The Journal Star has been reporting lately on some controversy surrounding a referendum for the Dunlap library to issue bonds to build a larger library. Today’s paper has this summary:
Since the November election, controversy has surfaced over the referendum. Unofficial results first showed it had passed, but a later tally showed it had failed by 42 votes. However, absentee ballots counted in the two weeks following election day confirmed it actually had passed, with 1,185 people voting in favor of issuing bonds and 1,176 voting against them.
Despite that turnaround, no one in the media was told or reported the final results, leaving some residents to believe they were kept in the dark and, therefore, missed a deadline to seek a “petition for discovery” – essentially, a possible re-count.
However, Jonathan Ahl, news director of WCBU 89.9 FM in Peoria, says that description of the situation doesn’t jibe with his experience:
WCBU obtained the vote total of the referendum from then County Clerk JoAnn Thomas on November 8th, the day after the election. We reported at the time the yes votes outnumbered the no votes by six. Thomas said in an interview that all votes had been counted except for the provisional ballots and absentee ballots that were postmarked by November 5 that had not yet arrived in the mail. The early votes HAD been counted at that time.
We reported again on November 15th that unless there was a challenge, the referendum would pass with the yes position winning by nine votes. In addition to Ms. Thomas willingness to answer our questions on the results, all of this information was available on the Peoria County Clerk’s web site.
With that in mind, it is baffling to me to read sentences in Journal Star reports claiming the numbers were never released to the media, and that the apparent win by the yes votes was not discovered until “a few weeks later.”
Most disturbing is the Journal Star’s sweeping statement that “no one in the media was told or reported the final results.” I guess it depends on what they mean by “final.” If they mean that only certified totals are “final,” then no, probably no one in the media reported on them at that point.
But there’s a reason for that. The “unofficial” tally, which was posted on the county’s website on 11/15/06 and reported on WCBU is identical to the tally that was certified and posted on 11/28/06:
QUESTION TO ISSUE $2,500,000 LIBRARY BONDS, Vote For 1
Early/Absentee Election Total YES 148 (66.67%) 1,037 (48.48%) 1,185 (50.19%) NO 74 (33.33%) 1,102 (51.52%) 1,176 (49.81%)
So, why would anyone need to re-report something when the tallies didn’t change? It sounds to me like WCBU reported on the vote totals on the county website, but the Journal Star was evidently sitting around waiting for someone to call up and tell them about it. I thought reporters were supposed to go out and get information, not sit around waiting for news to come to them.
Are they now trying to cover their failure by claiming “no one in the media was told” and blaming the whole thing on the library board?
You’ve got your numbers reversed in teh Election column and total column.
But I agree 100% with you on the theme of this post. Clearly, the results were reported by the election commission accurately and the fact that no news outlet other than WCBU picked up on this fact is their own fault. We’ll probably see more of this type of issue arise in the future and on close races, this needs to be watched by those with an interest in the outcome.
But what seems to have been lost in this whole debate, is that the referendum passed. The people decided that they do want to issue bonds – although by only a slight margin.
Yes, I saw that as I was proofing. Should be fixed now. I have to code the table data in HTML, and I’m not adept enough at it to know if I’ve got it coded right until I post it and see what it looks like “live.” But, thanks. You’re really quick — you answered mere seconds after I posted it!
C.J.
There are several issues why we have collected money and have hired a lawyer to petition the court to force a recount of the ballots.
Probably the most frustrating deals with voter apathy in that only 2,361 taxpayers took the time to vote on a $2.5 million dollar library in Dunlap. There was no concerted effort to advertise the building plan and no public input requested. Approximately 10 days before the election it all came to light. Our opposition group feels that a 9 vote win – if it is true – is not a clear mandate for this financial burden. With all due respect to Mr. Ahl and WCBU not everybody has their radio dial set on that station. Likewise how many people do you know regularly scour the Peoria County Clerk’s web site? Granted we know now not to trust the PJS reports but according to the press most citizens rely on we believed the referendum failed – end of story. Then when it has come to light that the library board made a conscientious decision not to inform the media of the flip-flop that smacks of cover-up. I won’t even go into details about the ever declining tax base for the Dunlap library district nor when asked about the increased operating costs the board did not have a clue! It was very disconcerting to me as a taxpayer to see how little that board knows and to sit there ready to mortgage our future. These were not difficult questions just common sense items. I will suggest that anyone interested ought to tour the fine library we presently have, watch the scant usage and then ask why that building must be torn down only to be replaced with a $2.5 million project – and in Dunlap at that! It is not fiscally responsible! One of the humorous, but sad highlights Monday night was to hear how a new room was needed for the library board to hold their meeting only to then hear the board president tell us that in eight years this was the first time anybody from the public ever attended a board meeting!
Let the recount began!
” I thought reporters were supposed to go out and get information, not sit around waiting for news to come to them.”
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. What era are you living in? No one has the staff to do that anymore. All news media rely on phone calls.
Ryan: The Internet era, where all you have to do as a reporter is go out to the Peoria County website to get the results from the election, like Ahl did.
Let me get this straight….
The PJS does an amazingly inadequate job reporting;
The PJS is more concerned with pushing an agenda rather than informing the public of all sides of an issue;
And for roughly the same cost per issue, one can get the NY Times, Chicago Tribune, or even the Washington Times.
SO…
Why are we trying to save the Journal Star?
Interesting vote total percentages from the early/absentee totals, isn’t it? Way skewed from the rest of the voting…
One of the 40 protesters said:
“With all due respect to Mr. Ahl and WCBU not everybody has their radio dial set on that station.”
I know that. I never said that my station doing its job was equivalent to a complete abdication for those that may have been trying to keep the vote counts quiet. All I said was that statements that the media never reported the results and that the information was not available ARE 100% FALSE. We got the correct information and put it on the air.
Dear One of the 40 protesters:
Sorry, but if you don’t like the fact that the referendum passed, you probably should have been out there BEFORE the vote was taken and not trying to invalidate the results afterwords. Yes it’s a lot of money, but the Library Board also put it to the voters for their input and the voters spoke … though by a small margin.
I think there is a lesson in this situation for all of us.
As of this date, the WEEK TV website still showed the vote did not pass. I wonder how many other other media outlets missed the change in vote counts…. Proper and complete reporting on this close vote has the makings of some interesting reading and should serve as a lesson for all. It looks like this story may have legs so lets see where it goes from here !!!!
Jeff,
you said this story may have legs – you betcha! Watch the news in the morning that gets revealed to the media tonight at the 7:00 meeting! Jane Sieck will smirk again until she hears this news. She thinks her weave and bob preventing a recount won the battle, but the war has just started.