Okon: How objective is Joliet on NorthPoint?

The Joliet Plan Commission approval of the NorthPoint project on Monday was expected by opponents.

"I think there are a lot of conflicts of interest on the planning board," said Delilah LeGrett of Just Say No to NorthPoint.

She points to a photo of someone who looks to be Jeff Crompton, a member of the Plan Commission, holding a "Say Yes to NorthPoint" sign when the project was being hotly debated by opponents and supporters in Elwood.

Crompton, when asked Friday if he was in Elwood supporting the NorthPoint plan, said, "I don't have any comment at this time."

Crompton is vice president of Ironworkers Local 444 in Joliet.

Building trades unions are backing the Compass Business Park that Elwood ultimately rejected and now awaits a Joliet City Council vote on March 17.

Crompton isn't the only union official on the Plan Commission.

Commissioner Mark Micetich is vice president of Laborers Local 75 in Crest Hill, which features the "Say Yes to NorthPoint, Say Yes to Union Jobs" sign on its Facebook page.

Micetich and Plan Commission Chairman John Dillon were appointed to commission in January 2019. At that time, Mayor Bob O'Dekirk had decided not to reappoint Dominic Orlando, who was the one commissioner who questioned warehouse projects and at times voted against them.

Dillon is a retired foreman who worked in the Joliet Public Works Department where he also headed AFSCME Local 440 before retirement.

The commission vote for the NorthPoint plan was 8-0.

NorthPoint bridge

Interim City Manager Steve Jones said the letter sent by Mayor Bob O'Dekirk to the governor in June supporting NorthPoint's plan for a bridge over Route 53 in Elwood is representative of Joliet commenting on regional transportation issues, not a signal of support for the Compass Business Park.

Jones, who wrote the letter that the mayor signed, pointed for example to a 2015 letter sent by former City Manager Jim Hock to the Illinois Department of Transportation recommending that Walter Strawn Drive, which Elwood had closed, be reopened for the sake of access to the intermodal yards.

The letter from O'Dekirk was requested by NorthPoint, which has not provided examples of any similar letters sought from other community leaders at the time.

Houbolt Road bridge

O'Dekirk at his State of the City speech on Monday said the start of construction on the Houbolt Road bridge is 30 to 60 days away.

But the city has not yet completed a lease arrangement with CenterPoint Properties that must be done before the bridge can be built. CenterPoint, which will build the bridge, could not be reached for comment.

• Bob Okon is a longtime Herald-News reporter. He can be reached at 815-280-4121 or bokon@shawmedia.com.