Peoria Pundit

From a press release:

PEORIA, IL – Mar. 30, 2009 – On Sunday, April 5th, ALIVEinART presents “artSHAPEDlife”, a celebration and demonstration of the benefits of the creative arts.

Attendees will join therapists from Chapin & Russell Associates for breakout sessions showcasing relaxation, stress release, and personal insight techniques based on the arts. Topics are widely varied, and include dream interpretation, dance, abstract painting, and storytelling. Local artists will also be creating works from scratch during the event.

ArtSHAPEDlife starts at 1:00 P.M. on Sunday, April 5th at the Contemporary Art Center of Peoria, 305 Water Street, Peoria, IL 61602 .There is no charge to participate, but donations to the CAC are welcome. For additional information on artSHAPEDlife or the ALIVEinART campaign, contact Alex Navrotski at (630) 803-3070.

ABOUT ALIVEinART – ALIVEinART is a collaborative effort between the Contemporary Art Center of Peoria and Chapin & Russell Associates focused on building awareness and helping Peorians deal proactively with stress and other mental and emotional issues through creative expression. They invite you to paint, sing, dance, and express your feelings in a healthy way. For more information about ALIVEinART, visit http://blog.aliveinart.com

ABOUT THE CONTEMPORARY ART CENTER OF PEORIA – The Contemporary Art Center is Peoria’s cultural hub, dedicated to showcasing the works of living artists who are leading their fields. In addition to three display galleries, the CAC is also home to 15 studios of local artists, which are open for the public to view. The CAC also hosts many arts events such as the Friday jazz and blues concert “Live at the Five Spot” featuring local musicians. For more information, visit http://www.peoriacac.org/

ABOUT CHAPIN & RUSSELL ASSOCIATES – Chapin & Russell Associates offer highly personal counseling services for a full range of mental and emotional issues. In addition to dealing with existing issues, Chapin & Russell Associates is also dedicated to preventing emotional problems through proactive programs such as personal coaching and meditation. For more information, visit http://www.chapinandrussell.com/

I received a copy of the following email, which is apparently being sent to Bradley University students. I’ll reproduce it, then add my comments to the bottom:

To All Bradley Fraternity Presidents:

My name is Jeff Hall & I am one of the attorneys representing Sigma Nu in the case against Barbara Van Auken. As you may know, the election is coming up on April 7, 2009. There are some important dates I need you to inform your members about. It is imperative you do all you can to drive your members to register and vote. I send this email today with no time to spare. /

There is no secret that I am a strong supporter of Curphy Smith. I feel he would do a great job for ALL residents in his district, especially for Bradley students. That is why we need him elected. If Barb Van Auken wins, she will exact revenge on the Greek system at Bradley. You think it is tough now, just wait if she remains your council woman. Rumor has it that she is a very vengeful person and it would behoove every member of every fraternity to take 30 minutes out of their day tomorrow and go down to register and vote for “grace period voting”.

Tuesday 3/24/09 (tomorrow)

This is “grace period voting” meaning if you are not registered to vote you can register and vote at the same time. If you are registered already, you can still vote.

We will have transportation from the Student Center from 10am4pm (ish) to the election commission downtown. (it closes at 5pm). Students need to bring a driver’s license AND something with their Bradley address on it, such as: a bill–credit card or utility, or their Webster page from Bradley.

Saturday 3/28/09

This is “early voting” only. You must already be registered to vote at your Bradley address.

We are encouraging student car pooling, but will be providing transportation from the Student Center from 9am-2:30pm to the election commission. (it closes at 3pm). Students need to bring a driver’s license AND something with their Bradley address on it, such as: a bill–credit card or utility, or their Webster page from Bradley, or their voter registration card with their BU address on it.

I implore you to act. Now is the time to stand up and allow the city to hear your voice. If you vote with the drive and impetus we know students can possess, BVA will be voted out and no longer will Bradley students and Greek Members be underrepresented. You will make it easier for your successors. You will actually have real political power. That is a big thing to possess, especially around Peoria and Bradley.

We need at least 500 BU voters out of this election to win. Currently voter turn out is very low, but BVA’s supporters will vote for certain. You and your members are the secret weapon. Please take the time to go down to the election precinct tomorrow. It will only take 30 minutes. Further, grab 5 of your friends that aren’t in a fraternity/sorority and get them to go with you. We need all the help we can get.

