Jonathan Ahl is reporting that Ray LaHood will not seek reelection when his term expires in 2009. Now that’s what I call a scoop, Mr. Ahl. Good work!
Let the speculation begin: Why isn’t he running? Who will take his place? What will he do after his term is up?
On that last question, I’m putting my money on a mayoral run. His heart is in local politics.
Be sure to go to Jonathan’s blog — he has a link to an mp3 of his interview of LaHood and it’s very interesting.
Mayor LaHood? Sell now!
Ray sensed the writing on the wall. People are sick of comments like this one:
“I can have this job for as long as I want”
I wish someone could get the video of him making that comment (aired on local TV) and run it over and over and over- I wish I had recorded him making this arrogant statement.
Couple the above statement with this one he made not too long ago:
“Peoria doesn’t need a train because they can take a bus to Bloomington…”
If I wanted to be kind I would say the above statement conveys Ray LaHood is naïve and if I wanted to be less than kind I would say this comment conveys he is the most obtuse human ever to represent a district.
Are we now faced with Aaron Schlock? The supposedly wunderkind who thinks he is central Illinois’ gift to politics- oh pleeeease!!!!!
Some words of caution dear readers of the Peoria Chronicle: Aaron plays the down-and- out folks like a fiddle. Heads up to the downtrodden and to the bleeding hearts who think Aaron is in their corner. Aaron has used you and he will continue to do so.
Please consider the facts: Aaron got elected because he ran when his opponents were despised. He stood for nothing and he still stands for nothing. He was elected because people wanted anyone but Rhonda Hunt, Ricca Slone and Bill Spears.
Alas he has also unabashedly used the race card to garner votes. He snuggled up to Arthur Perkins who just happens to be Hershel Hannah’s sister. Aaron told Arthur he would guarantee Hershel a position in District 150 (remember he was District 150 School Board President) in exchange for her support. She happily agreed and in turn he was able to show he had the backing of the “black” vote.
Aaron you are such a phony! To bad the good people of Illinois are either too illiterate or too easy to fleece. They believe your blathering spew. Aaron Schlock uses timing as his ticket and we in central Illinois must wake up. Aaron Schlock is at best a young soul searching for meaning in life and at worst a power monger using the uninformed populace to advance his need for position.
If Aaron was really such a remarkable student at Bradley why would he settle for a Illinois State job? Most kids his age, if they are really smart, have graduate degrees and are making more than $100,000.00 per year. The local corporations are using him to advance their interests and he is happy to do anything to gain their support because he needs their donations to get re-elected. Corporations like Saint Francis and CAT are happy to support him because they can manipulate him. Yes I know this is politics as usual- but it doesn’t have to be this way.
We must elect someone who has the best interest of Central Illinois at heart.
Attention Peoria Chronicle readers- Do the right thing and say NO TO ANYONE LIKE RAY OR AARON!
Now is your chance to elect someone to represent your ideals and to advance your vision. Don’t settle for a glad hander and empty head like Ray or Aaron.
George,
Hope that big chip on your shoulder isn’t too much to carry.
I take offense at your comments that imply that poor, minority and others that are less fortunate than some others in this community are being used. You imply that their support (of someone you obviously don’t support) is uninformed and illegitimate. You basically indicated they weren’t smart enough to make the right choice. How pompous can you be? All voters have the right to support who they want and who they feel will best support the issues/causes they believe in.
And to imply that because he’s not getting rich he’s somehow second rate? Unbelievable.
About the only thing you stated that I agree with is that we were better off without “Rhonda Hunt, Ricca Slone and Bill Spears” being elected!
Peo Proud-
I make my case!
I have just finished listening to Jonathon Ahl’s interview with Ray LaHood and I think Ray is close to psychotic-just listen to him. If he is at the top of his game(as he says)and if he has the most political strength than he has ever had (as he says) then why is he throwing in the towel?
Duhhhhh
It is because he realized he would loose!!!!
Let me just say … I’m Schocked.
George –
Get a grip…the chances he would lose are minimal.
While I didn’t buy entirely the “desire to live like ordinary people” reason he threw out there, come on – it’s very unlikely he would have lost his next run because there is NO opponent apparent that has any muscle or forward movement. My cynical side says that he’s lined up a nice private sector job that will bring in some real money for his retirement!
Even with no incumbent, the likelihood that the seat will switch to the other party is at best a 40% likelihood.
Knight – not yet you haven’t been….but he’s surely to be one of the leading contenders for the spot.
George, Ok Ricca was despised. But Bill Spears?? He’s not a hard worker but he and his family are loved in Peoria. He lost because Schock out worked him. But people see Spears as a big lovable teddy bear. Your point doesn’t hold water.
George, I agree. You nailed it. Schock is a “user”. Spears is not loved by everyone including the Democratic machine that abandon him during his campaign. That is why he lost.
Peo Proud must be in ‘tight” with Schock.
People need to see the light and that is what is wrong in Illinois. We can’t keep rotating these do nothing politicans.
Anti pundit
The only democrats to abandon Spears were Madigan’s outside operators. No local party activists abandoned him.
About rotating do-nothing politicians, Schock has passed lots of bills even in a Democratic House in Springfield.
Schock’s campaign last fall was unlike any other I have ever seen, it was all about what he did, never once did he have attack ads bashing his opponent like both candidates for governor did. Springfield is run by Blagojevich, Madigan and Emil Jones. They are to blame for what is wrong in Illinois. Schock has only been in office 3 years.You may not like Schock and that’s fine but what you said isn’t justified by facts, it is just emotional attacks.
Schock works a thorough campaign.
