Ald. Navarrete deserves praise for seeking answers
Instead he’s a target of political harassment and intimidation
Calumet City 1st Ward Ald. Michael Navarrete deserves a public service award for seeking answers about the city’s new garbage pickup contract.
But rather than earning recognition for advocating transparency and accountability, Navarrete is a target of political harassment and intimidation.
Mayor Thaddeus Jones blamed Navarrete for nearly causing a trash pickup crisis. Navarrete was depicted as the bad guy because he asked questions and tried to ease the cost burden for Calumet City residents. He had the nerve to request a copy of a four-year, $12 million contract with Republic Services before being asked to vote on it.
Imagine being asked to approve a contract that will jack up costs 50% from $8 million and having to request a recess during a public meeting so you could read the contract. The room was tense as Navarrete bravely made his request. Other aldermen rolled their eyes and fidgeted during a special meeting Wednesday.
Jones seemed annoyed but granted a 10-minute recess so Navarrete could read the pact. Eventually the council voted 4-2 to approve a deal that will raise monthly rates to $31.30 per unit in 2026, up from $23.19 per residential customer.
Navarrete’s questions revealed that none of the seven council members saw the contract before four of them voted last week to reject the deal. Navarrete requested the contract and other documents about the bidding process Monday in an email to Jones.
Jones sent most of the requested documents to aldermen an hour before the start of Wednesday’s meeting, Navarrete said. But only Ald. DeAndre Tillman received a copy of the contract, he said.
Answers to Navarrete’s questions were hard to come by. There were plenty of awkward silences and embarrassed expressions that might have hinted at some shame, but few answers.
Jones kept telling Navarrete that answers to his questions would be provided at a later date, after the council voted on and approved the contract. Navarrete seemed exasperated by the absurdity of being asked to vote on spending taxpayer dollars without having basic information about the deal.
Navarrete’s real-life quest to uphold his oath of office and fulfill the ideals of democracy was reminiscent of Jimmy Stewart’s performance in the Frank Capra classic film, “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.”
All Navarrete got in return for standing up for his principles was the equivalent of bullying.
During public comment, 1st Ward resident George Grenchik said he and his neighbors received a robocall that said garbage would pile up and the city’s rat population would increase because of Navarrete. The message urged residents to call Navarrete and gave out his personal mobile number as opposed to his official City Council phone number.
Grenchik then related how Jones came to his house Monday as the mayor walked door to door to tell 1st Ward residents how Navarrete was to blame for the situation.
All Navarrete asked for was information. Why didn’t the council have a copy of the contract before voting on it? Why did the mayor direct the city attorney to not answer his questions about the bidding process that resulted in only one company proposing to serve Calumet City’s 35,000 residents?
Why didn’t the city have better leverage during negotiations with Republic Services, its waste hauler? Why wasn’t there more competition? Why didn’t the city begin the process sooner to seek proposals from other companies?
Grenchik praised Navarrete during his public comments directed at the mayor.
“I know my alderman to have a high level of expertise in these kinds of matters, contractual things, environmental things,” Grenchik said. “He does his due diligence.”
Dissent is a vital part of a healthy democracy. No one should be vilified for trying to make sure that a bidding process is not rigged to allow a sole bidder to charge inflated prices for its services.
“It’s unconscionable to me to have a contract for that long with that much money and no competitive bids,” Grenchik said. “I know those companies are in business to make money. There’s millions of dollars to be made in Calumet City.”
A Republic representative said last week the company raised prices due to increased costs for fuel, labor and supply chain issues and that it had no way of knowing whether other vendors would submit proposals.
Navarrete’s goal seemed to be to get Republic back to the table to negotiate a better deal. Republic said no. Navarrete seemed to want to seek new requests for proposals, or RFPs, from other waste haulers even if that meant trash would go uncollected in Calumet City.
“If we go with the option to throw out this contract and go with the RFP, we still have to submit a RFP, which could take six months to get drafted and the city would be without garbage (pickup),” Jones said.
“The RFP is right here,” Navarrete said, holding up a document he printed out moments before the council meeting.
Jones laid out a timeline that described how the city drafted the RFP in September and sent it out four months before the deal was presented to the council in January. Navarrete pointed out vendors had to submit proposals by an October deadline that was less than a month after the RFP was sent out.
Calumet City’s current rate is $23.19 per household and will increase to $27.04 in 2023, Jones said. That compares to $29.54 in South Holland, $23.07 in Dolton, $22.80 in Lansing, $20.50 in Riverdale, $32.67 in Lynwood, $24.23 in Homewood, $23.20 in Orland Park and $27.16 in Tinley Park, Jones said.
Jones did not say publicly that Calumet City’s rates increase each year of the four-year contract and reach $31.30 in 2026, according to the contract.
Navarrete also questioned why the new contract no longer contained language requiring Republic to collect data about total cubic yards collected, total number of customers, a log of calls from customers and how the company responded to concerns.
“That will be answered to you at a later date,” Jones said.
“How can I get that information at a later date?” Navarrete asked. “It pertains to the contract we’re being asked to vote on.”
“You’ll get your answers, alderman, after tonight,” Jones replied.
Navarrete requested a summary of the major differences between the old contract and the new. Jones said city attorney Carissa Townsend could provide that. Navarrete consulted confidentially with Townsend for a moment.
“I think the answer is, we don’t have that comparison,” Navarrete said publicly.
Navarrete asked about language in the new contract that said the city would have to pay for an audit of Republic’s bookkeeping if it wanted one.
“Is this typical?” Navarrete asked.
“Alderman, we’ll get you answers for those questions,” Jones replied.
“I appreciate it, mayor,” Navarrete said. “That’s all I have.”
Navarrete addressed the mayor and others with respect and professionalism. He never raised his voice, though Jones accused him of talking over him while the mayor was speaking.
Navarrete and Ald. James Patton voted against the contract. Patton asked for clarification on whether the previous contract ended Dec. 31 or Jan. 31, since council members had been presented with contradictory information. Townsend said the previous pact expired Dec. 31 but that Republic continued to provide services without interruption.
Tillman and Alds. Ramonde Williams, DeJuan Gardner and Anthony Smith voted for the contract. Ald. Monet Wilson was absent.