Harvey residents pack chamber as city council meets for 1st time since mass furloughs

HARVEY, Ill. (WLS) -- The Harvey City Council met for the first time on Monday since voting in favor of applying for "financially distressed city" status with the state.

Residents packed the chamber as they patiently waited to speak directly to the mayor.

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Harvey furloughed 69 employees last week in the aftermath of applying for "financially distressed city" status from the state, which would lead to a bailout of a city $160 million in debt that it cannot pay. For the most part, residents blamed financial mismanagement on a culture that does not value transparency.

"We all want Harvey to grow. We want real homes. We want real investment. We want progress. We can't see the issue is trust," said Harvey resident Diana Love.

"Harvey deserves better. We don't want to bail out. It is disgusting. It is offensive. Just throwing money at corrupt leaders won't change Harvey. We want a new start. We want fairness and justice," said Ryan R. Sinwelski, another Harvey resident.

ABC7's Ravi Baichwal asked Mayor Christopher J. Clark what his message is to citizens who are calling for more financial accountability and transparency.

"I don't have a problem with that, because I am definitely open and transparent, and if they think there are issues, they are just pulling them out of thin air... But that seems to be the error that we are in... The silly season of politics doesn't just end when you get into office," Clark said.

The mayor says there is no specific timeline for when state help might arrive, but that his administration is doing everything and possibly to bring back those furloughed workers. He told people he's looking for "brighter minds to come in and help us figure this out."