No time to blog today, so I’m putting out the soapbox for you, my loyal readers. Step up and tell everyone what’s on your mind!
Open Soapbox
No time to blog today, so I’m putting out the soapbox for you, my loyal readers. Step up and tell everyone what’s on your mind!
I’m curious why you didn’t use this open forum day to post the standings in the NL Central, as you have done in the past.
Just curious.
American Central Standings
Chicago White Sox 37 26 .587 – –
Minnesota Twins 31 33 .484 6.5
Cleveland 29 35 .453 8.5
Detroit 26 37 .413 11.0
Kansas City 25 39 .391 12.5
Jonathan — Because it’s not newsworthy, of course.
National Central Standings
Chicago 40 24 .625 –
St. Louis 38 27 .585 2.5
Milwaukee 33 30 .524 6.5
Houston 32 32 .500 8.0
Pittsburgh 31 33 .484 9.0
Cincinnati 31 34 .477 9.5
Hi just curious, has anyone heard where they are going to put the new bronze statues that has been purchased from god knows what fund? I was just wondering who the statues represent, and where they are going and for what reason were they purchased?
Why is the city council again considering expansion of the the Enterprise Zone? How much more can we lose in sales tax? We receive more in sales tax than property tax. Where is the point of no return or have we already passed that point?
Is McCain anti-beer? There goes the GOPs remote chances in November.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xob2HyCbj50
Roads Gone Wild from Dec 2004:
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/12.12/traffic.html?pg=1&topic=traffic&topic_set=
http://www.pjstar.com/news/x192204896/Library-officials-queried-by-council
“I’m not drinking the Kool-Aid regarding the 72 percent (of voters who supported the referendum in 2007),” Ardis said. “Only 23 percent of registered voters even voted. Everyone will bear the burden of our decisions.”
Interesting, Mr. Mayor.
I guess the people who don’t vote on a referendum have a bigger say than those who actually got out and voted. That’s quite a concept.
Maybe all referndums from now on could be hand delivered by city employees to all registered voters homes. Heck, why not get the unregistered voters involved too. Because we sure don’t want “to drink the Kool Aid” on any referendum results unless every possible voice in the city is heard.
And unless 100% of the registered voters voted in the last mayoral election, I will no longer recognize Jim Ardis as my mayor.
Just wait until the Council receives the proposals for the work required by the Feds to resolve the sewer overflow problems with the attached bills of an estimated hundred million plus and start squirming in their seats because those costs will have to be passed along to the taxpayers. I suspect there’ll be more than just a few citizens that will conclude that they’re pretty damn glad the entire Council didn’t just jump on the Library Board bandwagon and hand over the full $35 million without a serious discussion and evaluation. The very fact that the Library folks are insistent that attendance at the Lakeview branch will increase even after a new north side branch is operating should give everyone pause to consider.
How does it not occur to him that by questioning the validity of that vote he is questioning all votes, including those for him. In April 2005 32.6% of registerd voters voted, 55% of those voted for Ardis, an endorsement of less than 18% of the registered voters. Ohh craziness, how is he even allowed to call himself the mayor? Please, you can dice the numbers up anyway you want and play this game all day. He needs to focus his energy on the proposal and not trying to eplain away the vote.
Oh, I forgot to mention above who just purchased the bronze statues,no other than _Peoria District 150.
LOL!!! Perhaps someone should point out that he IS in fact drinking the Kool Aid by thinking he is the mayor.
I love democracy.
I expect the same 100% of registered voters support requirement before the city throws, according to Bob Manning, 40-50 million dollars at the the museum project.
My favorite part of the meeting was Bill Spears singing the praises of “the highest paid public servant” – has the libary board talked to the highest paid public servant? He asked the libary people over and over “Have you talked to the highest paid public servant?” Guess who? Ken Hinton! I’m not sure it’s the best idea for Ken Hinton to publicize that he’s the highest paid public servant or that his opinion is especially valued these days.
des — bronze statues …. D150? are you in earnest?
any more details — cost, location, reason for purchase, pre-approved by the BOE, and celebrating what person or persons or causes?
The libarary was an advisory non-binding referendum. You may recall there was another such referendum about strip clubs which has not been acted on.
isn’t it time we banish the term “public servant”? “servant” is a pretty old fashioned term to begin with. Then to suggest that these overpaid people are “servants”. Well, it’s ridiculous.
When was the last time you saw any of these muckety-mucks acting like a servant?
Take a look at what’s gone on in Peoria the last couple of years and I think you’ll have some idea why the Council voted as they did.
PPD says they need to expand the zoo (to the tune of millions of public dollars), and Council lets it slide. PPD also wants to close down a rail company and rip out a rail line, and they get the Council’s blessing. Bradley wants to buy up the neighborhood, tear down all the houses, close two through-streets for a recreation facility and a parking deck. D150 wanted to move Glen Oak school to the park, so they spent almost $1M to buy up houses, and while the Council did get involved here, they have pretty much turned a blind eye to every decision since. The Museum Board wants to take the Sears block, turn it into this massive, UGLY, money pit that’s guaranteed to lose money and doesn’t even have the name PEORIA in it, and that doesn’t meet ANY development plan that’s been put forth in the last six years, and the Council not only says ok but it trying to figure out how to get public money for it. BUT NOW the library board wants to expand, and the Council says no.
