Just a quick note to the Journal Star Editorial Board: We get it. You didn’t like Mayor Ardis’s comments in InterBusiness Issues. You want to defend your institution. Fair enough.
But now you’re going to write an editorial about it every day? Really? You don’t think that’s a little overkill or that it makes you look petty? And, more importantly, are there no more significant things happening in the world about which to editorialize?
Here’s my unsolicited advice: You’ve made your point. Now let it go.
This is how out of touch the JSEB is. They actually think that there aren’t a whole bunch of people out there who agree with Ardis. Therefore, I might not be a good idea to make people aware that there is a lot of talk about supporting this boycott. If they were smart, they would drop the snarky comments and work on mending fences and trying to educate the public about how newspapers work, and perhaps look at the possibility they are scewed to the negative.
But then, no one accused them of being smart.
that is the problem. They are totally out of touch.
I don’t think you get it all. It’s their paper and if they want to “ride” the mayor, then that is their free speech right. Don’t like it? Don’t buy it. I think someone has to light a fire under the Mayor. The crime he promised to get a handle on goes unabated. The garbage fee is still with us. Short of his education funding thingy, what has he really done?? What about that fisaco with the snon removal last December? A city worker that doesn’t really live in Peoria, gets paid overtime out the a** for hours he couldn’t possibly have worked and what happened? Nothing. All the meetings the Mayor holds on crime and what has happened? More crime. Say what you will about the States Attorney, he even thinks those meetings are a waste. I don’t think the PJS is totally out of touch. Maybe with the 4 regular posters here yes, but not with a lot of people I have talked to. Mayor Ardis couldn’t get re-elected on a bet at this rate. I know you guys are going to jump down my throat because, heavens, I disagree on the Chronicle. The Mayor has been a big dissapointment to me and from what I hear to a lot of other people. Sorry I don’t have a 40 page fact book or a bunch of 8x11s to back up my opinion, it just a gut opinion.
Peoria AntiPundit: I don’t think you get it at all. It’s my blog and if I want to “ride” the Journal Star, then that is my free speech right. Don’t like it? Don’t read it. 🙂 Cuts both ways, doesn’t it?
As for the Mayor’s performance, what specifically do you think he should be doing that he’s not doing right now? And don’t just say vague things like “fix the crime problem.” What specific interventions or actions do you think are needed?
I posted my opinion on what I thought. It just seems you are defending the Mayor when I don’t think he is doing all that of a remarkable job. Most of the time I don’t read it if I don’t like it and yes it is your blog, I just disagree but then your response is exactly what i expected. As for what he should or should not do, isn’t that why we elected him? To lead? Now I am sure he doesn’t have all the answers nor do I but I did suggest some things that maybe our city leaders could do at my blog. I know, business is business and I can’t expect our city to drop everything to fix our crime and other problems. But if they don’t stop talking and do some acting, there may not be a bright future for our city. By the way as for his performance, it has been lackluster to say the least considering what we voted out office before him.
I stand behind Ardis…scratch that, I stand with Ardis. If anyone has ideas on how to fix things, share them. He gives each idea a fair shake. Be patient, very hard, coming from me, I know.
I personally think Ardis couldn’t have made a more stupid remark.
The PJStar editorial thing doesn’t bug me.
And I don’t know why.
AntiPundit: I wasn’t defending the Mayor’s job performance. I was commenting on the Journal Star’s lame editorials. The jury’s still out for me on Ardis’s performance — I think two years is not very much time to make a big dent in Peoria’s crime problem. He isn’t Marshall Dillon. I’m willing to give him more time and see what initiatives he comes up with over the next year or two.
You want the solution to crime? the complacent citizens of Peoria need get active . It is extremely easy to sit back and do nothing but gripe about the crime. We don’t have enough resources for the city for us to just sit back and expect all our problems to be fixed. There are Guardian angels and it’s like pulling teeth or worse to recruit members. There are neighborhood Associations and Watches that if they could get a 5% involvement in their areas would have more people than tasks to accomplish. People are dealing drugs out in the open and citizens drive by, commenting, but doing nothing, or pull the shades down and hope trouble doesn’t visit their door. We lower expectations for education to least common denominator and only blame the school district, but don’t hold them accountable as voters. We see multigenerational drug families in houses and do nothing to get rid of them. We are afraid to back tough legislation.
Do you know where your kids are? Do you know the names of the other children on your block? Do you know who your cops are? Do you give them information? Do you expect results and increase the likelihood by being an active participant? Do you pick up the trash in your yard, your block? Do you leave your porchlight on? keep the growth in your alley trimmed, not only for your property, but your neighbors? Do you even know who lives in front, back, and either side of you? Do you help out in any way in more troubled sections of the community? Do you have a positive effect on the youth in the community? Are you running for office yourself if you don’t like your representation on what ever level.
I could go on…most likely the majority of the answers are NO, or Why should I? or I’m not going to that part of town?, or I pay taxes……. Everyone looks for a scapegoat. We expect easy answers, The solutions are staring at you back in the mirror. Put as much energy into finding solutions, or creating solutions, or being parts of solutions as bitching and we’d have a variety of problems licked with little cost or even government intervention.
I think we should push the crime all back into one centralized location. We need to get rid of public housing and habitat for humanity from the decent neighborhoods. Then we swarm that neighborhood with police and forget about it. With the out of site philosophy I’ve devised we won’t even know there is crime. And with that claiming crime has gone down will be believable because nobody sees it.
