Building Trades' City Council Endorsement: It's Wunderlich

JOLIET, IL — The Will-Grundy Building Trades Council is supporting Jan Quillman, Joe Clement and Bob Wunderlich for the three open seats in the April 6 Joliet City Council elections.

Clement has done a great job representing the building trades during his past four years on the Joliet Park Board and was a top-notch Joliet Police Department detective until he retired last August, according to Doc Gregory, president of the Will-Grundy Building Trades Council.

Quillman has also been a strong advocate for Joliet area building trades and union laborers, Gregory said.

With a dozen candidates running in the Council race, the Will-Grundy Building Trades Council has agreed to back the candidacy of Wunderlich, owner of Wunderlich Builders in Joliet. Wunderlich has also served on the Joliet Junior College board of trustees for more than 40 years.

"He was the best candidate for the Will-Grundy Building Trades Council," according to Gregory, whose organization represents about 25,000 union members.

Wunderlich has been a Will County union carpenter for 27 years, and he was a member of Joliet Local 174, Gregory said. Wunderlich's brother is a long-time Joliet Fire Department firefighter/paramedic.

"He's a big union tradesman, and he will look out for the Will-Grundy County Building Trades Council. He's a Will County carpenter on top of being on the JJC Board," Gregory said.

Gregory said there was no way his organization would support the candidacy of Warren Dorris, who is trying to resurrect his Joliet political career after being out of city politics the past decade. Dorris ran for Joliet mayor in 2011 and was unsuccessful.

According to Dorris' biography, he served on the Joliet City Council from 1987 until 2011. He is senior pastor at Joliet's Prayer Tower Church of God in Christ.

Last week, Dorris made news by announcing that five past Joliet chiefs of police: Dave Gerdes, Fred Hayes, Mike Trafton, Brian Benton and Al Roechner were endorsing his candidacy.

Gregory said that Dorris used non-union labor including out of town construction workers and companies to build his Prayer Tower Church along Stryker Avenue on Joliet's west side.

"I don't know why they're backing an anti-union guy," Gregory said, referring to Gerdes, Hayes, Trafton, Benton and Roechner.

In late 2018, Trafton and his brother Rick, both retired Joliet police officers, opened The Dock At Inwood, a restaurant and tavern inside the Joliet Park District.

Dorris announced he will be hosting his kick-off fundraiser event at The Dock at Inwood, 3000 W. Jefferson Street, from 5 to 8 p.m. this Tuesday, Feb. 2.

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