The Council is nothing more than the kid on the playground who has been pushed around by almost every bigger kid, has finally found someone smaller than he is and has decided to push around the littlest guy. They didn’t have the guts to stand up to these other groups for their megaprojects, so they have to exert their authority somewhere.
If it hadn’t been the library board, it would have been some other small, powerless organization begging for funds like Oliver Twist asking for a little more gruel.
“it would have been some other small, powerless organization begging for funds like Oliver Twist asking for a little more gruel.”
The small powerless organization raised and spent $100,000 to sell the library expansion while hiring a well-known campaign manager to organize and manage that campaign. Not exactly Oliver Twist.
Curious: You’re missing the point.
The Library board did what was asked, and the Council still asked more.
Maybe if the Library board came in saying “Whatever we decide to do, it’s better than what was there before,” the Council would have passed it with their blessings.
Martha
So you’re saying that if the board had come in and said “We suck” the council would have given up the money… but when they’re honest and say “we’re doing a serviceable job, but could do better with more efficient facilities and one on the north end” that’s why they’re pissin & moanin?
I’m not attacking you, by the way, I’m trying to make sure I understand your comment.
I can’t comment on Billy’s blog. Is that a technical problem or was it something I said?
It’s not just you.
What I get tired of is that every time some cause, group, etc. in this city wants or needs money, the first thing out of their mouths is “raise property taxes”. I’m fed up with “raise property taxes”. Lets try a use tax. You want the benefit, you pay a fee or tax. Lets leave the property taxpayers out of footing the bill. I wonder if the question on the library referendum was “Would you be willing to pay $10.00 each time you use the library to help fund the expansion and remodeling”, if there would have been a 72% “yes” vote.
Yeah, let’s do that with the museum.
AMEN, Kev!!!
We already have that. It’s called Barnes & Noble and Borders.
DES – Please share more on where you heard Dist. 150 paid $100k for a statue. I’m very interested. The PHA donated a bronze sculpture done by an understudy of Preston Jackson (est. value – $40k) to be placed at the new Harrison site. Beautiful piece. Districts cost is to provide a suitable base (es. cost $2k).
Isn’t there a difference between the library and the museum here? Believe me, when I hear the word ‘tax,’ I cringe like everyone else. The library IS a well established resource in Peoria. It has grown into an all-purpose institution: art displays, video, computer resources, books[?], etc. It has/is even serving as a repository for a great deal of Peoria’s historical-material culture. In its capacity as a source of knowledge…it by-far outshines Lakeview and from what I can see…that crazy ‘museum.’ All of the money that was dumped in that ridiculous museum should have gone into the library expansion.
Asphalt costing too much to make repairs?
Perhaps it is time the city started to revisit using bricks. Several neighborhoods are interested in bricks in lieu of asphalt. They are recyclable, reduce runoff, slow traffic, and look a lot better.
I’m not especially in favor of brick streets because they are terrible in icy weather, but they sure do last a lot longer than the typical asphalt that the street department uses now. They fill in a pot hole and in three weeks its a hole again. The biggest problem is that these jobs are bid on and the stts are set too low. If the government required higher stat on the material it would last longer. They claim its to save money but in the long run it doesn’t because we have to do the repairs over and over again. Do it right the first time and make it last. I’m sick of bouncing and bumping all over this town on these terrible roads. I know some places where repairs have not been made in more than three years.
RE New Voice
I agree with you – more or less!! The downtown museum sounds great in concept, but the fact is that Peoria is NOT much of a tourist destination. It’s a nice place to visit if you work for Cat or you have family here or go to Bradley, but there is not much of anything here for a tourist to do. WHY did they waste the money on that blasted museum when it could have gone to the libraries?
Now I am NOT saying that Lakeview is a crap museum because it is a nice museum. But it’s a regional museum, not a globally recognized museum with rare works that people come from all over to view.
“If the government required higher stat on the material it would last longer.”
This is true… there really is no reason for why our roads deteriorate so fast. They can be built with more durable concretes and asphalts. It will never happen tho because local politicians depend heavily on the pork and patronage that each project represents. It costs the public much more in the long run but the public seems blind and tolerant to that consequence. After all senator so n so, representative so n so are doing such a great job bring dollars and jobs to your local.
If the brick roads are maintained right… they should pose little problem in icy weather.
I hear you Tim.
Anyone hear or read the story of the Washington DC school board? The city got rid of it and the schools started improving… imagine that.
RE Road Conditions
Perfect example – Allen Road. EVERY YEAR since I moved to Peoria from one of the bedroom communities (8 years ago) there has been construction on that road. Can’t they get it right the first time??