Polar Opposites Leave Elmhurst City Council

Elmhurst IL

22 April, 2021

9:13 AM

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ELMHURST, IL — Two Elmhurst aldermen attended their last City Council meeting this week. Both are engineers by trade. Both served together for more than a decade. But they had their share of differences. If the City Council voted 13-1 on an issue, you could be pretty sure that Ward 3 Alderman Michael Bram was the lone dissenter. Ward 6 Alderman Jim Kennedy was typically in the majority. Kennedy decided against running for a third term in the April 6 election, having served for a dozen years. Bram ran for mayor, but finished second out of three candidates, with Ward 5 Alderman Scott Levin prevailing. In March, Kennedy penned a letter to the editor of the Elmhurst Independent laying out the case against Bram as mayor, without saying who he supported. Kennedy took issue with Bram's votes on stormwater improvements, tax-sharing agreements with businesses and the downtown tax increment financing district. Following the City Council's tradition, aldermen on Monday were given a chance to reflect on the careers of their departing colleagues — Kennedy and Bram in this case. Both were praised for their service. Kennedy was hailed as the "architect of stormwater management," having headed the committee dealing with that issue. Bram was noted for doing his homework. The comments from most of the aldermen indicated Kennedy was in the inner circle and Bram was not. Several of them called Kennedy their friend. They talked about bike rides on the Prairie Path, walks and runs with Kennedy. They referred to the annual delivery of a four-pack of Guinness. And Ward 7 Alderman Mike Brennan said jokingly, "I thought this Prairie Path thing was a you-and-I thing." Bram spoke near the end, joking, "I'm feeling a little bit jealous. Others are getting alcohol, bike rides and walks, and I haven't been able to participate." For his part, Bram did not seem to strive to win any popularity contests on the City Council. Bram, who has served 20 years, has taken his case directly to his constituents in recent times, holding Facebook live chats. On social media, he enjoys the support of a devoted group of fans, who often say he is the only alderman who listens to the people rather than the powerful. Even his fellow Ward 3 alderwoman, Dannee Polomsky, who backed Levin for mayor, seemed to acknowledge this feeling in the community in her comments about Bram. "Your voice resonates with those who do not always feel heard and reaches online audiences who never before followed city activity," she said. In his comments, Kennedy named many local elected officials and city staffers — both former and current — for their work. Bram named no one, only saying, "I would not be able to accomplish what I did without the residents. I want to thank you." At the meeting, both Kennedy and Bram made comments about the other. Kennedy's statement was limited to two sentences: "Thank you for your time and for your 20 years of service to the city. Good luck in the future." For his part, Bram praised Kennedy, noting his work in stormwater management. "I enjoyed our very passionate discussions in the public works committee. I appreciated your detail-oriented approach as a fellow engineer," Bram said. "Even though we didn't always agree, we always approached every issue in the same way — and that is with details in front of us and making decisions that we both felt was best for all residents." He also said Kennedy was a diligent note-taker at committee and council meetings. "I expect the Jim Kennedy council memoirs to come out after you have your Monday nights back," Bram said. Left unsaid was what those memoirs would say about Bram.