Matthew A. Woodmancy is running for congress. A Democrat running in a classically Republican district. That'll happen when pigs fly, right?
Well, might want to keep an eye out for those little porkers.
http://centralillinoisproud.com/fulltext/?nxd_id=170086
Check this out.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
The greatest show in Peoria continues....
I'm talking about the City Council meeting, of course. Tonight was no exception, and there are always high points and low points to consider, so I'll try to cover the ones I can.
The High points were the Proclamations and Presentations by Mayor Ardis to the Great American Clean Up/ Keep Peoria Beautiful event (April 16th), the Hult Health Education Center 20th Year Celebration, the beginning of Child Abuse Prevention Month (Opening event will be the Hands Around the Courthouse event at noon on April 15th, wear blue to support that day...there are currently 1022 pending child abuse cases in Peoria), and the recognition of National Undergraduate Research Week (April 11-15th). All worthy causes and notable proclamations.
Down to business. Pat Landis, Ross Black, and a gentleman whose name escaped me, all spoke to the adoption of the new Comprehensive Plan for the City of Peoria. One of their main talking points was how inclusive their approach to this plan was. They came up with statistics that included 104 meetings, and over 7000 comments on the website, equaling more than 117 hours of public testimony from a Global community. (Global? I thought this was a local issue.) They included all sorts of people, including High School Students (5 Meetings), the African-American Community, various Public Partners (School board, Park district, etc.), and of course, Developers.
According to several people who spoke, they seem to have missed a few people: Bob Sparks spoke first from his wheelchair stating that the physically disabled were not included, and their needs are being neglected. Savino Sierra (normally an outspoken advocate for the Ardis council), complained that the Hispanic community had not been included. Peggy Kendall spoke on behalf of persons with mental and developmental disabilities. Seems they forgot to check with at least a few people in their "all inclusive plan"
Mayor Ardis asked how this inclusiveness was achieved, and Pat Landis answered that they had, indeed, met with the Americans with Disabilities, or at least contacted them, and had held meetings at Friendship House, and had advertised the plan on Billboards, via direct mail, and even with television ads. Now you would think with all that effort we would all know about those meetings, but I can seem to recall any of that going on. But that could be me. After all, I don't watch a lot of television, don't open the mail, and billboards are not my style. Ross Black added that it is difficult to define the African American community, since they are not a definitive group, but made up of several groups (ever hear of the NAACP or the Urban League, Ross?) and there was no way to identify them as a group to be consulted. Yada Yada Yada. The long and short of it? It passed with Sandberg as the only Nay vote. Big Surprise.
Business as usual until a rather rousing discussion between Ardis and several other members concerning Item L on the consent agenda, the passing of an request from the new City Manager to have the members of the council attend a Leadership and Strategic Planning Workshop planned by a firm from Palm Coast, Florida at a cost of $11,000 to $19,000. Sandberg pointed out that this same firm had conducted a similar session with the council before the Vision 2020 program with negative results, and objected to the contract being awarded to an out of state firm when there are similar firms locally. Riggenbach claimed that this would be a very necessary step in the implementation of the Comprehensive Plan. Spears agreed with the training, but also joined with Sandberg in his objection to hiring an out of state consultant, as did Gulley. After hearing all these objections, Spain had to chime in that, in a meeting with the incoming City Manager, he was concerned that they board's commitment to changing the culture of the board was in jeopardy. Poor kid thinks everyone is supposed to play nice on the board and "go along to get along". Someone hand the kid a towel to dry behind his ears. The motion passed with Sandberg, Spears, and Gully voting NO!