It is a shame the mayor is so thin-skinned about criticism from the press. That goes with the territory, and his territory has lots of problems. It would be difficult to name some of the major problems solved since he was elected to office. If the Journal Star was even given half the activity by police officers on the street, the would not have the staff or room to publish it.
JFD: Mayor Ardis has skin that’s plenty thick regarding PJS coverage of him and his family. His article wasn’t about criticism of him, but what he considers constant negativity about the city.
Anti-Pundit says “I can’t expect our city to drop everything to fix our crime and other problems.” Excuse me? The city’s primary “business” is police and fire protection, streets and sanitation. IT IS NOT building hotels, subsidizing start-up companies, or any of the other ancillary stuff they have stuck their nose into. The Mayor, of course, cannot do it alone, but he does need to start putting forth ideas. We’ve had enough talk. We don’t need any more community meetings. We need leaders willing to put forth proposals. Some may not work. So be it. You have to start somewhere.
Well mouse I have always said “enough meetings” how about some action but I don’t expect the city to withdraw from all it’s proposed plans fro growth but I do expect the city to put police and fire first, then city services second and then worry about growth. In fact, take care of crime and improve the services and growth will happen without the council cosigning loans and creating TIFs everywhere. Of course the mayor and the police can’t do it alone, people have to start giving a shit and get involved by reporting everything no matter how small.
okay,
so what are your specific ideas and plans? how can they be accomplished? What resources are needed? I have no problems pitching ideas to the Mayor.
Some of us do report things and get lack luster response from the police. We are doing everything mentioned and we can still tell you all the houses in the immediate area selling drugs. The police know who is dealing and still it goes on. We are willing to go to court and testify and still it goes on. So whose fault is it now? I have met the Mayor and I like him as a person but I am starting to feel like like certain area of the city are being sacraficed and written off.
Hula Monkey.
Have had the same experiences at times, so I try to work it another way. Is is a SEction 8 house, get your documentation together, pictures, dates, plates, etc. and make the pitch there, Just had some success with that one. What about the landlord? a letter from the neighborhood association (that is not an attack) but a request for assistance with facts is another tool that has worked before. One neighborhood had a peaceful demonstration outside of a house. What about the media? Are there other neighbors with the same concerns. Call a meeting and invite the chief and your officials. It can’t be a lynching though, but don’t let people leave without a concrete plan for your area.
You mentioned the mayor, what about the 6 council people plus the mayor that represent you. Start calling them and start squeaking. We just had five councilmen run on crime. Hold them to their promises. So far only Jacob (and Ardis) is helping on crime in my area. That is unacceptable. Expect good service. Use the Citizens to Address the council to publically request help, if you have contacted your reps and they are not doing the job (do not attack people when doing this). Work with code enforcement and the NEAT team. Also realize that the police cannot just storm the place. They have to set up buys, get documentation for court that is going to meet the burden of proof to get a conviction.
Yes there are areas of town that clearly have more resources spent on them, but unless you demand good service, you’re not going to get it.
Paul,
We do utilize our councilman, code enforcement, landlords, and about anyone who will listen. The neighbors are united and we are sick of it in and around our neighborhood. In fact we were just being entertained by a rat running in and out of the bushes of one of our lovely drug houses. The landlord “talked” to them about their behavior and it slowed down for about two weeks but now we are hitting the busy season with school being out and all.
Hula, did the rat have two or four legs?
Document the discussion with the landlord. Have their been arrests made from the house? People going to and from the house? This is where the nuisance ordinance has value. Keep bugging the landlord, keep calling the police. Keep track of whom you called and the responses. It’s a pain, but you have to build your case. Can take about 6 months to get rid of a bad house, unless the landlord is on board and evicts. The landlord needs to be aware of the nuisance ordinance. Without knowing specific details, I can only offer general suggestions.
I have been dealing with a specific bad house for quite a while now, the tenants are the poster children for what is wrong with Peoria, and the crappy landlords will be the cause for landlord licensure I hope because they are worthless, have to fight in other ways when those roads or blocked. I understand the frustration, why do we need to continue to fight this, why can’t we come home and relax…..
You’re dealing with a way of thinking that is foreign to you. If you want a few lessons in crimal thinking, look me up. It is helpful to understand that in order to make some dents. Basically the these folks are not going to care until something happens to them directly. Jail is an inconvience, nothing more. etc.
Paul,
This was a four legged rat but there is a large variety of the two legged ones living in the house. We have told the landlord of the nuisance ordinance and had him call Bob Manning for more details and to get record of how many times people from that house had the police called and been involved in incidents of various varieties. To the landlord’s credit he did call Bob. He also talked to his tenants because a couple days after we talked to the landlord the tenants suddenly had a short lived passion for yard work. The partially cleaned up the yard and glared at all of the neighbors as they did it. We have been building our case and working for over a year and it seems like nothing is getting done.
Then work with Bob as that system is broken. Also get your at larges involved. The more involved they are, the better chance of getting the 6 votes needed to make some upcoming legislative changes. What prevents the landlord from going a step further. Keep a good relationship with the landlord if you have one and keep working that angle. It appears that you have one that is willing to do some work, they might just need some encouragement to become further involved or some additional training.
Generally any changes in tenants like this are going to be small victories. They have no intention of making any long term changes, just don’t send them my way lol. Keep the pressure up, it is more exhausting to you than them believe me, but eventually either they will be tired of expectations of change or the landlord might be convinced that a better quality of tenants would make his/her life easier.
Hula Monkey: Keep the pressure on. It took us ten years to clear out three houses across the street from us. It was necessary to go to court and this is our third summer with no tenants across the street — no tenants and bushels of peace and quiet. Please keep up your efforts and good work. 🙂