Daily Archives: April 18, 2007

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Thank-you note to the Jacobs from the Irvings

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I received this e-mail today from Amy Irving, wife of City Council candidate Dan Irving:

CJ,

I am writing to ask if you could somehow post on your blog my heartfelt thanks to George and Jeannine Jacob who were so gracious to me and my family after the sudden death of my dad on Monday morning, the day before elections.

During this extremely difficult time for all of us, George, Jeannine and his crew offered to post Dan’s signs at several pricinct locations, and even made a follow-up phone call Monday evening to tell him they were done. They also arranged to have meals from Basta restaurant delivered to my mother’s house, along with other sincere acts of concern.

Thank you, again to the Jacob Family.

Amy Irving & Family

My wife and I also offer our deepest condolences to Amy and her family. Our thoughts and prayers are with them during this time of grief. I commend George Jacob and his family for their selfless acts of compassion; they’ve provided a great example of what it means to “love your neighbor as yourself.”

Crime, Peoria Police

Beachler could still be charged

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Terry Beachler has a tentative court date of May 1 stemming from his arrest for obstructing an officer. No charges were formally filed in the March 26 incident, and the whole thing would likely have been forgotten if it hadn’t garnered such a strong public reaction. Now, the possibility exists that charges could be filed after all.

I talked to Beachler’s attorney Drew Parker. Parker confirmed that no charges have yet been filed, and charges may or may not be filed on May 1. So until then, he’s advising his client to not make any further statements about the incident.

Elections, Peoria Park District

Park Board President Election Results

Incumbent Tim Cassidy easily won reelection as president of the Park Board over sitting board member Robert Johnson. The vote wasn’t even close:

Tim Cassidy 9,200 72.46%
Robert Johnson 3,496 27.54%

There wasn’t a lot of controversy surrounding Cassidy; he endeared himself to many voters by voting against the land-sharing deal with District 150 for a new school adjacent to Glen Oak Park. Robert Johnson was outspoken in his criticism of Cassidy’s vote on that issue and intimated that the decision could be reversed if he were elected president instead of Cassidy. I think that hurt him. Also hurting him was his off-the-cuff remark that the Junior League wouldn’t be able to build their children’s museum if the City Council approved historic landmark designation for certain elements of Glen Oak Park. He later retracted that statement.

The ultimate result is that the Park Board remains completely unchanged.

City of Peoria, Peoria Public Library, State of Illinois

Referenda Results: Library, Smoking

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The referendum to spend $35 million on the Peoria Public Library system passed overwhelmingly:

Advisory Proposition To Issue $35,000,000 Library Bonds

Yes 9,951 71.59%
No 3,949 28.41%

The referendum was advisory and non-binding, so the next step is for the library to get City Council approval for their plans.

City council members are usually reluctant to raise property taxes, fearing voter backlash. But last night, the voters showed that they don’t mind having their taxes raised for basic city services (in this case, library service). I think the council should consider that as they start working on the budget.

The other referendum on the ballot was, “Should the State of Illinois Prohibit Smoking In All Indoor Work Places and All Indoor Public Places?” Results:

Advisory Proposition To Ban Smoking In All Indoor Work Places And All Indoor Public Places

Yes 9,191 66.84%
No 4,560 33.16%

This was the most meaningless referendum on the ballot. As originally proposed by Councilman Chuck Grayeb, it was supposed to ask voters if they wanted a smoking ban in Peoria. Grayeb didn’t have the votes to get that question on the ballot, so this question was substituted. These results will be put in the form of a resolution that will be forwarded to Springfield, where it will be received, filed, and ignored.