And now we come to the implementation of the now infamous reinstatement of a "BLUE LAW". I'm talking about the ordinance specifically designed to shut down "Club 307". Gary Sandberg once again stood as the only voice of reason, trying to get the council to understand that the wording of the ordinance was much too broad in its scope and could be used to regulate individual consensual behavior. I should say "try", since that is never going to happen, but now that the law will revoke the license of Club 307, the activities will no longer be regulated by the cost of a membership card behind closed doors. Let's face it folks, the people who are members of Club 307 are adults who want to participate in a swinging lifestyle. That is a consensual act, not rape, not enticement, not some form of public debauchery. Sandberg and City Counsel Randall Ray went back and forth on the subject, and Ardis had to interject that it was the most "interesting" conversation he had heard in some time. The motion passed, Sandberg voting no, and we now have a law that prevents consenting adults from having a membership only club for the purpose of having sex. And I am betting a law that will be overturned at the State Supreme Court level, if anyone cares to fight it.
Not much more after that, some old business that had to be concluded before the new council persons are sworn in, apparently. Incidentally, kudos to Beth Akeson and Chuck Weaver, both in attendance and taking notes throughout the entire proceedings. Nice to see they are taking their new appointments seriously.
The High points were the Proclamations and Presentations by Mayor Ardis to the Great American Clean Up/ Keep Peoria Beautiful event (April 16th), the Hult Health Education Center 20th Year Celebration, the beginning of Child Abuse Prevention Month (Opening event will be the Hands Around the Courthouse event at noon on April 15th, wear blue to support that day...there are currently 1022 pending child abuse cases in Peoria), and the recognition of National Undergraduate Research Week (April 11-15th). All worthy causes and notable proclamations.
Down to business. Pat Landis, Ross Black, and a gentleman whose name escaped me, all spoke to the adoption of the new Comprehensive Plan for the City of Peoria. One of their main talking points was how inclusive their approach to this plan was. They came up with statistics that included 104 meetings, and over 7000 comments on the website, equaling more than 117 hours of public testimony from a Global community. (Global? I thought this was a local issue.) They included all sorts of people, including High School Students (5 Meetings), the African-American Community, various Public Partners (School board, Park district, etc.), and of course, Developers.
According to several people who spoke, they seem to have missed a few people: Bob Sparks spoke first from his wheelchair stating that the physically disabled were not included, and their needs are being neglected. Savino Sierra (normally an outspoken advocate for the Ardis council), complained that the Hispanic community had not been included. Peggy Kendall spoke on behalf of persons with mental and developmental disabilities. Seems they forgot to check with at least a few people in their "all inclusive plan"
Mayor Ardis asked how this inclusiveness was achieved, and Pat Landis answered that they had, indeed, met with the Americans with Disabilities, or at least contacted them, and had held meetings at Friendship House, and had advertised the plan on Billboards, via direct mail, and even with television ads. Now you would think with all that effort we would all know about those meetings, but I can seem to recall any of that going on. But that could be me. After all, I don't watch a lot of television, don't open the mail, and billboards are not my style. Ross Black added that it is difficult to define the African American community, since they are not a definitive group, but made up of several groups (ever hear of the NAACP or the Urban League, Ross?) and there was no way to identify them as a group to be consulted. Yada Yada Yada. The long and short of it? It passed with Sandberg as the only Nay vote. Big Surprise.
Business as usual until a rather rousing discussion between Ardis and several other members concerning Item L on the consent agenda, the passing of an request from the new City Manager to have the members of the council attend a Leadership and Strategic Planning Workshop planned by a firm from Palm Coast, Florida at a cost of $11,000 to $19,000. Sandberg pointed out that this same firm had conducted a similar session with the council before the Vision 2020 program with negative results, and objected to the contract being awarded to an out of state firm when there are similar firms locally. Riggenbach claimed that this would be a very necessary step in the implementation of the Comprehensive Plan. Spears agreed with the training, but also joined with Sandberg in his objection to hiring an out of state consultant, as did Gulley. After hearing all these objections, Spain had to chime in that, in a meeting with the incoming City Manager, he was concerned that they board's commitment to changing the culture of the board was in jeopardy. Poor kid thinks everyone is supposed to play nice on the board and "go along to get along". Someone hand the kid a towel to dry behind his ears. The motion passed with Sandberg, Spears, and Gully voting NO!