Thank you for your time and I look forward to seeing you at the polls.

Respectfully,

Jeffrey R. Hall

My two cents: Of course, Bradley students have the right to vote. That should go without saying, but to avoid any silly comments suggesting I am implying the opposite, I’ll say it here. BU students have the right to vote and I support that right.

The question is: Where do they vote? Do they vote here, in Peoria, where they are attending college, or do they vote where they live? When I attended Eastern Illinois University, I slept in Charleston, but I was still a resident of Peoria. I voted absentee. I never cast one single vote for any local race in Charleston (although I do recall registering). Not that I didn’t care or didn’t have an opinion. Simply stated, I considered myself a Peoria resident and cast my votes in Peoria. My stay in Charleston was going to be temporary and I knew it.

I knew that Charleston residents would — and had every right to — resent transient student votes deciding who held local offices. And I strongly suspected that some EIU students who did cast votes in Charleston did nothing to cancel their hometown registrations, meaning they remained registered in two counties, which is suspect is not exactly legal. And I would not surprise me if one or more of my classmates did the absentee ballot thing AND voted in person in Charleston. I know that IS illegal.

So, while Bradley students have the right to register locally and vote locally, I would encourage them as a matter of personal honor and integrity to vote in the communities in which they actually consider themselves permanent residents.

Second: Curphy Smith has every right to ask any eligible, registered voter to vote for him. He campaign has the right to register any eligible voter. His campaign has the right to drive voters to the polls. This is the stuff of grassroots politics.

Third: Permanent residents of Peoria are no different than the residents of Charleston and just might resent temporary occupants of dorms and student rentals helping to decide who sites on the Peoria City Council and other elected bodies long after these students have moved back to their real homes. People have the right to base their vote on anything they want to base it on. So while the Smith campaign has the right go after the student vote, permanent 2nd District residents have the right to decide to vote against Smith because he is going after the student vote, and would thus be beholden to them if he wins.

Fourth: If you were wondering whether the Sigma Nu fraternity’s lawsuit against Barbara Van Auken and others was politically motivated, I guess learning that that their attorney is electioneering for her opponent pretty much answers that question.

UPDATE: C.J. Summers beat me again and had a post up about this before I did (I decided to get 8 hours of sleep, instead). He also links to a PDF file that shows an anonymous anti-Curphy Smith flyer that’s going around, accusing the Smith campaign of violating election rules. A conversation with a Peoria Election commission official left me convinced it is not.

You learn some amazing things at Blogger Bash.

At Tuesday’s bash, I learned that it looks like Big Al’s is going to be getting some competition in the downtown boob-gazing business.

A very well-placed sources tells me that the corporation that owns “Hooters” is  to be experimenting  with a more upscale verison of the reataurant, whcih featured scantilly-clad ladies selling hot-wings and beer. Peoria has one of these joints on the Riverfront.

The company has tapped that market and wants to expand into high-end gentlemen’s clubs in which the waitresses wear cutaway jackets, short-shorts, high heals and nothing else. They are calling it “Haute Airres.” Get it? There is a suit-and-tie dress code for the customers, as well as a stiff cover charge that should keep the riff-raff out.

The have sold a local franchise to a local businessman, who has apparently rented space in the ground flooot of the Twin Towers, across from Peoria City Hall. Because of the proximity to Big Al’s, the city’s legal staff apparently believes they have no recourse but to issue the joint a liquor license., which should happen sometimes in May or June.

Well, it will give me someplace to go after council meetings besides Whitey’s.

So I’m getting ready to leave for Blogger Bash and I check my email just one last time, and I discover a Facebook message from the “Build the Block: account. It reads:

Subject: Big Yellow and The Block

Caterpillar builds the world around us…let’s help them build up our little corner of it and grow their roots a little deeper here in Peoria! They’ve committed $55 million to The Block. Let’s make sure it’s not lost forever.

Why in the world would that phrase ever be used in a statement in support of the museum referendum? If the “roots” are not already deep enough, what could they be implying will happen, except that Caterpillar is going to take its ball and go home.  And that phrase keeps popping up. I hear pro-politicians use it all the time. It’s on the Build the Block talking points memo or something.

It’s a scare tactic, people. It’s designed to make voters afraid to vote against this sales tax increase.

