The National Citizen Survey results are in for Peoria County. A few observations:
The Open-ended Question report includes just five references to the museum. The question was, “What do you think will be the single most important issue facing Peoria County in the next five years?” Here are the museum responses, verbatim from the report:
- “Reinvigorating tie downtown are a finish the Museum & Warehouse District. Attract small businesses & residential to downtown to promote growth!”
- “Raising taxes for a museum, then not building it.”
- “I don’t think the coming museum was what we needed. For a city this time, Lake views was quite adequate – He have enough along the never and need to address other more important ways to use our monetary spending. You have a lot to be proud if in that Previous street, sidewalks & the like are being address-long way to go yet”
- “That stupid museum”
- “To terminate the museum project. Taxpayers cannot afford more debt for a want. Spend money on public safety services! Repeal the public facility sales tax!”
Yes, I was surprised, too. I thought a large number of people would recognize that the single most important issue facing Peoria in the next five years will be what to do with all the money that’s going to be rolling in as a result of the new museum. Actually, between that and the huge housing boom we’re going to have because of the Kellar Branch trail being completed, Peoria’s only problem is going to be deciding whether to pave the streets with gold or marble.
Incidentally, I have to wonder if a few of these responses were originally handwritten and then run through OCR (optical character recognition) software, or if people just don’t know how to type.
Meanwhile, here’s a random sampling of responses on the overall Results report:
- 86% of respondents said job growth is too slow in the County, while 36% said retail growth was too slow.
- Only 26% of respondents said they had attended a local public meeting, although 51% had watched one on TV.
- 31% of respondents said the value of services for the taxes paid to Peoria County was “excellent” or “good,” down from 36% the previous year.
- 32% of respondents said the overall direction Peoria County is taking was “excellent” or “good,” down from 41% the previous year.
- Only 21% of respondents said the job Peoria County does at listening to its citizens was “excellent or “good,” down from 33% the previous year.
Yes, if I had gotten the survey, I would have marked Peoria County’s ability to listen as “poor” myself. Remember the previous year’s survey? It included the question, “To what degree would you support or oppose a voter referendum to increase the sales tax rate by .25 percent (for example, from 8.0% to 8.25% for the City of Peoria) to fund the remaining cost of constructing money?” Results:
| Strongly support | 11% |
| Somewhat support | 24% |
| Somewhat oppose | 20% |
| Strongly oppose | 45% |
That’s right: 65% of County respondents somewhat or strongly opposed a tax referendum. So what did the County do? They put a tax referendum question on the very next ballot. It’s not surprising that residents the following year gave them poor marks for listening, or that fewer respondents feel the County is heading in the right direction now.
While I am not a fan of the museum, the referendum passed by a vote of the people. It does not matter if 1% or 100% voted, it passed. I have huge issues with all of the things that were supposed to happen and have not and think that citizens should be contacting their county board member and expressing concerns and questions.
If people are so tired of elected officials not listening to them, why don’t you vote them out of office?
Regrettably, after the results of the 2008 were received, County staff stated that the results were not to be ignored. 🙁 Well, that did not happen! Some of the answeres to the open ended questions from 2008 also revealed that the citizens did not want the museum. I could not access the 2008 document at the Peoria County website to provide a sampling of said responses.
CJ, did you receive an invitation to be one (1) of the twelve (12) at large PRM Board Members? 😉
Maybe we need to re-think our strategy here. Perhaps we should leave the museum group alone and let them shoot themselves in the foot. It would seem they are far more capable of bringing this ridiculous project to a speedier ‘conclusion’ than anyone else.
If I were a local politician, I would ensure my re-election by speaking out against this travesty now.
“If people are so tired of elected officials not listening to them, why don’t you vote them out of office?”
-Unfortunately, the damage has been done. Something else to consider is the number of people involved in this sham who did not hold any political office. Money and clout did most of the talking as this project developed from bad to worse. How do ‘we’ hold these people accountable?