And now we come to the implementation of the now infamous reinstatement of a "BLUE LAW". I'm talking about the ordinance specifically designed to shut down "Club 307". Gary Sandberg once again stood as the only voice of reason, trying to get the council to understand that the wording of the ordinance was much too broad in its scope and could be used to regulate individual consensual behavior. I should say "try", since that is never going to happen, but now that the law will revoke the license of Club 307, the activities will no longer be regulated by the cost of a membership card behind closed doors. Let's face it folks, the people who are members of Club 307 are adults who want to participate in a swinging lifestyle. That is a consensual act, not rape, not enticement, not some form of public debauchery. Sandberg and City Counsel Randall Ray went back and forth on the subject, and Ardis had to interject that it was the most "interesting" conversation he had heard in some time. The motion passed, Sandberg voting no, and we now have a law that prevents consenting adults from having a membership only club for the purpose of having sex. And I am betting a law that will be overturned at the State Supreme Court level, if anyone cares to fight it.
Not much more after that, some old business that had to be concluded before the new council persons are sworn in, apparently. Incidentally, kudos to Beth Akeson and Chuck Weaver, both in attendance and taking notes throughout the entire proceedings. Nice to see they are taking their new appointments seriously.
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Sometimes you get to write nice things....
I had the privilege tonight of attending the Benefit for Tracy Shortridge and her daughter and granddaughter tonight at Stone Country in Bartonville. It was quite an event, hosted by Dan Stone and his crew, and sponsored to provide help for the Tracy Shortridge assistance fund at CEFCU. Donations are still being accepted, by the way.
In case you missed it, the fire was in West Peoria on December 17th and started about 6 p.m.. Although units were dispatched from West Peoria, Limestone, and Peoria Heights to assist in battling the flames, they were unable to save the house and most of the possessions of the family. Luckily, Tracy, her daughter, and Tracy's granddaughter were all able to escape without injury.
The family is trying to recover from the devastation of having almost every possession in their lives removed in a puff of smoke.
The nice thing? You should have seen the smile on Tracy's face and on her daughter and granddaughter as people came in tonight at Stone Country. Talk about members of the community coming together. These are the moments that let you know we still care.
In case you missed it, the fire was in West Peoria on December 17th and started about 6 p.m.. Although units were dispatched from West Peoria, Limestone, and Peoria Heights to assist in battling the flames, they were unable to save the house and most of the possessions of the family. Luckily, Tracy, her daughter, and Tracy's granddaughter were all able to escape without injury.
The family is trying to recover from the devastation of having almost every possession in their lives removed in a puff of smoke.
The nice thing? You should have seen the smile on Tracy's face and on her daughter and granddaughter as people came in tonight at Stone Country. Talk about members of the community coming together. These are the moments that let you know we still care.
Friday, April 8, 2011
Labor Rally at the Courthouse
I had the privilege of attending the Labor Rally at the Peoria County Courthouse yesterday afternoon with Matthew Woodmancy, a local man who is running for the U. S. Congress in 2012. Randy Stevens was the organizer of the event, and I have to say the man is a very accomplished speaker who knows how to rally a crowd. Between 200 and 300 union brothers and sisters were there, braving the elements and standing shoulder to shoulder to support the cause of fighting against the movements lately to diminish the rights of labor to collective bargaining and fair wages.
There were representatives of AFSCME, Teamsters, AFL-CIO, Boilermakers, and several others who spoke to several incidents for Mine Workers and truckers who are undergoing attacks by management, and our Peoria NAACP was also there to pledge their support for the cause. One of the main themes was the Rally in Chicago this weekend. It seems there are still several seats on the bus if you want to attend. Contact Randy Stevens through his Facebook page and let him know.
The most impressive part of the rally for me was the powerful message from several of the local speakers: VOTE! I guess it is the poor turnout from the April 5th election that has this topic on everyone's lips, but it should be there all the time.
