Invention is the mother of necessity.
–Thorstein Veblen
Darin LaHood picks up another endorsement
From a press release:
Peoria County Sheriff’s Deputies Back Darin LaHood
FOP Union: LaHood is a ‘strong, viable candidate,’ nearly 70% of membership supporting himPeoria, IL – Indicating a change is needed with the current Peoria County State’s Attorney’s office, the Sheriff’s deputies local union in Peoria has overwhelmingly opted to support Darin LaHood for State’s Attorney in the November, 2008 election. In making this endorsement, the Union sends a clear signal that the incumbent of more than 20 years has lost touch with the County’s law enforcement sector.
In a letter dated May 20, 2008, President Blaine Duhs of the Peoria County Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #157 said; “The members of the bargaining unit for the Peoria County Sheriff’s [FOP] have taken a ballot vote with the results over 2/3 majority in favor of giving you our endorsement…you are a strong and viable candidate for State’s Attorney and we look forward to working with you…”
Union President Blaine Duhs added, ‘We are endorsing Darin because of his exceptional experience fighting crime, proven ability to work with others to keep our streets safe and commitment to law enforcement to be our partner in public safety. With the highest crime rate in the State during the past five years, Peoria County needs change and a new approach in the State’s Attorney’s Office. Darin LaHood is the right person to bring energy, new ideas and bold leadership to that office.’
“The support of a group of hard working law enforcement officers who battle the crime problem every day is a sign that my message of new leadership and change is being embraced by the public. The Sheriff’s deputies know that we can do better in the State’s Attorney’s Office,” said LaHood. “I am deeply honored to receive the endorsement of these law enforcement professionals.”
Darin LaHood, 39, was born and raised in Peoria. He is a former Chief Terrorism and Federal Prosecutor who served four years with the U.S. Department of Justice in Las Vegas, Nevada. LaHood was also an Assistant State’s Attorney in both Tazewell and Cook counties. LaHood and his wife, Kristen, returned home to Peoria in 2005 to raise their three children: McKay, Luke, and Teddy. LaHood currently practices with the Peoria law firm of Miller, Hall, & Triggs. Darin and Kristen are active in numerous Peoria charitable and civic organizations and are members of St. Vincent de Paul Church. Visit www.DarinLaHood.com to learn more about Darin, volunteer opportunities, or to contribute to the campaign.
Peoria’s loss is Iowa’s gain
Jonathan Ahl has revealed that he’s moving to Iowa, which means I lost a bet. I thought for sure he was going to work for NPR and would be moving to either Chicago or DC. No, he’s not going national yet, but he’s one step closer. He’ll be the news director for Iowa Public Radio. You can read all about it on Jonathan’s blog.
Congrats again to Mr. Ahl.
Pundit problems
If you’re having trouble accessing the Peoria Pundit site, so is Billy Dennis. I received this e-mail from him moments ago:
Here’s what I know. My server on which blogpeoria.com sites are hosted was experiencing heavy loads all day yesterday. I submitted five trouble tickets on the issue, one each time the server was down.
I was beginning to discuss moving my siles and data bases to another server, when moments ago, I noticed the entire site was suspended. This can happen for a builling issue, when required by law because of illegal content, or because one particular account was slowing the entire system.
I suspect it is the latter. Moving Peoria Pundit to blogpeoria.com may have stressed this server.
I’ll do what it takes to get blogpeoria.com back up. It might required moving the site to a dedicated server or a virtual private server.
Hope everything gets worked out soon, Billy.
Library appeals to public again
When I picked up my Journal Star today, I found this advertisement on the front of it:
Tonight the future of
Peoria Public Library
will be decided.
City Council
6:15 p.m.
PLEASE MAKE
YOUR VOICE
HEARD!
