City Council candidate Dan Irving held a press conference today to announce several endorsements of his campaign. Announcing their endorsements in person were Congressman Ray LaHood, Mayor Jim Ardis, and fifth-district councilman Patrick Nichting. Also announcing endorsements but unable to attend the news conference were third-district councilman Bob Manning and fourth-district councilman Bill Spears.
Congressman LaHood took advantage of early voting and cast his ballot this morning at 9:30. He said he was giving his support because of Irving’s business experience, involvement in the community, and his perspective as part of the “younger generation.” Ray said he was endorsing candidates for city council because he lives in Peoria, pays taxes in Peoria, and thus he cares about what happens in Peoria. LaHood disclosed that he also voted for George Jacob, Ryan Spain, Gale Thetford, and Eric Turner. LaHood voted early because he will be returning to Washington this weekend.
Mayor Ardis feels that Dan has a good background on the issues the city is facing and that he will be a good addition to the “team.” Ardis specifically mentioned that he agreed with Irving’s platform on the issues of crime (supports saturation patrols, surveillance cameras), strengthening neighborhoods, and promoting economic development. Ardis also endorses George Jacob, Ryan Spain, and Eric Turner.
Councilman Nichting believes that Irving has strong leadership skills that will “progress Peoria forward,” and generally agreed with the mayor’s reasons for endorsing him. Nichting also endorses George Jacob and Eric Turner.
Wow, quite the eclectic mix of supporters. Now I’m not sure whether that makes me feel better or worse about him. But clearly, he appeals to a group with a broad range of backgrounds and political persuasions.
I found just as interesting the listing of individuals that LaHood and Ardis are supporting (and who they are not supporting).
Maybe not the place, but got to let you know that you have really raised the bar on blogging. Good mix of posts (all well written and researched) of issues that really matter to Peoria. While I don’t agree with your positions on all of them, I always feel better educated about the issue after reading them.
LaHood endorses 5 of the 6 republican candidates, wow shocker. However, I am glad that Irving was able to get some press because of LaHood.
Yes. I am going to have to come over and break CJ’s laptop. Too much competition.
Dan Irving is a good man. When spending time interviewing new candidates, he was one of the first. I spent several hours at Firehouse pizza getting to know him, talking about his viewpoints, stances and finding out what he knows and doesn’t know about what goes on south of the border (war drive). I have found him intelligent, interested and willing to work hard and learn about things he might not be familiar. My take is that it is next to impossible to be an expert on every issue that comes across the their desks each week, so a willingness to work as a team, gather information from reliable sources an constituents is an important strength and skill that is needed to be a successful councilman.
Last night at the Uplands forum Mr. Irving mentioned possibly using a neighborhood TIF idea. Mr. Irving had to leave to do his t.v interview as he was perhaps the last in the series of candidates done by a station. One candidate popped off saying you can’t use tif’s in residential. and “we don’t need to do on the job training”. Had I not been a guest at the forum, I would have loudly “boo’d” that candidate’s arragance. The idea which wasn’t expounded upon involved looking at ways to use property taxes in focused areas as neighborhood revitalization step. It would not be a “tif” but something along the same concept. We had discussed this when we met at the beginning of the campaign when we brainstormed together ways to make actual change vs. simply discussion in neighborhoods. Mr. Irving is a team player and willing to work to build a consensus. Something needed to get things done. The lone wolf, or sacrifical lamb, approach does not work, in fact it compounds the process. Mr. Irving is one candidate I am supporting strongly. I would suggest that you look at his campaign, literature, or just give him a call. He came out and helped children in our neighborhood pick up litter. He’s willing to get his hands dirty, several candidates are not and have not. He is very reachable. And no…I am not a paid advisor. I am supporting Spain and Jacob for many of the same reasons. It is time for some changes, those who are not willing to lead by example and put sweat equity back into the community are not inspiring the community to work to help itself. I am tired of promises, lovely speeches, it is time for action or remain where we are and continue just griping.