And it is dishonest. Caterpillar has stated, quite specifically, that it will not pull up stakes and move if this doesn’t pass. The idea that this company is going to move its world headquarters because a sales tax referendum doesn’t pass is ludicrous.

And that’s not me saying it, it’s the guy who’s running this thing for Caterpillar, Mark Johnson:

Ok, Mr. Dennis, I’ll say it “authoritatively”, Caterpillar Inc. is not spreading the story, rumor, information, whatever you want to call it that the company would move it’s headquarters out of Peoria if the sales tax referendum is defeated. It’s actually another example of how ridiculous this discussion has become, to even suppose that the company would incur the expense of relocating just because the citizens of Peoria County have turned down an offer from the company of over $55 million to improve the community. End of discussion.

One bone to pick with Mr. Johnson: Voters aren’t going to vote on whether to turn anything down. The question is whether their taxes are going up. I’m sure there might be a few voters who would say “no” to a multi-million gift from Caterpillar that didn’t come with any strings attached. But certainly not a majority.

I wish that someone from Catepillar would speak to the Build a Block group and tell them, in no certain words, to STOP spreading this bizaare story. Cat denies it. Common sense says it isn’t going to happen. End of discussion.

UPDATE: Add Phil Luciano to the list of people pushing the idea that CAT  might leave if voters don’t raise their own taxes. Maybe Phil were to read local blogs instead of RetroCrush, he might know that Big Yellow has emphatically ruled that out.

First, I want to thank Caterpillar CEO Jim Owens and his family for their many contributions of time and money to this community. Second, I want to state that Mr. Owens has every right to support the museum with his own money, and he has every right to exercise his freedom of speech to encourage employees of Caterpillar to vote in favor of the museum tax referendum on April 7. His letter to employees — which many received today — is reprinted below.

But before any Caterpillar employee decides to follow Mr. Owen’s advice, I’d like to exercise my free speech rights and encourage them to visit this site and read the many, many arguments against this tax.

I am not arguing against Caterpillar’s involvement in this community. I have seen how Caterpillar can step in and provide expertise and funding when it feels it is necessary (their help is keeping downtown free of snow is a marvel to see). And I am told that Cat does far more of this sort of thing than other major employers in other nearby communities, and for that I am grateful.

But I would hope that anyone on the fence regarding this tax referendum should note that the generosity of Caterpillar as a corporation and of its personnel does not obligate us as voters to vote the way Mr. Owens suggests, not that he is saying it should.

And I now note than C.J. has posted his comments on the letter.

Mr. Owen’s letter:

Dear Team Caterpillar:

In 2002 my predecessor, Chairman Glen Barton, committed Caterpillar’s support to a new regional museum. Since then the company has supported this project to revitalize the downtown Peoria community. Our involvement has grown from a relatively simple presence in the new museum to the current concept — a separate facility housing a corporate visitor center, called the Caterpillar Experience.

This new riverfront development along with the proposed renovation of the Hotel Pere Marquette and the recent expansion of the Civic Center, should transform the landscape of downtown Peoria. The Museum project specifically will offer tremendous educational and entertainment opportunities to residents throughout Central Illinois.

Peoria County voters now have an opportunity to support the Museum project through a countywide referendum on April 7. The proposed 0.25 percent county sales tax increase will provide critical public funding for the new Museum. As federal and state funding sources have disappeared, this local funding initiative has become the last opportunity for moving this project forward.

If you live in Peoria County and can vote on this referendum, I encourage your support. Without a doubt, this project will make Peoria a better place to live, will make downtown Peoria a better place to work and will help us attract the best and brightest employees for the future.

Please remember to vote on April 7. You’ll find the issue as the last item on the ballot which references “public facilities sales tax.” If you’re going to be out of town on election day, you can take advantage of early voting between March 16 and April 2.

Thank you for your support. This is an important opportunity for the members of Team Caterpillar to make a difference in Peoria.

Sincerely,

James W. Owens

From a source:

“Today, Suresource Inc’s Peoria call center shuts down. As of 4pm, I and my fellow employees are unemployed.”