Paid for by supporters of Peoria Public Library
Of course, the public already made its voice heard when it voted to approve a $35 million bond issuance by 72% on last year’s ballot. But they will have to make their voice heard again because that vote was non-binding, and the city council has the final decision on whether to approve issuing the bonds. And some council members aren’t too keen on the idea. Here’s what’s on the agenda for tonight’s council meeting:
Communication from the Interim City Manager and Finance Director/Comptroller Requesting Adoption of an ORDINANCE Providing for the ISSUANCE of GENERAL OBLIGATION LIBRARY BONDS, SERIES 2008A, Authorizing the Execution of a Bond Order in Connection Therewith and Providing for the Levy and Collection of a Direct Annual Tax for Payment of the Principal and Interest on Said Bonds.
I expect this to be deferred, but I hope it isn’t. I’m told that this is a good time to buy the bonds because we can get a good rate that will mean less of a hit on property taxes. Delaying this is only going to end up costing the taxpayers more in the long run, so if it’s going to be approved, approve it now. Given the referendum, there’s no political downside to council members voting for this.
On the other hand, if the council is not going to approve it, then they need to do that now as well, so that no more time or money is wasted on the project. It would be most unfortunate if this were voted down, in my opinion. The library system is a basic service and an upgrade should be supported. As the Journal Star recently pointed out, the library folks have done everything that’s been asked of them — they’ve dotted every “i” and crossed every “t.” If the council votes against it, they will be hard pressed to explain how their denial is not arbitrary and capricious.
Let’s not drag this thing out. Vote for it tonight and be done with it. And preferably, vote “yes.”
Wolfmeyer: “It’s not my role…to meet with individuals”
Diane Vespa, parent of two Kellar Primary School students, would like to meet with representatives of the Peoria Public Schools Board of Education to discuss her concerns about the board’s decision to shorten the school day. Here’s the shocking response she received from Board Member Debbie Wolfmeyer:
Mrs. Vespa – I must respectfully decline your invitation to meet with you. It is not my role as a Board member to meet with individuals or groups. None of us as an individual Board member has any authority. Our authority comes as we work as a body. Also, I am not an educator. Therefore, it is important that any ideas, solutions, etc that are presented go through the administration so that they can assess them and report to us. Now I will say that I ask a lot of questions about anything that is presented to us; more questions probably than the administration would like to answer. And I don’t stop asking questions until I am satisfied that I have all the information I need to make a decision. That is what I have done on the current issue. I have asked every question that has been presented to me. That information helped form my decision. If you have any new information you would like presented to the administration, I would be happy to forward it. I respect everyone’s right to their opinion and their right to voice that opinion. Thank you for the obvious time and passion you have for our District.
Debbie Wolfmeyer
District #150 School Board
Attention District 3 2 voters: Wolfmeyer has just announced that she will not meet or talk with you, her constituents, about your concerns. She believes that your concerns should be submitted to the Superintendent, and then she will make her decisions based on what the Superintendent says — i.e., whether he thinks your concerns are valid or not. Let me repeat: Wolfmeyer has just announced that she makes her decisions without any consideration of her constituents’ views; only the administration’s views are considered. She will, however, out of the goodness of her heart, forward your concerns to the administration. But don’t bother asking to meet her face to face.
Remember that in 2011 when she suddenly decides it might be a good idea to meet with individuals and groups in order to get reelected. Remind her that it’s not her role to meet with her constituents. Then vote for someone who believes it is his or her role to meet with constituents and listen to their concerns, and then represent them on the board.
Quote of the Day
In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem. From time to time we’ve been tempted to believe that society has become too complex to be managed by self-rule, that government by an elite group is superior to government for, by, and of the people. Well, if no one among us is capable of governing himself, then who among us has the capacity to govern someone else? All of us together, in and out of government, must bear the burden. The solutions we seek must be equitable, with no one group singled out to pay a higher price.
–President Ronald Reagan, First Inaugural Address,
January 20, 1981
January 20, 1981
Ahl leaving WCBU, Peoria
Intrepid news director at WCBU 89.9 FM, Jonathan Ahl, has announced he will be leaving WCBU and the Peoria area to pursue another job opportunity. He hasn’t revealed where he’s going yet, but will keep us all updated on his blog.
