Tully is Ready to Hit the Ground Running

When former two-term commissioner Martin Tully returns to the Village Council dais tonight as Downers Grove's new mayor, he will be "off to the races."

Tully, who ran unopposed, has spent the past several months engaging residents and preparing to hit the ground running once the gavel has been passed. He already has been working on a seating chart and reconsidering commissioners' liaison assignments.

But there's more. "One of the big things I want to explore—and it's nothing new, it's something the council has pursued vigorously during the last two years—is improving and expanding on relations and partnering with other taxing bodies and the private sector," he said.

In the past, most intergovernmental discussions have taken place at the staff level. Tully would like to see the policy makers sit down together, maybe on an annual basis, to discuss how they're cutting costs or addressing challenges.

Those discussions potentially could lead to shared vehicles, equipment or even facilities, Tully said. "It would be a big deal to have that happen, but those are the kinds of things I like to discuss."

Tully also wants to bring a "sense of urgency" to attacking problems earlier. Where sidewalks were the hot topic of 10 years ago and stormwater remediation the major concern five years ago, the condition of village streets is the issue of the moment, he said.

"I'd like to see what we can do to advance the program more so than the current track," he said.

As for perceptions that commissioner Bob Barnett, Sean Durkin, Geoff Neustadt and Becky Rheintgen will constitute a voting bloc, "there are perceptions and there is reality," Tully said.

"I'm not so sure there is a bloc," he said. "My interpretation is that, with respect to the budget, there is a group that prioritizes expenses in a certain way."

With 85 percent of council votes unanimous, "a voting bloc doesn't mean a whole lot in that context," Tully said. Further, "people band together for the purposes of election and often things change after the election."

"I'm going to challenge people to be more independent and speak their own opinions and not just go along," he said.

If differences flare among council members, Tully said he believes the way to resolve them is "with more conversation rather than cutting off conversation...The way to achieve consensus is to encourage more discussion. "When people are shut out, they feel slighted and marginalized, rightly or wrongly."

"It's not my way or your way, it's finding the right way," he said, adding that personal attacks have no place on any dais. "I'd like to think we can do better than that. You attack the issue, you don't attack the person."

All mayors bring their own style and preferences to council meetings, and Downers Grove residents should expect to see more discussion once Mayor Tully is installed in the center chair.

"I want to have discussions out in the open on TV, and if we need to stay another hour, we're going to stay another hour," he said. "Sometimes, you have to not only beat the horse to death, but also grind it up and make the sausage."

Tully and council members Durkin, Neustadt and Rheintgen will be sworn in at tonight's council meeting, beginning at 7 p.m. in Village Hall, 801 Burlington Ave.