Warren Dorris: 'The Support We're Getting Is Pretty Phenomenal'

JOLIET, IL — The Dock at Inwood was busy Tuesday night and most of the crowd was coming for Warren Dorris' political fund-raiser. Dorris served on the Joliet City Council from 1987 until 2011 when he lost his bid for mayor. Now, a decade later, Dorris is back, and he's energized about the April 6 elections.

"The support we're getting is pretty phenomenal, from Kendall County all the way to Briggs Street, as east and west as you can go, we're getting support," Dorris told Joliet Patch's editor at Tuesday night's kickoff event for his council race.

Based on Tuesday night's sentiment, Dorris believes his campaign is off to a great start. About 150 people came to The Dock at Inwood between 5 and 8 p.m. for his political fund-raiser, event organizers said.

Even Joliet City Councilman Mike Turk, who is leaving the Council after serving since 1987, stopped by to wish Dorris good luck.

Turk could not stay long because he needed to drive downtown for Tuesday's 6:30 p.m. City Council meeting.

Still, Dorris was thankful, knowing Turk is rooting for his success.

"Mike Turk is a fine councilman," Dorris said. "Mike has done a fine job. He's well-respected, and we appreciate his support."

Name recognition is going to be important with 12 people on the ballot competing for only three open seats, Dorris told Patch.

The election is only two months away. It's April 6.

"Name recognition," Dorris said, "that's going to be the major key. I've been out 11 years, so it's not as strong as it used to be."

However, Dorris said he intends to have a strong grassroots political campaign utilizing the power of social media.

Dorris is senior pastor at Joliet's Prayer Tower Church of God in Christ. He was manufacturing manager at Joliet's Caterpillar plant, where he worked from 1972 until 2009.

Dorris and his wife have been married 47 years. They have four grown children and seven grandchildren, he said proudly.

He wants the voters of Joliet to know that he's "an experienced voice that will hear the voice of the citizens. The citizens, they really need to be heard."

Dorris said he wants the voters to understand that he's upfront, honest and willing to learn.

"I want to dispel the rumors that I'm against growth," Dorris said Tuesday evening. "I am not against growth."

In recent years, much of Joliet's business growth involves warehouses and logistics companies, Dorris said.

"We need to make sure we have traffic plans for the growth," Dorris said. "We need to be working to get a traffic plan, not just for Joliet, but Will County. We're the county seat."

Over the past week, Dorris has received criticism from some of Will County's building and trades unions, suggesting he is anti-union. Dorris said that is simply untrue. For instance, Dorris said he used substantial union labor and trades to build his Prayer Tower Church on Joliet's Stryker Avenue.

On Tuesday, Dorris showed Patch a message he got from the director of the Three Rivers Construction Alliance notifying Dorris that "I did soften my initial (Facebook) post."

Meanwhile, several high-ranking members of the Joliet Police Department from recent years came to The Dock at Inwood in a show of political support for Dorris.

Brian Benton, who retired as Joliet's chief of police in 2018, was on hand. Al Roechner, who just retired in January, after serving as chief since August 2018, also attended the Dorris political fund-raiser.

Last week, Dorris made headlines when he announced the political endorsements of Joliet's past five retired chiefs of police: Dave Gerdes, Fred Hayes, Mike Trafton, Benton and Roechner.

Demmond Dorris has been a Joliet firefighter/paramedic for 16 years, but his appearance at Tuesday's fund-raiser had nothing to do with representing the Joliet Fire Department.

He was here to support his Dad, who previously served for 24 years on Joliet's Council, but hasn't been an elected official in recent years.

"He's still got a lot of energy," Demmond Dorris said of his father. "He really cares about the community. He's excited. I'm excited ... He knows the city, and he loves Joliet."