We always have suggestions about how to improve our society and our schools. How about this one? How about we start teaching our children (by example) that it is their right and their responsibility to VOTE! How about we start teaching our children that they matter, that they have a voice in our society, in our community, no matter who they are, no matter what they do, no matter what name they call God, no matter who they love. How about we Take Back Peoria with our VOTE!
There were representatives of AFSCME, Teamsters, AFL-CIO, Boilermakers, and several others who spoke to several incidents for Mine Workers and truckers who are undergoing attacks by management, and our Peoria NAACP was also there to pledge their support for the cause. One of the main themes was the Rally in Chicago this weekend. It seems there are still several seats on the bus if you want to attend. Contact Randy Stevens through his Facebook page and let him know.
The most impressive part of the rally for me was the powerful message from several of the local speakers: VOTE! I guess it is the poor turnout from the April 5th election that has this topic on everyone's lips, but it should be there all the time.
We always have suggestions about how to improve our society and our schools. How about this one? How about we start teaching our children (by example) that it is their right and their responsibility to VOTE! How about we start teaching our children that they matter, that they have a voice in our society, in our community, no matter who they are, no matter what they do, no matter what name they call God, no matter who they love. How about we Take Back Peoria with our VOTE!
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Bits and Pieces
Okay, first of all a minor point. I noticed yesterday morning (April 6th), C. J. Summers had removed his sign from my yard. This morning I removed George Azouri's. Hint, hint to all you candidates. Beth, I notice a lot of your signs are still out there. Might want to get this taken care of.
On to bigger fish to fry. Aaron Schock and his recent flip flop on the TIGER II funding reeks of classic doublespeak. I mean, hey Aaron, pick a side and stand by your decision, regardless of the outcome. You told us we were wrong in planning to spend money we may not receive (which I agree with, by the way), then tell us how wrong it is for Congress not to give us the money. Please, bubba, get your story straight, and while you are at it, start thinking for your self instead of being led around by the LaHood regime. Introducing a bill to have all farm equipment meet particular vehicle codes when the incidence of accidents is around 200 a year? In a year when we are facing massive budget cuts and a national debt so large that most people cannot fathom it? Aaron, let's work on the real problems and leave the minor stuff for later.
EBNHS, Inc. is on hold for the moment, but not forgotten. Still waiting on some information from my sources (former board members) and the 2010 audit from the EBNHS, Inc.
Seems my work with the Transparency in Government project being sponsored by Bill Lopotko and the Peoria 9/12 group is going to take up a bit of my time, along with my role as speech writer and media representative for Matthew Woodmancy for Congress 2012. By the way, if you haven't seen his Facebook page, you might want to take a look. With the redistricting in the state of Illinois, the Democrats are going to have a real shot at getting a candidate in to replace either Aaron Schock or Representative Schilling, depending on how the change is made. Since the Democrats are in charge of making the changes, and the incumbents will be forced to run against each other for the nominations in the primaries, a sold Democrat could make a real run at it.
Just got my copy of the agenda for next Tuesday's Council meeting, so I haven't had the opportunity to go over it in detail, but something must be up if the City Council is going to consider passing an ordinance to shut down Club 307. I'm not aware of any other "swing" clubs in the area, but if they are the only one, it seems like a lot of smoke and mirrors to cover up another move. Wonder what I will find when I go through it.
I'll be down at the Solidarity Rally at the courthouse at 5 pm today to support the fine men and women who represent our local unions. I'll be the guy in the leather "Highlander" jacket, so if you are there and see me, say Hi.
More to follow.....
On to bigger fish to fry. Aaron Schock and his recent flip flop on the TIGER II funding reeks of classic doublespeak. I mean, hey Aaron, pick a side and stand by your decision, regardless of the outcome. You told us we were wrong in planning to spend money we may not receive (which I agree with, by the way), then tell us how wrong it is for Congress not to give us the money. Please, bubba, get your story straight, and while you are at it, start thinking for your self instead of being led around by the LaHood regime. Introducing a bill to have all farm equipment meet particular vehicle codes when the incidence of accidents is around 200 a year? In a year when we are facing massive budget cuts and a national debt so large that most people cannot fathom it? Aaron, let's work on the real problems and leave the minor stuff for later.
