The town hall meeting is over and already one review has come in: Scott Janz was unimpressed, saying “nobody had any real substantive answers” to the questions raised.
I really want to be positive about it, but I have to admit I was a little disappointed myself — no offense to the participants. I know there’s no magic wand that will solve all our crime problems, and I wasn’t expecting all crime issues to be resolved in a one-hour town-hall meeting.
But I came away from the meeting feeling like all these officials were telling me they’re doing everything they can to combat crime, and there is little else they can do. In fact, it felt like a vehicle for “educating” the public rather than getting public input. Maybe that was the goal, since they’re planning to have three more forums.
The most surprising thing I heard all night was Peoria Police Chief Settingsgaard and Peoria County Sheriff Mike McCoy passed up a golden opportunity to say they needed more resources, saying they’re doing just fine with the resources they have. Really? Well, that should take a little pressure off the council this budget season.
What did you think of the program?
If they are doing the best they can and nothing more can be done, they are surrendering. They might as well tell all law abiding Peorians to leave town, and we can build a wall around the City to keep the criminals in. Now that I think about it, that’s not such a bad idea.
I turned off the T.V. thinking the following:
1) Mayor Ardis looks like he’s just about had enough of being mayor.
2) There is no “plan” of any type to actually try and crack down on the gangs and other criminals.
3) Kevin Lyons talked like he was a plantation owner.
4) LaVetta Ricca will be riding a greased sled into Heaven when her time comes.
5) That one pan shot of the crowd showed an absolutely beautiful young lady with light brown hair. I wish they would have showed her more often. That would have kept me awake for certain.
My impression was that the answers aren’t going to come from the group that was there last night, or they would already be doing it. I just looked at Census Data for 2000 and in Zip Code 61602 the Census Bureau projects that only 60% of people living there who are age 25 and older have high school diplomas or the equivalent. You know there are a lot between 18 and 25 who don’t. NOTHING will get better until that is turned around.
I would have listened to just LaVetta Ricca and Carl Cannon for an hour. When the public officials came on I was happy I had a magazine handy. I hope it was a wake up call for those officials when Ricca spoke of how young offenders after being arrested thumbed their noses the law. Kevin Lyons seemed lost. Ardis showed little passion. He blew an opportunity to show he is a strong law and order mayor and not just another country club guy.
The best ideas came from Ricca and Cannon. They had the substantive ideas for preventative measures. Maybe that’s how it’s supposed to be, with parents and the private citizens leading the way.
I thought the program was a good effort in the fact that some of the people from the problem areas, want to do something about it. That is what impressed me. In turn, it was a positive approach because it may give others the courage to stand up and do whats right for the community. Politically, it makes good sense also, the use of the media to reach a larger crowd. It was a great idea, and better than a meeting open to the public…in which you actually have to travel and really care about the issues. This will hopefully get the attention of others in the south end and areas where criminal activity is abundant, and get people who can make a difference in their own community.
It also furthers the stance of Mayor Ardis and his battle to clean up Peoria. He is trying at least, you have to hand it to him.
Neil hardin, 61602 zip code is downtown peoria where city hall is located. 61605 is where Lavetta Ricca resides.
Silence: respectfully disagree. All the Mayor did was give more lip service. The TV aspect smells of election time politics. It always seems to me, and I agree with PREGO MAN on this, that our Mayor seems to be, well, “distant”. That’s how I see him. Like he just flew in from the Bahamas and said; “Crime? We have a crime problem?” The other thing that disturb me was the involvement by the Rev Criss. That’s a guy I don’t trust. Same old same old. I really tried to find some positive in the meeting but to me, it was a pony show with poor Lavetta Ricca as the token pony.
True Emtronics, However, I am more coming from the view, that you would not see Bud Grieves or David Ransburg trying to put it together, and election times..I understand. Thats always numero uno. Although making the first step is typically the hardest, they will be dedicated for some time with this issue and more people will hold them accountable.
Not that David and Bud did not do much, but publicly addressing the issue is a different strategy.
I agree with Em & Prego that Ardis looked bored with the whole thing, and with Scott Janz that not much of substance came out of this meeting. I do have a few further questions / comments.
First … what exactly was Kevin Lyons’ point in mentioning the guy who fathered 11 children by 10 different women? Is that information USEFUL to the general public in any way? Is he basically using that story to tell people to back off because people like that make his job so hard to do? And is he always that condescending?
Anyone else confused by the idea of “drug & prostitution free zones� I already commented on this on Scott Janz’s site, but I’ll say it here as well – shouldn’t EVERYWHERE be a drug & prostitution free zone? Doesn’t exiling people from one area just pass the buck to someone else?