Daily Archives: February 26, 2009

2009 Campaign, Peoria Mayor

Parker’s mayoral eligibility in question (UPDATED)

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HOI News is reporting that General Parker, candidate for mayor of Peoria, has a criminal past that includes two felony convictions. According to state law, convicted felons cannot hold the office of mayor.

But there’s a catch. Evidently, the only way this is enforced is if someone contests Parker’s candidacy.

The State Board of Elections said it is not illegal for a felon to run for office, in fact they can even win and serve.

Only when someone formally objects to the state’s attorney is it investigated.

Parker is trying to get a pardon from Governor Quinn. Parker is the only candidate running against incumbent Mayor Jim Ardis.

UPDATE: The Journal Star has an article up about this now. It’s not looking good for Parker’s mayoral run.

I honestly didn’t know that he had been convicted of a felony. It was mentioned on my blog several days ago that a convicted felon couldn’t serve as mayor, but I didn’t think anything of it because I thought Parker’s offenses were misdemeanors. Guess I missed the boat on that one.

Just out of curiosity, I wonder what the rationale is for barring felons from being mayor. Obviously, if they’re in prison or on parole that would make sense. But what if they already served all their time and had paid their debt to society? Why should it be the unpardonable sin?

Museum Block

County sales tax opposition organized

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Although the Journal Star says, “Group rises to oppose museum,” the group — Citizens for Responsible Spending — actually rises simply to oppose a proposed county sales tax for public facilities. The .25% tax increase would double the county’s tax rate and would be used to fill a funding gap for a museum that hasn’t even raised all its private capital yet.

That’s right. Even if the public referendum passes and successfully closes the gap in the public funding portion of the museum’s financing plan, the museum group will still be $11 million short in private funding, according to their own website. That’s after six or seven years of fundraising, including high-profile efforts by current and former mayors to get more donors.

Has anyone in the museum group ever entertained the notion that maybe — just maybe — the problem isn’t a fundraising problem? That maybe the problem is that their museum plan is too expensive, too inefficient, and unsustainable?