Quote:
Wilson stands in for ill mayor
By Gregory Tejeda - Times Correspondent
CALUMET CITY | Fourth Ward Alderman Brian Wilson got to be mayor, of sorts, for about a half-hour Thursday after Mayor Michelle Markiewicz Qualkinbush wasn't able to attend the City Council's scheduled meeting due to illness.
The aldermen unanimously voted to have Wilson act as chairman, and he presided over a meeting that lasted about 29 minutes.
The council tended to basic business and put off finalizing appointments to the Library Board and various deputy commissioners, on the grounds that Qualkinbush should be present when those positions are filled.
The council did, however, conduct a swearing-in ceremony for Rich Banske, a veteran of the Fire Department who was promoted to deputy chief.
Also, Wilson ordered the city clerk's office to draft two resolutions that will be presented to local residents at future council meetings -- one in honor of a man who celebrated his 94th birthday and the other to recognize a pastor who has been at his current church for 15 years.
An issue that cropped up was crime.
Several local residents criticized Calumet City leaders during the meeting's public comment portion, saying city politicians are not doing enough to make sure the streets are policed properly.
One resident said local teenagers put graffiti on a new sidewalk by her home while the cement was still wet, while another resident, Dee Perry, said her car was stolen from in front of her house. Perry said during the 25 years she lived in Chicago, she did not encounter the problems with crime that she has experienced in the past seven years living in Calumet City.
Another resident, Larry Caballero, said, "(The aldermen) are doing a terrible job. You should be ashamed of yourselves."
Wilson disagreed with Caballero's assessment.
"No, I do not" feel ashamed, he said.
Wilson said he sees the increase in crime as evidence of frustration from local residents who are suffering from economic struggles.
"They're resorting to petty crime," Wilson said, adding that local residents can tackle that problem by notifying city police promptly when crimes occur.
Wilson, who was first elected to the City Council in 2005, has been the subject of local speculation that he would like to pursue the mayor's seat in Calumet City in the near future. While saying he has no specific timetable for such a goal, he said "absolutely" when asked if he'd like to be mayor someday.
"I am a public official, and, if God blesses me someday by putting me in a position to be mayor, I would like that," he said.