Sage: Here are the facts about SB2477 — This was thoroughly documented on Peoria Chronicle when the Glen Oak School / Glen Oak Park debacle was transpiring (please check CJ’s archives).
Rep. Schock did not tell the truth when he said on the IL House floor that he had the full support of the Peoria City Council on this bill. Re-authorizing the PBC to be able to bond for building D150 schools amidst community upheaval only added insult to injury. Rep. Schock’s office was not able to provide any promised documentation supporting Rep. Schock’s claims about full city council support on this bill.
Sage writes: …. it was all about what he did,….
I don’t know about you, Sage, but I do not like what he did on this financial issue which impacts only Peoria D150 taxpayers and at least plants a seed to other Illinois PBC’s to get a special piece of legislation approved for their respective districts (Rep. Schock mentioned this very concept in his House remarks) to further tax citizens.
Good Morning Sage,
First examine the legislation Schlock as you say “has passed” and I will ask you to determine if those bills represent low hanging fruit. Did he intentionally select issues that could be easily solved and passed to give the appearance he is “working hard” which would impress the uniformed? Did he, has he, or will he mastermind solutions to any tough issues?
More importantly what is his (or any of our politicians’) vision for Illinois?
I have talked to Schlock and I don’t pick up on much substance. Review his tenure with District 150. Seriously, what leadership skills did he demonstrate as a 19 year old? Many voters were against Edison and the way Rhonda Hunt operated as president. His subsequent attractiveness to the state politicos was he hadn’t been alive long enough to have any skeletons which was refreshing if you reflect back on the time. There was not much to criticize except maybe passing notes in class or talking out of turn.
The Republicans had no one mature to offer up and since there was growing sentiment against Ricca, Schlock got the money needed to wage the campaign. He was trainable and available. He was a warm body for the Republicans to push around and he was thrilled to be putting on a tie and having some place to go -proof that timing in politics is everything!
The problem we face in central Illinois is that when voters continue to elect teddy bears, kids, and real do-nothings (Spears, Schlock, and LaHood) our region continues be a less desirable. You have to create the kind of place where people want to live before you can create work and significant opportunities. If you don’t believe me then have a conversation or two with firms that specialize in locating or re-locating companies. It is all about what the employee will experience when he gets to his new city. The best companies go to places that can produce a well educated workforce and that offer a great quality of life. Every decision made locally and at the State or Federal level has an impact on the quality of our lives.
We need true leaders- people with vision and considerable life experience. Unless of course, you consider road work visionary, because we seem to have a corner on that market- what a royal waste of money! I can see the promotional materials now saying COME LIVE IN CENTRAL ILLINOIS WE’VE PAVED IT ALL- NO TREES – JUST GOOD OLD CEMENT AND EYESORES AS FAR AS ONE CAN SEE!
I do agree with your statement about Spears ability to work, but what relevance does his family and his lovability have to do with the job of being a lawmaker? Hasn’t Spears been in office long enough to have made some progress? Just drive around his district and tell me how great his performance has been-it’s not very inspiring. Spears doesn’t know what to do and I will put LaHood and most of the central Illinois politicians in that category -they are just not visionaries and therefore not impressive leaders. Please correct me if I am wrong- I would love to gain some optimism.
If the role of a politician is to write policy to make life better then they must know what “better” is and be able to anticipate the future needs of local citizens. The greatest politicians are more concerned with creating a bright future and less concerned with getting votes or money. Let’s find some strong, hard working and informed VISIONARIES not teddy bears or empty-headed cocktail party schmoozers.
I just wanted to repost this
(from my post on PP)to clear up the confusion about Shock’s fundraising as well:
A lot of Schock’s money was HRCC (via Tom Cross) and PAC money from OUTSIDE Peoria. It will be interesting to see how Cross reponds if Schock does decide to run for that seat. The House Republicans have invested a lot of money in that seat in the last two elections to keep it in Republican hands and I don’t know if that can be done with another republican candidate.
During Schock’s last campaign, his television ads were very opportunistic in their portrayal of Schock’s relationships with minorities.
Having observed Schock’s interaction with, and behavior toward minorities since he made his first televised appearances as an elected official, it appeared to me that the image he portrayed in his television ads had no resemblence to the reality of how he viewed and treated minorities.
He seems to have been annointed by the powers-that-be in the local hierarchy of the GOP as their “chosen one” and it will come as no surprise if he is selected as LaHood’s successor.
A letter to the editor really summed it up when the writer said Schock was just what Peoria needed – another Doogie Howser!
Antipundit….unfortunately I’m not tight with Schock, just expressing my opinion. I think he’s a great change from what we’ve had for the last decade or so before him.
George – whether he picked low hanging fruit or not, at least he was picking fruit for his constituents more than can be said for many of the others who served us.
peo proud: agree, Schock was a needed change from what we had to chose from. That is the problem these days in elections..and will probably be in the Presidental election in ’08, our choices are (and I am not calling Schock this) between one pile of sh*t and another pile of sh*t. I hope that isn’t to harsh.
and sorry, I should use spell check on my own “user name”…. oops
Em,
Aaron is friend, Aaron has done well representing the very diverse population of this city. His constituent services are excellent, including a neighborhood liason who attends association and Alliance meetings to give feedback back and forth. Other than George Jacob and Manning in his district, no else local provides this level of service. Ardis was and still his highly accesible, but his role as mayor is different now. Before everyone starts the trash bandwagon, take a look and see what it being done in the community.
Somehow this does not surprise me coming from Mr. Wilkinson.
I will say this in all fairness: if as many people who complain about him voted against him…we wouldn’t be having this conversation.