It’s an exciting time for the Ahl family, but a huge loss to Peoria. Jonathan’s experience and professionalism have earned him a lot of well-deserved respect, and his absence from the local news media will leave an awfully big hole. I also consider Jonathan a friend, and so I’m sad on a personal level that he won’t be in the area anymore, and yet excited for him as he takes this new opportunity. Of course, he waited until after I made my annual pledge to the station to tell me he was leaving.
All my best to Jonathan, Anita, Tommy, and Lily.
Museum officials erase “Peoria”
In 2006, over 5,000 people participated in a poll to name the museum proposed for the old Sears block. Over 2,500 — over fifty percent — of those participants voted for “Peoria Riverfront Museum.” That would not be a big deal if there were only two names on the ballot, but there were five. In a five-way race, “Peoria Riverfront Museum” captured over half the total votes. It wasn’t a plurality; it was a majority.
There was no small amount of controversy over the naming of the museum. You may recall that the museum officials at first trotted out a series of ridiculous names (like “ExploraSphere” and “AMAZEum”), that were met with scorn by the public. None of their original batch of names had “Peoria” in the title because it supposedly “didn’t test well.” Yet, when public pressure was put on the museum folks to reconsider, the name that got the most votes was “Peoria Riverfront Museum.”
Now WCBU’s Jonathan Ahl reports that museum officials have decided that the public’s choice for a name is “too long,” so they will be shortening it to “Riverfront Museum.”
Too long? Based on what? It’s shorter than “Discovery Depot Children’s Museum” and even “Galesburg Railroad Museum.” What about the “WonderLab Museum of Health, Science & Technology” in Bloomington? Or the “Metropolitan Museum of Art” in New York? Or the “Museum of Science and Industry” in Chicago? Do they seriously expect us to believe that “Peoria Riverfront Museum” is too long?
And even if it were too long, why take “Peoria” out of the name? Why not shorten it to “Peoria Museum”? My guess is the real reason they want to strip “Peoria” out of the name to make it easier for them to pitch it as a “regional” musuem, and thus (they hope) get surrounding cities and corporations to donate.
The problem is not the name. The problem is the design and the cost. Rather than changing the plans to a more urban design — which would be easier and less expensive to build, and which Peorians wanted in the first place — they’re going to change the name. That name was the only thing on which the public got what it wanted. And now it’s gone, too.
Of course, they still want your tax money regardless.
Parents present alternatives to shortening school day
Four parents representing the District 150 Watch group met today with Peoria Public Schools Superintendent Ken Hinton to present their alternatives to shortening the school day. You can read their recommendations here (6-page PDF file).
The document was put together as the result of a lot of collaboration, but was ultimately written by Chris Setti, a Whittier Primary School parent and Six Sigma Black Belt for the City of Peoria. It’s respectful, well-documented, positive and constructive. It presents several ways that the Board of Education could provide additional common prep time for teachers as well as cut expenses, all without shortening the school day.
Of course, no decisions were made yet as a result of this meeting. Hinton is meeting with PTO presidents and primary school principals right now, presumably to hear their concerns. If you haven’t already, please write to your school board representatives and ask them to reverse their decision to cut the school day; encourage them to take seriously the alternatives presented to Mr. Hinton today.
Here is the contact information for all District 150 Board of Education members:
David Gorenz
President (Dist. 3)
(309) 688-2824
david.gorenz@psd150.org
Martha M. Ross
Vice-President (Dist. 1)
(309) 674-2574
martha.ross@psd150.org
Linda Butler
(Dist. 2)
(309) 688-7912
linda.butler@psd150.org
Rachael A. Parker
(Dist. 2)
(309) 688-5990
rachael.parker@psd150.org
Mary Spangler
(Dist. 3)
(309) 691-1752
mary.spangler@psd150.org
Jim Stowell
(Dist. 3)
(309) 692-4128
jim.stowell@psd150.org
Debbie Wolfmeyer
(Dist. 3)
(309) 681-9567
debbie.wolfmeyer@psd150.org
To e-mail all board members at once, click here.