Brad, this isn’t about party. You know things get done through relationships and coalition building. I hope that city council candidates develop and/or maintain relationships with our other elected officials.
Maybe not the place, but got to let you know that you have really raised the bar on blogging. Good mix of posts (all well written and researched) of issues that really matter to Peoria. While I don’t agree with your positions on all of them, I always feel better educated about the issue after reading them.
Left by Peo Proud
Ditto! 🙂
Let me guess, Paul, the snarky comment was by Gary. Gary is probably the most intelligent Councilperson we have, the most eloquent, and probably does the most research. And I truly believe he has the best interests of Peoria (esp those in the older sections) at heart. However, he is terribly ineffective because he’d rather be that lone voice than build a consensus. He’d rather be snarky than a leader.
I truly like Dan Irving. He is as decent and level-headed and good natured as they come. But I don’t support him for council at this time.
He has said in countless candidate forums that he is a “team player” and went on at length on the importance of being a team player.
That’s not why we have 10 city council members. The reason we don’t only have a mayor without a city council is that we need a good mix of people with strong personalities, different viewpoints, different areas of expertise and different life experience to weigh in during deliberations to avoid unintended consequences and improve the final product of council decisions. Every issue needs a full airing, penetrating questions raised and answered, and all angles considered.
In this case Dan Irving is too nice a guy and I beleive if he feels included with the “in” crowd running the show he will be “go along, get along.”
Think about it, what has Dan Irving printed in his campaign pieces that differs even slightly from the official line of Ardis/Jacob/Manning/Nichting? Unfortunately Irving’s campaign literature is an echo, not original thought.
We need 10 independent-minded, educated, thoughtful, decision makers who have an attitude with a predisposition of cooperation with other council members while not being a puppet. No need for abrasiveness but no toleration for being told what to do either.
Decisions should not be made by a handful of people outside of council chambers with compliant council members following as they are told.
We need public watchdogs on the council. Not someone who wants to cheerlead the Mayor. We need people to raise the tough questions. We need each council member to analyze the facts and weigh in.
Maybe Gary Sandberg is too much a contrarian and reflexively against whoever is in power. But that is better than the Mayor and a few of his buddies making all decisions behind closed doors and the others coming in to meetings and voting how they are told, or being shut out of the process.
The situation now is TOO cozy. Ardis is a boyhood friend of Bill Spears. Ardis appoints Bill Spears’ brother-in-law George Jacob to the council. Ardis, Spears, Jacob, Manning and Nichting are a close cabal that need oversight. The last thing we need is a really nice guy that Dan Irving is, to come in and just follow orders all the while thinking he is making a contribution to Peoria.
Paul W., you are a great activist and the city continually benefits from your participation. But your obsession with council members picking up trash as almost their first responsibility is misplaced. Their independent thinking, independent analysis, independent decision making, and then the decisions they make as to what proposals to spearhead and how to vote on each issue is far more important. In short, the direction of the city they favor is more important than how much time they volunteer in community activities.
Studying issues, answering phone citizen’s phone calls,and listening to a wide vareity of concerned citizens are more important. Attending neighborhood associations once in awhile is also important as a listening tool. But a demand to participate in most activities of all the neighborhood associations in the city is too demanding. Maybe not so much for the district members but absolutely so for the at-large members.
We shouldn’t say that unless a person is so craven to curry favor with neighborhood association dictators and spend almost all of their free time proving their devotion, that they wouldn’t make an outstanding councilperson. That would exclude many fine civic-minded people from being ABLE to serve on the city council as they have full lives to lead in addition to the time they are able to carve out to serve the city on the council. There are several ways council members can prove their devotion. Not all are by manual labor that is the responsibility of the neighbors themselves.
it is vary disappointing that Ray is supporting that horrible Thetford.
Wow, dictators, what a way to describe people who work their behinds off in this town for FREE. These people put up with attacks from a variety of sources, most of them are parts of the problems. Yet they continue to fight everyday in areas that will be much worse without them. There are fewer and fewer of them though. Peoria I am sure will be just peachy without them and with more observers I am quite certain. geez.
