There’s a new blogger out there, but you all know who he is. He used to write for the Journal Star… He was the religion editor… Remember yet?
That’s right — it’s Michael Miller! He’s got his own blog now called Rancho Miller. Check it out!
Daily Archives: October 8, 2008
Vote on your favorite Peoria logo
Here’s the official press release:
After months of research, focus groups and committee meetings, the City is asking for your input on a potential logo, designed by Converse Marketing for the City of Peoria. Log on to www.logopeoria.com and review eight logo choices. When you have decided on your favorite, simply click on it. Then choose two more in the same fashion. After selecting three, you will be asked to submit your choices.
A number of logos were presented to the City’s marketing committee for discussion before the final selections were made to City Council Members. Public input is an integral part of the selection process and we encourage everyone to vote.
The voting deadline is October 31, 2008. Please limit your vote to one per person.
And here are the eight choices you have to choose from:
The museum and the economy
Several people have asked (rhetorically, no doubt) how the City can still be considering building a museum given the current economic climate. So I posed a few questions about that to the Museum Collaboration Group, and they graciously responded:
Q: In light of the current economic conditions, especially the so-called credit crunch, how would this museum be built even in your current fundraising goals were met?
A: “We have always said we would not begin building until we had met our fund-raising goals. We won’t start with a partially funded building. So, if our funding goals are met, we’ll build the museum.”
Q: Would you have access to the funds you would need to borrow to make this project a reality?
A: “We have never planned to take out long-term loans to build the museum. Some short-term bridge loans have always been factored into the plans, and we do not expect that these loans will be unavailable.”
Q: How is the current economic climate affecting your efforts?
A: “We are concerned about the current economic climate, but to date we are still on plan with our fundraising efforts.”
No mystery why D150 public meetings are poorly attended
District 150 is mystified — mystified! — as to why they can’t get more parents to give the school board their input. After only 13 parents showed up to a recent public meeting, board president David Gorenz was quoted by the Journal Star as saying, “It’s one of the most difficult issues districts face, how to get input.”
It’s no mystery to me. I think people see these meetings (rightly so) as a complete and total waste of their time. Why? Because the school board has already decided what they are going to do, and the only reasons they have public meetings are (1) to satisfy legal requirements in some cases, and (2) to gain public support for their inevitable decision.
There is no shortage of examples to choose from:
- In August of this year, the school district had two public hearings to talk about their plans for the new Glen Oak and Harrison school buildings. Although supposedly a chance for the public to give their input, the district had no intention of changing anything about these plans, and they didn’t. Not one idea from the public was entertained; not one slightest variation from the district’s plan was made.
- When Ken Hinton unveiled his plan to cut 45 minutes of instructional time out of every primary student’s school day, parents came out en masse to oppose it. Did the district listen? Nope. They voted 5-1 to approve it. Then, after weeks of letter-writing, demonstrating, petitioning (over 1,000 people signed petitions against the plan), etc., Hinton decided to restore 60% of the time. Instructional time was still cut despite parents’ pleas that all the time be restored, and despite being presented with alternative plans that would have accomplished the same goals without cutting instructional time.
- Debbie Wolfmeyer, the new board vice president, when asked to meet with a parent regarding the aforementioned issue, responded, “It is not my role as a Board member to meet with individuals or groups.” So much for getting input from parents.
- Without any public input at all, the school district decided it was going to build a school in Glen Oak Park and started buying up houses to make that a reality. When parents and neighbors turned out en masse to oppose it (including five neighborhood organizations and a city councilman), they were dismissed as a “vocal minority” by one school board member. Only a lawsuit against the park board stopped that from going through.
Eventually, people get the hint. The school board isn’t really interested in hearing their opinions or input — unless it agrees with what they’ve already decided. They’ve already made up their minds what they’re going to do, and “public input” meetings are, at best, an attempt to convince the ignorant masses why the board’s ideas are best.
The school board should be happy that fewer people are coming to the meetings — it makes their jobs so much easier when there’s no one around to disagree with their predetermined plans.
Note: Merle Widmer has a different take on Gorenz’s comment.