2011 Election

Peoria 9/12 Project candidate forum cancelled

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The candidate forum scheduled for this evening has been cancelled. The candidates received the following e-mail today:

Dear Candidates,

Tonight’s Meet the Candidates scheduled for Wednesday, March 16, 6pm, The Peoria Theater has been Canceled.

Due to lack of confirmation for participation of the audience, we are canceling tonight’s event.

“We respect your time. If we cannot guarantee good attendance, then we are reluctant to continue forward with the event.

We wish you the best in your campaign and look forward to working with you in the future.

Peoria Public Schools

Big changes being considered at District 150

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Here’s a summary of the changes that were proposed at the District 150 Board of Education meeting Monday night, from the Journal Star:

  • Closing Columbia Middle School and splitting the students among Calvin Coolidge and Sterling middle schools; or reassigning all of Columbia’s students to Sterling.
  • Closing Garfield Primary School and sending about 50 of the nearly 300 students to Harrison Community Learning Center and the remaining 250 to Trewyn, which would change from a middle school to grades K-8.
  • Change part of Whittier’s boundaries back, alleviating some population there, increasing Harrison’s enrollment by 94 students, including those from Garfield.
  • Closing the Greeley and Peoria Alternative High School buildings and moving the programs to the former Woodruff High School, which also would serve as a career and technical education center. Relocate students from the Knoxville Center for Success to Woodruff and use the Knoxville site as a suspension respite program for high school students.
  • Severing ties with Edison but maintaining the program’s longer school day and additional professional development.
  • Eliminating Apex Learning, an online curriculum, in favor of expanding Compass Learning, which was just adopted at several schools last year.
  • Incorporate a 90-minute literacy block at primary schools using guided reading materials. Also include a daily schedule of a 30- to 45-minute intervention/enrichment period.
  • Increase graduation requirements from 18 credits to 22 for Richwoods and Peoria High School; and 28 at Manual, which has a block schedule.
  • Eliminate high school study hall in lieu of a “study skills” class that focuses on study and organizational skills and prepares students for life beyond school.
  • Alter how class ranking is weighted.

WEEK-TV has some additional information:

  • Those from Peoria and Greeley Alternative would head to a new proposed program in the former Woodruff High School building. It would be called the ‘Woodruff Career and Technical Center.’
  • District officials proposed restructuring Trewyn Middle School to accommodate it for grads K-8 and making it an International Baccalaureate school. That would result in the ‘release’ of the entire Trewyn Staff.
  • They suggested establishing a ‘Parent University’ to offer community resources to district families.

    • […]

  • Under the proposed changes, those schools would offer advanced Physical Education classes for credit, and revamp the traditional study hall. It would be called a ‘study skills’ class, and students would receive credit for that as well.
  • Officials recommended establishing bilinigual classes at Manual High School.

WEEK also states that the changes would “result in layoffs of at least 15 faculty members” and “save the district more than $1.4 million annually.” We all have two weeks to take it all in before the school board votes on the changes at their March 28 meeting.

City of Peoria, East Bluff

EBNHS board full of vacancies, website out of date only four months after getting tax funding

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The East Bluff Neighborhood Housing Service (EBNHS) gets its funding from taxpayers living in a special service district on the East Bluff. Because of past problems with the EBNHS, the City Council decided to approve levying the tax on an annual basis hopefully to increase their performance accountability.

The FY2011 tax levy was approved in November 2010 after the EBNHS gave an update to the Peoria City Council showing all the progress they had made. Their accomplishments included having a “full and complete EBNHS board — all 13 positions filled,” publishing the monthly minutes and agendas on their new website (http://www.ebnhs.com/), and having a “loan committee actively meeting and pursuing creating proper loan criteria and documents with object to begin loan process again in near future.”

Upon reviewing the website, it’s interesting to note that the last minutes published were December 2010, and the last agenda published was January 2011. It seems that after they received the tax money, their diligence in keeping the site up to date waned almost immediately. It kind of makes it difficult to determine if they’re following through on their commitment “to begin [the] loan process again in [the] near future.”

There are now three vacancies on the board according to the website, so the “full and complete EBNHS board” was rather short-lived as well. In fact, the EBNHS gave their report to the City Council celebrating their full board in November, then created two vacancies as of the very next meeting, according to their December 2010 minutes. It appears those vacancies have yet to be filled.

What we do know from the website is this:

  • They gave $643 to Boys and Girls Clubs to sponsor an East Bluff child for a ski trip to the Ski Snowstar Winter Sports Park in Andalusia, Illinois, in January.

  • They paid Williamson Blind & Drapery $3,945 to make custom window dressing for the EBNHS House at Nebraska and Wisconsin. This house acts as the EBNHS office, and also the home of the EBNHS Executive Director Peggy Shadid, who receives a $43,191 salary and stays in the house for free, courtesy of the special service district taxpayers.