Yes, the referendum passed. However, certain promises were made during the referendum campaign. For instance, they said they wouldn’t start building until all the money was raised. Do you think the County should be held accountable for those promises?
Did the County make the promises or the group supporting the museum?
I have heard 3 presentations on this museum (1 a couple of years ago, 1 a few months before the vote and one last fall). Each presentation was different with the scope of the project adjusting each time (getting smaller due to funding).
Do I think that people should be held accountable for their actions – yes. I think that this museum project should be put on hold until the group is able to do what it said that it would do – raise money for the support of this project. It is kind of funny (or pathetic) that the funding of this project has almost gone 180 degrees from where it was when it started (private investment vs public). It is scary to think that this project looks like it is going forward without the necessary reserves for future operating expenses. It is scary to think that this project is going forward without agreement on the simple things like ownership of the land.
Accountability – yes. Call your County Board rep and ask that this project be put on hold until questions are answered. The other side would be for the County to just come out and say that they want to own an operate the facility – that is what is going to happen in the end and they might as well just admit it today.
Now is the perfect opportunity to throw the bums out. Half of the County Board is up for re-election this fall. Show the board you mean business when it come to listening to the electorate on all of the issues at hand. My guess is that very few of the board members will not have a serious challenge from the opposing party. (favorable drawing of the districts will guarantee the results)
The vote ( for the sales tax ) is history the ability to live with the results can still be influenced.
precinct committeeman,
Despite our many differences concerning this project, I am inclined to agree with your above statement. If you will remember, many of those who post ‘against’ the current museum project were not against ‘a’ museum per se. This project was doomed before it started; too many flaws and unanswered questions. Now, the museum advocates are probably wishing they had reevaluated their proposals PRIOR to the ‘vote.’
“While I am not a fan of the museum, the referendum passed by a vote of the people”
I just love the “I love America” argument.
The referendum passed because the Museum supporters sold a bill of goods and Peoria citizens bought it and are forcing Peoria County consumers to pay for it.
A vote of the people.. I think we counted exactly 11% of the county voted for this tax.
Can we vote for no one to fill the seats up for election… Can we have NO county board?
The reason the mueseum passed: Big union support! Special interest and the well to do pushed this across the finish line! Many on are side (against the mueseum) failed to vote! The minority will win everytime if they are the ones that vote!
Unless 100% of the registered voters show up (for an election) you will never know who is in the minority.
anp asked, “If people are so tired of elected officials not listening to them, why don’t you vote them out of office?”
How will we vote them out of office? Who or what are we going to vote for? The devil and the deep blue sea? The devil you know or the devil you don’t? Or, a rock and a hard place? A lick or a promise? The kick or the bucket? Jekyll or Hyde? Pointy-heads, poker faces or paper tigers? Pick an idiom, but there really aren’t any quality choices to vote any one out of office.
Then maybe we should just give up?
A lot of local elections are uncontested so voters have no choice. I would encourage people who complain about the system to run for office and try and change the system. Look at Aaron Schock, he ran for school board as a write in candidate. He went door to door to discuss with people his views and he won.
Become involved in the system. Attend candidate events and ask them questions about where they stand on issues. Don’t let them give vague answers, make them be specific. Follow up with them after they have been elected and remind them of the promises that they made. Host an event in your home and invite a candidate, get to know them and what they stand for.
At the end of the day, if you don’t like the answers then run for office. Get petitions signed and take a stand in public. You may not win but at least you will have a chance to air your opinions and state your views – maybe you will be suprised at how many people agree with you.
It seems to me that the people that complain the loudest about the lack of good choices in candidates are the ones that sling the most mud against candidates as they campaign for office and are the most highly critical of those elected. Think about it.
One -you are so right.
Tourell – I ask that you read my blogs.
Our administrator promises “full disclosure” at an upcoming ‘Committe as whole’.
Interesting, that it is coming right before the $3.8 million secured and re-secured by LaHood and Schock, is lost because of the usage time will soon expire.