Here’s the scoop on Suresource, by way of their LinkedIn profile:

SureSource, LLC provides direct-to-consumer ecommerce solutions for brands. It offers direct channel planning, multi-channel commerce, merchandising, marketing programs, and supporting services. The company also operates and manages storefronts for consumer brands and licensed properties. In addition, it provides distribution, customer, merchant, search engine optimization, promotions, consumer surveys, and product registration services, as well as service plans. SureSource, LLC was founded in 1989 and is based in Shelton, Connecticut.

They have offices in the New York area and in Peoria.

And they have a spiffy Website.

My sympathies to the soon-to-be-unemployed.

UPDATE: This is not MY employer. My job is secure, the last I heard anyway. Three people have expressed sympathy to me today over having lost my job and they cited this post.

Massive corruption and/or payoffs is  one explanation, I suppose, for the continued existence of a monster pothole on North North Street in front of Central High School.

Some background: On Christmas Eve, I hit this monster pothole that caused my front driver-side tire to immediately go flat.  It was several days later that I finally managed to get it fixed. Unfortunately, the guy I had fix it didn’t do it right and the damn tire nearly fell off, but that’s another story.

The city soon came out and “fixed” the hole, but they ignored a second, possibly worse hole a few feet down the road. Luckily, I learned to not trust the condition of this street, and managed to miss the second hole for the weeks-long period it was there.

I mean, it’s not like this pothole was in front of an IMPORTANT school or anything.

Eventually, THAT hole was filled.

But guess what made a second appearance? You’re right, the ORIGINAL hole. Just as wide, just as deep. In fact, it’s probably worse now.

So it got me to wondering. Certainly, the people who fix out streets cannot POSSIBLY be that incompetent. So what’s the cause? Do they WANT people to hit potholes like this? Do they want people to have to pay money they really cannot afford to keep their cars operating for the privilege of driving to work to keep pay for the car repairs they need to have a car capable of driving to work on crappy city roads?

Forgive me for the rant. But when the city in which I live seems unable to provide essential services like street repair, I start getting cranky.

You know how two Bradley university professors studied the museum proposal and declared it would be a boon to the local economy?

Well, not so much as it turns out:

Citizens for Responsible Spending says the Bradley University professors wildly overstated the number of jobs the museum project is expected to create.

“On Dr. Carlson and Dr. Betts’ report, it said, “continued spending will not create additional new jobs each year as the author suggests. Using the author’s estimate, the continued annual spending would create a total of only 80 jobs over the 18–year period,” said Karrie Alms with Citizens for Responsible Spending.

Full disclosure: I am a member of  Citizens for Responsible Spending.

And please note that CFRS did what ANY member of the news media COULD have done, but did not: Have the bought-and-paid-for study reviewed by independent professionals.

Why didn’t they? Well, constant budget cuts could be one answer. It’s hard to find time for enterprise reporting when you’re doing the work of three reporters. And even if that were the case, it’s a lot easier to do reporting that isn’t going to piss off virtually every elected and appointed politician you must work with in order to generate the copy you need to keep your job.

Overworked and frightened reporters tend to regurgitate a lot.

From a source:

The attached document was linked to in our weekly electronic newsletter in Mossville yesterday.

Build the Block

Downtown Peoria will soon embark upon one of the region’s greatest developments. The riverfront Block, which is comprised of seven acres, is the prime location to offer recreation, entertainment and educational activities for the public. With our headquarters in downtown Peoria, Caterpillar will be proud to share in the city’s display of its prolific history through the creation of the Caterpillar Experience.

The Caterpillar Experience will be a 50,000 square foot facility that will feature exhibits and hands on opportunities explaining how the members of Team Caterpillar, working with Caterpillar dealers, provide our customers with the products and services they use to improve the quality of life for people around the world. Visitors will also be able to check out films focused on Caterpillar’s sustainable development initiatives, as well as listen to detailed testimonials from customers and utilize operator-training modules to give their dirt-moving skills a test.

Access to the facility will be available to all employees and retirees at no charge. The facility will also be open to the general public seven days a week with a minimal admission charge.

Another major attraction that is in the works for the Block is the Peoria Riverfront Museum. This museum is being developed by an organization called the Museum Collaboration Group, which includes members from the Peoria Regional Museum Society, Peoria Historical Society, African American Hall of Fame, Illinois High School Association, Heartland Foundation and the Lakeview Museum of Arts and Science.

Funding committed for the museum project has reached a total of $31.7 million against a projected cost of $77.2 million.

