Joliet Mayoral Candidate Michael Marconi questions whether rise in City Budget is Proportional to rise in City Population

Joliet Mayoral Candidate Michael Marconi's ad in the Joliet Herald News today features a comparison between Joliet in 1991 and Joliet in 2011.  According to Marconi, from 1991 to 2011, Joliet's population increased from 91,000 to 147,433, an increase of 62%, while the Joliet budget increased from $61,400,000 to $293, 000,000, an increase of 477%.

In his ad, Marconi asked, "How does the rise in population of 62% equate to a rise in the budget of nearly 500%?  Are you getting 5X the city services?  Are you making 5X the wages?  Are there 5X the city employees?"

Marconi goes on to state: "The answer is clear.  The citizens of Joliet can no longer afford career politicians, who treat the city budget as their own personal bank account.  We can do better.  We have to have a strategy to attract industry and commerce to the city."