Archive for June 11th, 2005

Community Values: Prelude to PAC?

Posted by on June 11th, 2005

The community values recently adopted by the City Council is “modeled after an initiative in Fresno, Calif.,” according to the Journal Star. So I did some searching on the Internet to see if I could find out more about the Fresno initiative. There, the group who put together the values is called Fresno Citizens for Good Government (FCGG), and their values are strikingly similar to the ones adopted by Peoria. I guess we have a lot in common with Fresno. For instance, we both believe in the “art of the possible thinking” (*eyes roll*).

The FCGG’s missions statement is “to provide a powerful, non-partisan voice for citizens who wish to encourage our elected officials to exercise community stewardship in pursuit of solutions that are in the best interests of the totality of our community.” One of the ways they carry out their mission is through a political action committee called C-PAC. C-PAC endorses candidates for public office (council, school board, etc.) who adhere to the community values and raises funds to financially support such candidates. It appears that average Joes and the major newspaper in Fresno have bought into the community values enough that FCGG can bring political pressure to bear on candidates through these efforts; that is, being blackballed by the FCGG heaps a heavy load of negative publicity on your candidacy.

So, considering Peoria’s initiative is modeled on Fresno’s, is a similar PAC in our future from the Peoria Coalition of Concerned Citizens? And how will that affect Peoria politics? Is the adoption of seemingly innocuous community values a veiled and measured attempt to gain political power over time?

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P.O. Polly

Posted by on June 11th, 2005

PollyPeoria is really ticked off at the pending appointment of George Jacob to the council’s vacant at-large seat.  Even though her rhetoric is heated, she makes some good points.  Jacob wouldn’t have even been eligible had a law not been repealed that prohibited liquor license holders from serving on city councils or county boards.  And the person apparently responsible for getting that legislation through is Rep. Leitch, who was the recipient of some campaign contributions from Jacob’s company, Brewers Distributing.  And, as soon as Blago signed the bill, Jacob was chosen in a straw vote in a closed session of the council.
 
It certainly has the appearance of impropriety.  Like they say, if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck…. 
 
On the other hand, maybe this guy really is the best-qualified candidate, in which case one could see why our local officials would want to do whatever they could to take any unnecessary roadblocks out of the way for him.  I really don’t know the guy, so I’m inclined to withhold judgement until I see how he votes and how ethical his tenure is.  I personally would have preferred to see Pat Sullivan on the council — he was even willing to divest himself of his liquor license so all the Springfield finegling would have been unnecessary.
 
Note:  The Peoria Pundit has posted an interesting interview with Jacob.

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