Actually I do expect people to pick up the trash, look around you. As you are observing I hope you’re seeing the problem. It’s only one of many issues. It’s not the only thing we do, nor do we expect it to be the only thing that the leaders do, the point is that they take an interest in our problems. That makes them “craven”. Again I say “wow” I will admit that there are far more of people not willing to do the work to make the city a better place and hence things continue to get worse. Yet these same folks are truely amazed that it is.
We do an incredible amount of things that never make the media, nor do we seek for them too. Most of us just want things to be better. All of us have an understanding that it won’t if we just sit on our porches and watch life go by.
I believe I made the point about Dan Irving being willing to listen, and he has good ideas. Some on the current council don’t listen. Some don’t return phone calls, some even browbeat their own constituents. I have also expressed concerns about the ruling family in Peoria. What troubles me is the comments that address that several candidates are from one district. Well I believe that just about anyone can pick up a petition, get the signatures, and develop a campaign. These are the folks who are running. Unhappy with them, pick up a petition in the next election. I will be happy to meet with you and hear what you have to say. This makes it even more important for council members from various parts of town to meet and participate in events throughout the city. Each area has it’s problems. Don’t want to deal with the entire city’s neighborhoods, well then don’t run for a position where you are representing the entire city. Goes with turf, and quite frankly, I am going to work to see that those expectations increase with this next council.
We do expect them to be out among us. You can’t know what is going on by simply trying to read reports and to manage staff. You get a good flavor by walking through someone’s area, meeting with the constituents. The council mmebers who have been out and about have experienced when police don’t answer calls, seen the effects of bad landlords, see youth restless in the streets.
If their independent decision making is independent from the people they are sworn to represent, then they cease to be elected officials, but dictators as you referred the neighborhood folks to be. If they do not work to build a consensus, then it is a wasted seat. It might as well be empty for all the citizen’s benefit. Additionally, this north/south divide needs to end. We are the same city, we need to start acting like it. Improving an area in the city affects all of us, allowing it to decay, lessens all of us.
When you refer to the responsibility of projects being the neighbors themselves, I agree, I would also note that you are a neighbor and hope that you spend some time be active rather than just observing. We have been trying to encourage neighborhoods to help other neighborhoods. It is very difficult, especially with the sentiments that you espouse.
The south side is in the shape that it is because of a variety of reasons, good people left, leaving a vacuum for uncaring people to fill and worse, good people will not work to help restore it. They just observe. The East Bluff is facing problems, my area ebbs and flows with issues. I guess we all could just give up and let it all fall in your lap. I have a job and resources, I could jump ship and head back across the river. Or I can refuse to be a victim and make this area better. These problems are quickly headed north, soon others are going to be faced with our choices as well.
I stand by my orginal assessment, if a council person is not willing to work side by side with the constituents, not willing to “dirty their hands”, then I sincerely doubt they are going to understand the real issues of the people sworn to represent them and/or aren’t going to do the work necessary to effect the change causing the need for dirty hands in the first place. Busy schedules or not, if you’re too busy, then don’t run. We expect too little from our leaders, and boy do we get our expectations met. If you are content with that, so be it, some of us are not.
Just some guy: It doesn’t matter who said what, but that it is being said at all, research your candidates and vote wisely.
“Work their behinds off….. for free?” That is a little naive isn’t it? All of these city council reps are ‘fairly’ well-off. They have their own agendas. I seriously doubt that they would even consider running for any political seat if it did not benefit themselves personally and financially. They run for office because they can AFFORD to. I work 50+ hours a week to support my family, etc. If someone will foot my house payment, I will be only to happy to run for office. LaHood can keep his endorsement.
Big Mountain,
I was referring to the neighborhood folks working their behinds off for free.
sorry if I was unclear.
Paul
Paul,
My mistake. Sorry.
Big