Since Lakeview Museum has not come up with “full disclosure” it, I believe maybe 5 on the board will ask “hard questions”.
Union pressure on the 10 or so union card carrying Democrat board members is intense.
PC, I happened to activily campaign on the museum issue. Many citizens did not even know there was a referendum ? much less that a museum was being considered. Every single person expressed displeasure about the sales-tax going up to build a museum.
The day after the tight results I decided to survey people who I lobbied. Out of 22 who failed to vote 17 would have voted “No!” Reasons varied from they will do what they want to just plain lack of laziness.
In the weeks leading up to the election I read letters from prominent citizens, union leaders, and politicians lobbying for a “yes” vote. These letters way outnumbered the “no” letters. Perhaps PJS just didn’t print “no” letters. Regardless the will of those who voted on the museum prevailed.
“Then maybe we should just give up?”
Make THEM give up instead.
What if we shut down the government agencies by not electing anyone? What would happen to Peoria with out a County Board or City Council? What would happen to our schools without District 150 Administrators or The School Board?
People would still do their jobs. Bills would get paid and streets repaired. We just wouldn’t look to a bunch of parasites to direct us anymore. We would do what we could when could with what we have.
Love it… Go for it Charlie, launch of movement to stop EVERYONE from voting. I would love to see that happen.
Why don’t you dispense with the empty rhetoric and actually doing something.
One,
I agree. As I stated earlier, “Money and clout did most of the talking as this project developed from bad to worse.” These people do not see the museum as a way to ‘enrich’ the community, but as a way to ‘enrich’ themselves!It is difficult to fight fire with fire when the ‘well-to-do’ in this town have all the matches.
With CAT supporting the museum, organizing any sort of opposition to the museum plan was almost…..futile? Karrie Alms and group did manage to make a big noise. Maybe we can still get things done.
11Bravo,
Come on now…………
Charlie is trying in his own special way.
“Incidentally, I have to wonder if a few of these responses were originally handwritten and then run through OCR (optical character recognition) software, or if people just don’t know how to type.”
Sure – I mean, it would be much too simple to make the face-value presumption that the opponents of record are blithering Jethros. See Occam’s razor.
One: surveying people who did not vote proves nothing. They are obviously not an engaged group of citizens.
I could perform a similar survey and get just the opposite result.
I will again state unless all come to the polls you will never know who is the engaged group. Get people to the polls in the fall and make a difference.
“I could perform a similar survey and get just the opposite result.”
I don’t know Precinct…..
I mean this is pure speculation, but I would bet that even if you restricted YOUR survey to all of the original YES votes, you would find a substantial number of these no longer support the museum project.
All of these problems [just now coming to the fore] should have been ironed out long before a referendum was even proposed.
Food for thought………
NV: the point of the post is, a survey of persons who did not vote but remarked that they would have voted yes is meaningless. What the non voter thought about the issue has no effect on their continued support, being that they could not get off their back side and show up at a polling place,they did not support it at all.
The referendum was not worded to give voters an out if they changed their mind some time after the vote was cast.
Voters have a tendency to vote for the winner, in their own mind , voting for a loser goes against most voters mindset.
NV: We did raise many of the questions pre-referendum — regrettably Peoria County Board members voted to put the referendum to a vote prior to proper vetting of the issue. Eleven months later, we are still dealing with the some of the same issues and new issues being added. Inclusive and transparent public process is an essential element to effective public policy. Precious resources are wasted … people’s time and talents as well as money and so on down the list.
anp writes … “At the end of the day, if you don’t like the answers then run for office.” I agree and that is one reason why I decided to run for office in Peoria County Board District 3. There are two candidates, perhaps a third or more if any independants join the campaign. Please remember to mark your calendars to vote on November 2nd or during the early voting period.
NV + PC, Peoria Countys’ own survey of voters showed a majority of them against the museum. The “No” vote simply did not get out in as big of numbers as the well organized and financed museum supporters.
