What do people want from city government? They want their streets to be plowed quickly after it snows so they can get to work on time. They want to feel safe when they go outside at night. They want the fire department to respond as quickly as possible when there’s a fire or other emergency. They want their garbage picked up, and their streets and sidewalks maintained. They want zoning and code enforcement policies that protect their property values and provide a fair and predictable investment climate for their business and residence.

In short, they want basic services delivered in an efficient and cost-effective manner. That’s the reason we have city government in the first place. That’s why we pay taxes.

I’m afraid the City Council has lost its focus. Instead of putting our tax money toward essential services first, it has opted instead to put large amounts of our tax money toward dubious investments, such as backing a loan for the ill-fated Firefly Energy and committing upwards of $40 million to build another downtown hotel, just to name a couple. Worse, it cuts these deals in secret, giving citizens no opportunity for meaningful input before they’re enacted.

This is not a recent phenomenon. Past council decisions have also compromised our ability to maintain the basic services the City is obligated to provide. MidTown Plaza alone is costing us a half million dollars a year to bail out. As a result of poor decisions such as these, in combination with the recent economic downturn, the City is looking at structural deficits and has had to cut core services each year. Our debt service already accounts for 17% of our budget, and will increase once bonds are issued for the proposed hotel.

I believe it’s time we got back to the fundamentals. We need to get our focus back on our core services — services that benefit all Peorians, not just a privileged few; services that will set the table for economic development without having to resort to developer welfare. And we need to get our focus back on the citizens of Peoria. Perfunctory public hearings have led to a dispirited and jaded public; this is not healthy for our City. Citizens should have ample opportunity for meaningful input, and that means asking for public comments as early in the policy/project development process as possible.

We need more council members who are committed to putting basic services first. And that’s why I’m running for Peoria City Council. I want to see the City focus our resources on our core services, work toward lowering our debt, and take the secrecy out of City government. This is the surest way to make the City an attractive place to live and do business.

A word about The Peoria Chronicle

One of the questions I get asked most frequently is what will happen to The Peoria Chronicle if I’m elected. I have no plans to change anything about the blog. It’s not unprecedented for elected officials to have active blogs (Merle Widmer is but one example), so I see no problem with continuing this site as is. In fact, I think it would be an asset. One of the things I love about the blog is the opportunity to discuss issues and get different points of view. The more civil discourse we can have as a community, the better.