Speaking of the Executive Director, as the only employee of the EBNHS, and the one who has “general direction over the operations of the Corporation” according to the bylaws (including the responsibility to “keep the permanent minutes of the meetings” and “see that all notices are duly given”), one would assume it would be her responsibility to keep their website up to date with the latest minutes and agendas. However, there is no requirement in the bylaws that the website be kept up to date.

My guess is that the website will eventually get updated — at least by November, when it’s time to ask the City Council for more tax money.

2011 Election, Peoria Public Schools

How Debbie Wolfmeyer sees her job

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District 150 School Board president Debbie Wolfmeyer is up for reelection this year to another five-year term. You may recall that during her first term she sent a rather infamous e-mail to concerned parents.

In May 2008, Ms. Wolfmeyer told a concerned parent via e-mail, “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.”

At the Uplands candidate forum Thursday night, I asked Wolfmeyer if she would be accessible to her constituents were she to be reelected, and if she saw her role as representing her constituents to the administration, or vice versa.

Wolfmeyer said, first of all, that even though she’s elected from the second school board district, she sees her role as representing the whole school district (meaning all of District 150, not just the second board district), and specifically the children of the whole school district. Secondly, she said she will not “negotiate” with parents or constituents because she’s only one board member and cannot make any decisions unilaterally. She’s willing to sit down and listen to the concerns of her constituents, but in the end, she has to do what’s in the best interests of the children. I mentioned that many of these constituents of whom she spoke are parents who also have the best interests of their children in mind. Wolfmeyer said yes, but there are always parents and other constituents on both sides of an issue.

It doesn’t sound to me like Ms. Wolfmeyer’s views have changed significantly over the past three years. But second board district voters who disagree with her views don’t have many alternatives this election. Wolfmeyer’s only opponent is Mike Mitchell, whose appearances at recent candidate forums do not inspire confidence in his ability to do the job. He is a pleasant and sincere person, but doesn’t display an understanding of the issues facing District 150 or articulate any solution to them. He admits that he’s not a good public speaker, but invites everyone to sit down with him over a beer to discuss his ideas about District 150. I can only presume that he means he’s better able to communicate in a casual setting, not that his views make more sense when heard under the influence of alcohol.

2011 Election, City Council, City of Peoria

Upcoming Council candidate forums

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Here are some upcoming Peoria City Council candidate forums:

  • March 14 (Mon.) @ 7:00 p.m.: Central Bluff Neighborhood Association candidates forum, Lippman Community Center, 2514 N. Sheridan Rd.
  • March 16 (Wed.) @ 6:00 p.m.: Peoria 9/12 Project candidates forum, Peoria Theatre, 3225 North Dries Lane
  • March 19 (Sat.) @ 9:00 a.m.: League of Women Voters candidates forum, Methodist North at Allen Road (community room), 2338 W. SUD Parkway
  • March 21 (Mon.) @ 6:00 p.m.: NAACP candidates forum, Ward Chapel AME, 511 North Richard Allen Dr.
  • March 24 (Thu.) @ 7:00 p.m.: Central Illinois Landmark Foundation (CILF) candidates forum, G.A.R. Hall, 416 Hamilton Blvd.

Come on out and meet the candidates, hear all our speeches, and ask us your questions! The future of Peoria is in your hands.

2011 Election, City Council, City of Peoria

Guest Editorial: Mind Over Matter

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Editor’s Note: The following editorial was written and submitted by Frederick E. Smith, a resident of the East Bluff. Fred has recently started his own blog called Take Back Peoria. The views expressed by guest contributors do not necessarily reflect the views of the editor.

Yeah, apparently the old puns are the best ones. The City Council of Peoria apparently thinks so. Last night, amid a select few voices that chose to once again offer the opinion that moving Big Al’s in such close proximity to Myah’s Day Care, CityLink Bus Depot, Peoria Rescue Mission, and the Box Office of the Peoria Civic Center was an unsound idea, the City Council voted to allow a city parking lot to be sold to the owner of Big Al’s for the bargain basement price of $7.00 a square foot. Interesting, since Councilman Sandberg (the sole opponent and the only member of the Council who seems concerned with the desires of the people who elected him) pointed out that it cost the City of Peoria $8.00 a square foot to build the parking lot.

This Council is, with the sole exception of Mr. Sandberg, totally indifferent to the needs and desires of their community, opting instead to do things “For our own Good”. Funny how that kind of thinking always seems to get people in trouble. Manzinar was “for their own good”, or at least that is what we told the Japanese Americans during the second World War. Segregation of Blacks and Whites in the Southern United States and Apartheid in South Africa were “for their own good.” Here in Peoria, it seems, we citizens, taxpayers, and VOTERS are no more than children, who need to have things done FOR OUR OWN GOOD!