Precinct,
You are correct. However, just because the tax was passed in no way obligates ANYONE to follow through with a [museum plan] that is…lacking? The ‘tax’ is a done deal. Maybe there are other ways to spend this money that would have a POSITIVE impact on local economy, etc?
Karrie,
You are correct; questions WERE raised, but no answers given.
One,
You are correct; thus my reference to the futility of fighting fire with fire when the local ‘aristocracy’ has all the matches!
New Voice,
YOU ARE CORRECT. As usual…?
I am sure that the survey probably showed a majority against the public facilities tax. I am sure that surveys probably showed (and would still) show a majority against the museum but our system calls for votes and the vote was in favor of the public facilities tax (it does not say museum).
If you are opposed, get involved in the system. Voice your opinion in public to your representative, attend public meetings and speak. Maybe the ship has sailed on this and maybe it has not. It still appears that several things need to be worked out and maybe with a large enough public voice, it would be looked at again. If nothing else, you will at least be in the public record as against the project and can address in the future.
One: It is always the case that the side that does not prevail can claim that their side did not get enough voters out to the polls.
The last Presidential election comes to mind.
Ref survey:How many were contacted and gave an answer versus the number of registered voters in the county? I am sure that there are over 120000 voters in the county. Were the contacts screened for actual on the list of voters. Compare the two. If you get above 60000 negative actual registerd voters responses you might be able to make that point.
NV: if the plan is lacking let them know in November!
Precinct,
Good advice..and will do.
I don’t know if we have to wait until November……
1.) The museum group has been aware of the FACT that this was a [museum] plan without merit for years. They obviously STILL can’t get it right!
2.) I thought that a great many people had been speaking out against the current plan for almost as long! What…with all of the blog posts, editorials, people attending PRM info-meetings – walking away with questions unanswered, Karrie’s CFRS movement, etc……..
Are you telling me that the powers that be will finally listen to commonsense in November… after all of this…? GEE…if the local politicians haven’t heard us by now….?
Precinct Committeeman has a real knack for making democracy sound like tyranny. The survey was done scientifically and had a margin of error of plus or minus three percent. We have reason to be confident that the survey accurately represented the views of the citizens of Peoria County. Do you think the Board should represent all citizens, or only voters?
“anp” says (emphasis mine): “I am sure that the survey probably showed a majority against the public facilities tax…. but our system calls for votes and the vote was in favor of the public facilities tax….”
I beg to differ. Our system is a representative republic, not a direct democracy. There was no requirement that the County Board put the referendum on the ballot. The survey question did not ask whether people wanted the tax — it asked whether they wanted a referendum on the tax question. A strong majority said no. The Board could have heeded that information; instead, they ignored it and put the question on the ballot anyway.
“anp” does point out a fact seemingly missed by others here — the referendum approved a “public facilities tax.” The vote did not commit the funds to the museum. The Board is free to use the funds for another public facilities project, such as Bel-Wood Nursing Home.
Whenever you have an efficient government you have a dictatorship.
– Harry S Truman
C.J.,
I did mention that…
“Maybe there are other ways to spend this money that would have a POSITIVE impact on local economy…” in a previous post.
Precinct wants this project to go through [for whatever reason]. He is banking on the hope that PRM/CAT/Peo Board will muddle through this somehow. November is a long way off. Whatever the outcome in November, the damage will have been done by the incessant scheming of the PRM/CAT/Peoria City Council, etc.
Wonder what it would take to start a petition to recall the referendum Tax? Hmmmmm
CJ: You bring up an interesting point 🙂 In late 2008 / early 2009 when I was at a Peoria County Board Committee Meeting — and the proposed public faciity tax ballot language was first read, I asked how a voter would know that the public facility tax would be for the musuem? Patrick Urich responded that it would be for the museum people to make their case to the public.
Do we need to revisit the dictionary as to what is a direct democracy tool and how a republican form of government operates?
Popular democracy does exist in the USA. It is allowed in certain type of jurisdictions. It is not the principal form of government of states,counties,townships, or national representative groups (Congress)