State Sen. Dave Koehler has applied for the job of Lieutenant Governor of Illinois. The Lieutenant Governor of Illinois has no significant purpose or duties, and lawmakers are considering eliminating the position completely. At least one Lieutenant Governor has resigned due to boredom. So… I’m not sure what Koehler sees in the position, other than maybe a full-time paid vacation.
I would rather see the position eliminated.
As has been mentioned before, the museum group has two funding goals — a private funding goal and a public funding goal. The $40 million county tax is supposed to plug the public funding goal, but that will still leave the museum $11 million short on the private funding side. Whenever they’re asked about this at town hall meetings, the answer heretofore has been that the CEO Roundtable had committed to raising $8 million of the remaining money from private sources, and that the museum group is “confident” that they can raise the remaining $3 million not covered by that.
Now, it appears they’re trying to plug the private funding gap with (drum-roll, please) more public funds! Stimulus funds, to be exact. There was a press conference yesterday that featured state senator Dave Koehler and Illinois Secretary of Transportation Gary Hannig.
There might yet be additional state and federal money available for the $136 million Build the Block project, maybe enough to close the funding gap that would still exist even if voters approve the sales tax increase next week. At least that’s the hope of state Sen. David Koehler, D-Peoria. He said Monday he would try to help procure $4 million of federal economic stimulus money for an underground parking garage and an additional $10 million from a state capital bill to close the funding gap.
Isn’t that interesting? If we were to get, say, $14 million additional from state and federal sources, the plan is to use it to plug the private funding gap, not lower the local tax commitment. The reason the museum is coming to the county for funding is because they didn’t receive as much in federal/state funds as they originally thought they were going to get. Now that they’re possibly going to get more federal/state funding, it should go to reduce the local tax burden, not prop up private funding shortfalls.
From a press release:
State Senator David Koehler (D-Peoria) believes that Governor Quinn’s budget proposal will provide a good base for negotiations.
“Governor Quinn has included some things in this budget that the state has desperately needed for a long time,” said Koehler. “I’m particularly happy to see a capital plan that includes road repair for Peoria, Tazewell, and Fulton Counties. We need to repair Illinois’ aging infrastructure.”
According to the Governor’s office, the capital construction plan will cost approximately $26 billion and create as many as 340,000 jobs. The proposed plan includes both new construction and repairs, targeted at roads and bridges, schools, and mass transit. It also includes investments in green technology, Illinois-based energy sources, and economic development.
“Another area I’m pleased about is education,” said Senator Koehler. “The budget proposal contains an increase in money for K-12 education. We need to do all we can to ensure Illinois students can compete with their peers nationwide, even in these tough economic times. This increase may not be as high as we’ve provided in the past, but given the state’s financial woes, it’s still a positive step.”
The Governor’s proposal also includes a number of initiatives to enhance revenue. One initiative is an income tax increase of 1.5%, accompanied by higher exemptions to protect low-income families. The Governor also suggests increasing a number of fees.
“I think Governor Quinn’s tax proposal is a good starting point,” said Koehler. “It’s clear that we are going to have to do something to increase revenue. It’s hard to say exactly what form tax and fee increases will take, but knowing that the Governor is committed to protecting low and middle income Illinoisans is reassuring.”
Senator Koehler lauded several of the Governor’s other commitments.
“The Governor has promised to make sure the state pays its bills on time,” said Koehler. “Our failure to provide timely reimbursements to doctors, hospitals, and other vital service providers has been a huge disappointment. A prompt payment schedule will help ensure Illinois citizens receive quality services and keep businesses and facilities open. I also like Governor Quinn’s idea of a 10-day sales tax holiday to help families afford back-to-school shopping. When we vote on a final budget, I hope it includes measures that help struggling families.”
From Peoria County GOP Chairman Rudy Lewis:
Koehler and Gordon so out of touch they don’t even know where their districts are located
Sen. Koehler leads Jehan Gordon off on the wrong foot as she begins her term
(PEORIA) State Representative Jehan Gordon may be getting off on the wrong foot by holding a town hall meeting with State Senator Dave Koehler outside of both of their districts.
“How can you accurately represent citizens if you invite people to a town hall meeting to voice their opinions but that location is outside of your district?” said Peoria County GOP chairman Rudy Lewis. “I wonder if Koehler and Gordon are just taking people on the South Side, the East Bluff, West Bluff and West Peoria for granted by holding their town hall outside their own districts. In any case spending tax dollars to invite people to a town hall meeting outside of their districts is a slap in the face of those they are paid to represent.”
“Imagine a U.S. Senator from Illinois holding a town hall meeting in Indiana or Missouri,” furthered Lewis. “It defies logic.”
“If these two public officials care not where they hold their town hall meeting, it calls into question their judgment when voting to spend billions of state tax dollars,” concluded Lewis.
Gordon and Koehler recently announced they would be holding a Town Hall Meeting on January 22nd at the Lakeview Branch Library (1137 W. Lake Ave., Peoria). However, the Lakeview Branch Library is not located in either Gordon or Koehler’s legislative districts. The Library is located in the 37th Senate District and the 73rd legislative districts, represented by Sen. Dale Risinger and Rep. David Leitch.
Chairman Lewis confirmed that the Lakeview Branch Library is located in the 73rd legislative district (37th Senate district) and not the 92nd legislative district (46th Senate District) with both the Illinois State Board of Elections and the City of Peoria Election Commission.
For their part, Risinger and Leitch hold a series of more than 10 town hall meetings each summer throughout the four counties in the 73rd District—but each one is inside the district they both represent.