The Peoria County Board has authorized a “Public Facilities” referendum on April 7, 2009, to allow voters to consider a 0.25% increase in the countywide sales tax, which would provide additional funding for the Museum project.

The outcome of this referendum will determine if the Peoria Riverfront Museum, and therefore the Caterpillar Experience will be constructed.  If you are a Peoria County resident, your participation in the referendum is critically important in determining the future of the downtown Peoria riverfront environment.

For additional details on the Build the Block Campaign, please click on the Build the Block fact sheet below or visit www.buildtheblock.org.

Attachment(s)

Build the Block Fact Sheet

Also:

• Location:
  • The Block is the seven-acre downtown Peoria riverfront area surrounded by Washington, Main, Liberty, and Water Streets

• Components of the Block:
  • The Block will be an eco friendly destination comprised of the Caterpillar Experience, Peoria Riverfront Museum, green space, and retail/commercial prospects to offer education, entertainment, recreation and arts for people of all ages.
  • Caterpillar Experience
    • 50,000 square foot facility
    • Opportunity to learn about Caterpillar products, services and people
  • Peoria Riverfront Museum
    • 82,000 square foot facility
    • Focus on history, science, arts, and achievement
    • Collaborative Partners Include:
      • Lakeview Museum of Arts and Sciences
      • Peoria Regional Museum Society
      • Peoria Historical Society
      • African American Hall of Fame
      • Illinois High School Association
      • Heartland Foundation
    • Features:
      • Regional history, science, fine arts and folk art exhibits
      • Illinois River exhibit developed in conjunction with Nature Conservancy
      • IHSA Peak Performance Center focused on high school student activities
      • Planetarium
      • IMAX theater
      • Classrooms
      • Pre-school child care facility
  • Design of the site and facilities will feature  “green practices” whenever possible
  • Park-like plaza will use native grasses and wildflowers to slow and filter water run-off
  • Block will encourage a scenic, walkable community for people to visit in their leisure
• Benefits of the Block:
  • Recreational, educational and entertainment activities will attract 360,000 visitors annually
  • Block will provide increased economic opportunity to the area by approximately seven to ten million dollars per year
  • Block will enhance Peoria’s standing as a great place to live, work, and play
  • Block will create new job opportunities
• Timeline:
  • July 2010- Groundbreaking
  • September 2012- Grand opening
• Next Steps:

• Peoria County residents encouraged to vote on April 7, 2009

It’s something about the trees.

Maybe it’s the leaves. Maybe it’s the bark. But there is something about trees that weakens America’s fragile democracy.

That is why we must routinely cull some of the trees. Because when we cut some of them down, our democracy is strengthened and America’s otherwise inevitable slide into totalitarianism is postponed.

Or so thinks Phil Luciano.

In today’s column, Luciano asks readers for their opinion on what should be done to save newspapers. Because, as Luciano writes, newspapers — and not any other form of the news media — are the pillars of our democracy.

It’s complete bullshit. Journalism on television and the Internet would not exist without newspapers leading the way, he says. Therefore preserving newspapers is essential to preserving democracy itself. It’s big talk for a columnist who who wrote, I think, three columns during the past month about missing dogs (you see, it doesn’t matter what crap you put ON the paper, as long as those evil, anti-democracy trees are chopped down and pulped into paper).

What arrogance. If newspapers vanish, free market forces virtually guarantee that someone would start providing news in a different medium, most likely the Internet, which is a vastly less expensive way to distribute news to readers.

But members of the Big Media like things just the way they were. They want to preserve the institutions of journalism, not journalism per se. They can’t imagine journalism being done any way other than the way  they do it.  So all of their solutions tend to be more about propping up what already exists rather than about creating new ways commit acts of journalism. Lone writers posting news about their neighbors onto their Blogger or WordPress sites is not part of their journalism mix for these people.

One solution that’s been tossed out is to give newspaper customers some sort of tax rebate or credit. Another would let newspapers become non-profit organizations, which would keep them from endorsing candidates. Yet another would make newspapers immune to antitrust legislation. This is probably the stupidest of the many ideas being bandied about. But any solution that exists only to prop up the dying carcass that is newspaper journalism is a solution that will not work. We need to allow constructive destruction and let newspapers fail so they can evolve into online-only news organizations.