Perhaps it is time for us poor, simple, small town folks to wake up and smell the indifference and the corruption. Do you really believe that no one is making anything on the side for this sweetheart deal? Do you really believe that the Councilpersons at Large (with the exception of Mr. Sandberg, who continues to rail against the corruption and the greed) care about what is best for Peoria? This latest decision, like so many to date, is about money, pure and simple. It is another statement by the City Council that says, “WE DON’T MIND, ‘CAUSE YOU DON’T MATTER.” to the people of Peoria.

So what do we do about it? How about we choose to say WE MATTER with our votes on April 5th. There are several candidates who are NOT a part of the political network, candidates like C. J. Summers, George Azouri, Beth Akeson, Chuck Weaver, Chuck Grayeb, and Andre Williams are all viable, honest candidates who deserve our notice and attention. Personally, I am voting for Gary Sandberg, C.J. Summers, Beth Akeson, and George Azouri. Since there is one more position left, so I will be looking to the other candidates to see what they offer. I will not be voting for Turner or Spain.

IF YOU WANT TO CHANGE PEORIA, YOU NEED TO VOTE THIS ELECTION. TELL YOUR FRIENDS, TELL YOUR NEIGHBORS, TELL YOUR PASTORS AND YOUR CO-WORKERS. YOU NEED TO VOTE AGAINST CORRUPTION, INDIFFERENCE, AND ARROGANCE. YOU NEED TO VOTE!!!

City Council, City of Peoria

City buys high, sells low

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If you ever wonder why Peoria is always broke, just take a look at how it has handled the Wonderful Development. It’s poised to give $37 million to EM Properties — $11 million of which will be used to buy a half-acre of buildings along Main Street. But that’s where the World Famous Big Al’s strip club is, so apparently we have to bend over backwards (pun intended) to find them a new place to locate.

The mayor and others constantly make a big deal out of the fact that “they didn’t choose to move; they were asked to move” — the implication being that they decided to move out of the goodness of their heart as a favor to the city. Call me cynical, but I think the $11 million might have had more to do with the decision than mere altruism. It’s one thing to be asked to move, and quite another to be paid handsomely to move.

Most people consider the eleven million taxpayer dollars to be sufficient incentive to move. But not the City. Not by a long shot. First, they changed the adult use ordinance, expanding Big Al’s “grandfather” status to the point that it can move absolutely anyplace it wants. One would think with $11 million, Big Al’s could find someplace in the City that complies with the adult use ordinance as it was, but the City felt this additional incentive was necessary.

But that wasn’t enough, either. Rather than giving Big Al’s the money and letting them find another home like the City did for the residents of Dechman when they were thrown out of their homes to make way for MidTown Plaza, the City took on itself the job of finding another location. The council and, presumably, city staff spent who knows how long looking at other potential sites on behalf of Big Al’s.

And they found one — a parking lot owned by the City of Peoria. One problem: it’s too close to a day care center. No problem! The city’s attorney invented a new definition of “property line” and read it into the code. Then they approved the site for the sale of liquor, despite having no site plan on file from the developer, which is required for any other applicant.

But last night was the coup de grace. After all this special treatment, the City did one last favor for Big Al’s. It sold this taxpayer-owned acre and a half of land at a bargain-basement price of $400,000.

Buy high, sell low. That’s the City’s approach to economic development.

Caterpillar

Cat and UAW agree, averting strike

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This was some of the best news all year for Peoria:

Members of the United Auto Workers on Sunday ratified a new six-year contract with Caterpillar Inc…. By a margin of 72 percent to 28 percent, members at all seven UAW locals that represent Caterpillar workers voted to ratify the agreement, union officials said….

It was reported on the radio (1470 WMBD) that the union was ready to go on strike if a tentative agreement hadn’t been reached by the deadline — that is, they would not have approved another extension. The fact that a strike was averted in these hard financial times is a blessing not only to the families who work at Cat, but to the entire community.

Bradley University

Bradley is now Les-less

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Bradley has answered the question I (and many others) posed back on January 14: “Will this be the last year for Les?” Answer: Yes. Here’s a compilation of quotes from Bradley’s Director of Athletics Dr. Michael Cross, as reported in the media:

I want to acknowledge Coach Les’ service to Bradley University. An alumnus of Bradley, Jim has served as head coach for nearly a decade and is an important figure in Bradley’s rich basketball history….

Bradley University is committed to philosophically and competitively moving our basketball program forward. While changing head coaches is always difficult, this action is in the long-term, best interests of Bradley basketball, our student-athletes and the University as a whole….

There were a number of factors that were considered in my analysis. This decision was made after a great deal of thought and research, and was not made lightly….

Honoring Bradley’s basketball tradition demands high expectations for our program both on and off the court. We have made and will continue to make significant investments in our program in order to achieve future success….

Bradley will aggressively pursue a new head coach with outstanding leadership skills, one with values that are aligned with the University’s and modeled for our student-athletes. We fully expect to hire a coach who will also provide our student-athletes the opportunity for both a distinctive education and a championship experience.