Daily Archives: January 19, 2007

Elections, Peoria Public Schools

A match made in heaven?

5 Comments

I see from Clare Jellick’s blog that Bruce Brown, among others, is running for the school board. The last time Mr. Brown ran for public office was in 2005 when he ran unsuccessfully for mayor.

One of the reasons he didn’t get past the primary is because of his bewildering mass mailing. Anyone remember this?

If you had a garden,
the Butterfly and the Bee
would be welcome additions.

It’s art.

The Butterfly?
Color and whimsy…
A flight of light.

The Bee?
Well, let’s just say
“purpose driven”.

On paper and flowcharts,
the Bee isn’t supposed
to be able to fly…

Perhaps it’s Ali…
“Float like a Butterfly,
sting like a Bee”?

Don’t you think he would be a perfect fit in a district that also boasts consultant Judy Harris Helm? “If it can happen to a bee, just imagine….”

City Council, City of Peoria

Grayeb’s leading referendum question

8 Comments

Here is the question retiring city councilman Chuck Grayeb would like to have on the ballot in April:

Should the City of Peoria Join Other Smoke-Free Illinois Cities and Smoke-Free States (including California and New York), by Prohibiting Smoking in All Indoor Work Places and All Indoor Public Places?

Wouldn’t it be simpler just to say, “Should the City of Peoria prohibit smoking in all indoor work places and all indoor public places?” Does not the inclusion of “join other smoke-free Illinois cities and smoke-free states (including California and New York)” make this an argumentative and leading question?

I did some checking, and it looks like the Circuit Court of Cook County said in Leman v. County of Cook “that a municipality which initiates even an advisory referendum has the obligation to set forth the question in as neutral and non-argumentative a fashion as possible.”

Grayeb’s question does not do that; indeed, if you read Grayeb’s Request for Council Action, the adoption of smoke-free policies by other states and Illinois cities is a large part of his argument for making Peoria smoke-free. He can’t put his argument into the advisory referendum.

Of course, I think this is a waste of time anyway; but if they’re going to do it, they should at least do it right.

Peoria Public Schools

Surprise! School consultants and school board agree!

16 Comments

Maybe it is and maybe it isn’t more expensive to restore than rebuild, but when a consultant tells a government body exactly what they wanted to hear — and there’s money tied to their findings, to boot — I get skeptical.

STS Consultants told the School Board yesterday “it would cost $8.36 million just to bring the [Glen Oak School] building up to code. Replacing the school with a building of the exact same size would cost $7.95 million,” reports Clare Jellick who adds later, “The studies are part of a process to secure money to build new schools.”

I’ve requested a copy of the study through the Freedom of Information Act. I’d be curious to know what exactly is included in the $7.95 million “building of the exact same size.” For instance, I wonder if it’s a brick building (like Glen Oak is now), or cheaper siding. I also wonder what they mean by “bring[ing] the building up to code.” Does that mean the city code or the State Board of Education’s code?

I’ve also written to STS Consultants asking for examples of historic renovation work they’ve done. From their website, I couldn’t find any evidence that they’ve ever done any historic renovation, but perhaps they just don’t advertise it. If they haven’t done any historic restoration, I would want to know if they consulted a specialist in that field when preparing their study for District 150. It makes a difference.

City of Peoria, Peoria Police

Psst, hey buddy, wanna buy a book?

4 Comments

Forget that car stereo or your old copper pipes. What thieves are really after are your used books. That’s right, there’s a huge crime spree — people stealing books, then pawning them off at used book shops for a buck apiece.

At least, I assume that’s what’s happening since Peoria Police are cracking down on used book shops. They’ve mysteriously started enforcing this little-known ordinance:

Technically, used bookstores fall under the city’s ordinance dealing with secondhand dealers. It requires they keep a register including the following information: “a succinct and accurate description of all property taken, purchased or received,” as well as the full name and description of the person they received it from, including date of birth and home address and a signed statement from that person that they have the legal right to sell the property.

The ordinance also requires they wait a week before selling or trading anything.

Who knew there was such a big black market in stolen books? I’m glad the police are on it. Maybe this will help them find the killer in one of the 11 unsolved homicides of 2006.

Peoria Public Schools

Hinton up to his old tricks

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WMBD-AM reports that District 150 Superintendent Ken Hinton is going to school board members trying to drum up support for his plan to close Manual High School:

Sources say the Superintendent has been holding separate meetings with school board members to explain his proposal, and while a school board vote once taken may not be unanimous, Hinton appears to have the four votes necessary to approve the plan.

Why is it so hard for Mr. Hinton to conduct public business in public? Why are all his dealings seemingly under the table? Now it appears the fix is in to close Manual High School. Hinton has been skirting the Open Meetings Act by having separate meetings with board members, a clear violation of the intent, though probably not the letter, of the act.

But why should he care? The school board doesn’t have a pair of balls among them to stand up to him or he would have been fired by now, so I guess we’ll just have to get used to these kinds of shenanigans happening as standard D150 operating procedure. I guess we’ll just have to keep our ears to the media and their sources to find out what public business is being discussed in separate private meetings with the superintendent.

Billy’s idea of the city taking over the school district is sounding more and more like a good idea.

UPDATE: The Journal Star reports that Hinton’s office has released this statement about WMBD’s report: “At this point, the superintendent has made no formal recommendation regarding the closing of any high school, nor has he polled any board members regarding this topic.”