
“I don’t need to hear how much it costs,” Hug said.
“I have the authority, Larry,” Beatty told him.
Hug went on to say, “Not according to some attorneys I’ve talked to, because it’s under ordinance.”
“Well, I’m sorry that you’re misinformed,” Beatty told Hug.
Finally, Mayor Terry D’Arcy spoke up.
“I’m going to interrupt this conversation. In the statute, she has the authority to validate parking. And we’ll give it to you after the meeting,” D’Arcy told Hug. “Fair enough?”
“Please do,” Hug responded.
After a brief exchange between Hug and D’Arcy, Beatty told Hug, “Anytime you can contact me Larry, on the phone, I will get you any of the language you need.”
“If you can just send it to me, I would appreciate it,” Hug told her.
“You refuse to answer my calls, so, ” Beatty said.
“No. Not true,” Hug replied.
“That’s true,” Beatty insisted. “It is true, and I’m going to leave it here tonight. Larry, listen to me, any information you need, like any other Council member up here needs, I will provide.”
Hug suggested there was a string of text messages he sent Beatty in May and June that did not receive a response.
“Larry, let’s move on,” Mayor D’Arcy told him. “Let’s move on.”
“I still have them,” Hug told Beatty.
“Right, because you refuse to talk to me,” Beatty told Hug. “You want me to put everything in writing.”
“Yeah,” Hug agreed. “Nothing wrong with that. I’m willing to put everything I say in writing.”
“Well, sometimes it’s easier just to talk on the phone, so we can work together,” Beatty told Hug.
“A text would be (fine),” Hug suggested.
“I prefer to speak,” Beatty told him. “We can talk about our communication styles at a different time, but I will not let you bully me up here.”
As Hug could be heard saying “a text would be fine, Beth, a text would be fine, Beth,” Beatty continued, “I am the city manager. I am completely capable of telling whether or not I have authority. I would never bring anything to this Council or do anything to jeopardize what’s happening in the city. What I care about most is what’s happening for the residents.
“We have to start getting better,” Beatty continued. “Great things are happening.”
“We can decide how we want to communicate, Beth,” Hug continued.
“We got it, Larry, let’s move on,” Mayor D’Arcy told Hug.
“I don’t know how this is helping anyone,” Beatty said. “You can argue with me all you want offline, but this is not helping.”
“Just respond to my texts and the emails,” Hug remarked.
“You could respond to my calls,” Beatty told him. “And come in when we have meetings.”
“Respond to the texts and the emails,”Hug told her.
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“Larry, enough!” D’Arcy said. “We’re going to move on.”
Hug was not finished. He said something to D’Arcy referring to Beatty as staff.
Councilwoman Suzanna Ibarra asked, “Can we gavel him?” referring to Hug.
“We’re good,” D’Arcy said. “Move along, Larry, please.”
“I’m not just staff, I’m the city manager,” Beatty spoke up.
“You’re staff,” Hug told her. “You are the head of the staff.
“Be respectful to women,” Beatty told him.
Meanwhile, Hug and D’Arcy were having a side conversation, as Hug pleaded to the mayor that he made a comment and Beatty has been talking over him ever since.
Hug told D’Arcy that the mayor needed to talk to Beatty if he wants to get involved “and leave my freedom of speech alone.”
“You should be more respectful to women,” Beatty told Hug once more. “I’m tired of you bullying my staff and other members of this Council and I will not let you do it to me.”
“I do not bully anybody,” Hug insisted. “I tell people where I stand, Beth. I tell people where I stand.”
“OK, I’m sorry, I can’t take it anymore,” Beatty replied. “You can’t be that disrespectful to me anymore.”
“I can’t take you anymore,” Hug told Beatty.
“OK, good, we agree on that,” Beatty answered.
“Yes,” Hug said.
One person in the City Hall audience could be heard groaning, “Oh my god!”
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