EBNHS, Inc. is on hold for the moment, but not forgotten. Still waiting on some information from my sources (former board members) and the 2010 audit from the EBNHS, Inc.
Seems my work with the Transparency in Government project being sponsored by Bill Lopotko and the Peoria 9/12 group is going to take up a bit of my time, along with my role as speech writer and media representative for Matthew Woodmancy for Congress 2012. By the way, if you haven't seen his Facebook page, you might want to take a look. With the redistricting in the state of Illinois, the Democrats are going to have a real shot at getting a candidate in to replace either Aaron Schock or Representative Schilling, depending on how the change is made. Since the Democrats are in charge of making the changes, and the incumbents will be forced to run against each other for the nominations in the primaries, a sold Democrat could make a real run at it.
Just got my copy of the agenda for next Tuesday's Council meeting, so I haven't had the opportunity to go over it in detail, but something must be up if the City Council is going to consider passing an ordinance to shut down Club 307. I'm not aware of any other "swing" clubs in the area, but if they are the only one, it seems like a lot of smoke and mirrors to cover up another move. Wonder what I will find when I go through it.
I'll be down at the Solidarity Rally at the courthouse at 5 pm today to support the fine men and women who represent our local unions. I'll be the guy in the leather "Highlander" jacket, so if you are there and see me, say Hi.
More to follow.....
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Take Back Peoria: Election results show poor turnout!
Take Back Peoria: Election results show poor turnout!: "'Only 11,962 of 68,429 registered voters, or 17.5 percent, cast a ballot.' - Peoria Journal Star, 4/5/11. Chuck Weaver and Beth Akeson will..."
Election results show poor turnout!
"Only 11,962 of 68,429 registered voters, or 17.5 percent, cast a ballot." - Peoria Journal Star, 4/5/11.
Chuck Weaver and Beth Akeson will join the City Council with Gary Sandberg, W. Eric Turner, and Ryan Span returning. Now how many people could have made the difference if they had voted? I guess I have to wonder what the rest of the 64,011 voters were doing this evening. 52,049 voters decided that their vote didn't matter. And by failing to vote, they in fact did vote. They voted to make this an uphill battle for a return to basic services. To the soldiers who will fight on our behalf, I salute you. To those who ran and were not elected, I salute you as well for the courage you displayed in offering to serve our community. While I did not agree with every platform, I respect the willingness of the citizens who were willing to stand up and be counted.
Now we look to the future, and charge the incumbents to take note. While the turnout was small, the voice was loud and very clear. We, the citizens who do pay attention, demand change. We will not longer sit idly by while you continue to make back room deals and flaunt your arrogance at the demands of the people. And there are a few of us who understand what it will require to campaign for the next election in two years.
Some of us are preparing now.
Chuck Weaver and Beth Akeson will join the City Council with Gary Sandberg, W. Eric Turner, and Ryan Span returning. Now how many people could have made the difference if they had voted? I guess I have to wonder what the rest of the 64,011 voters were doing this evening. 52,049 voters decided that their vote didn't matter. And by failing to vote, they in fact did vote. They voted to make this an uphill battle for a return to basic services. To the soldiers who will fight on our behalf, I salute you. To those who ran and were not elected, I salute you as well for the courage you displayed in offering to serve our community. While I did not agree with every platform, I respect the willingness of the citizens who were willing to stand up and be counted.
Now we look to the future, and charge the incumbents to take note. While the turnout was small, the voice was loud and very clear. We, the citizens who do pay attention, demand change. We will not longer sit idly by while you continue to make back room deals and flaunt your arrogance at the demands of the people. And there are a few of us who understand what it will require to campaign for the next election in two years.
Some of us are preparing now.
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