Peoria County Board Members Were Elected to Ask Questions

Or should have all our representatives in D.C. just voted "yes" on the 2100 page non-read health care bill as it came "out of committee"??

As most people know, those serving on the Peoria County Board are elected as Democrats or Republicans (the City Council is not). When I was first elected as a Republican Board Member in 2000, the majority of the board was and still is, Democrats, usually 12 Democrats and 6 Republicans as it is now. As a result, our chairman is almost automatically, a Democrat. For 2 terms, I was elected by my peers to the position of Vice-Chairman of the County Board; one term with Dave Williams and the other with Bill Prather. In 2008, I asked for for no office as I had announced my pending retirement effective at the end of 2010. Therefore, I am not a member of the Executive Committee. Here is how the system works.

The County has a Standing Committee form of government. The County Board Chairman appoints the Chairs of these 8 Committees, appointed or re-appointed every two years. This election term, 2 Republicans and 6 Democrats were appointed Standing Committee Chairs. These 8 chairs plus the Board Chairman and Vice-Chairman make up the 10 member Executive Committee. This committee meets in open session once a month. Since the overall board consists of 18 members, 8 members, those not appointed as chairs or elected V-C, usually do not attend the Executive Committee Meetings.

When the full board meets once each month (except for special meetings) on the 2nd Thursday of the month, resolutions determined by the Standing Committees and reviewed in Executive Committee make up the major Agenda for once a month full board meetings.

Since Standing Committees are usually composed of 5 board member holding monthly meeting of an hour or more, 8-10 hours of discussion, and Full County Board Meetings once a month for periods seldom exceeding 2 hours, much discussion takes place that approximately half of the full board never hears. While questions may be asked during the full board agenda, most board members believe that if an item was approved in committee, the committee recommendations should be approved by the full board. And most are approved after a brief explanation by the Standing Committee Chair. Full board meeting agendas always have Unfinished Business and Miscellaneous allowing further information or input from board members.

Being described by several on the County Board as a person who "does his homework" I often have facts, opinions and questions that I strongly believe should be brought forward. Unless I attended every Standing Committee meeting and every Executive Committee meeting, I, and others, would sometimes not have enough information to make a decisive vote that would be in the best interests of the citizenry we represent. Elected officials should take actions that they deem are in the best interest of ALL citizens in the county.

Since board members sit through countless hours of testimony, do considerable homework, (some, more than others), read the emails, letters and listen to phone calls they receive, try to understand the financial aspects of all decisions, etc.,the board should have more information that the great majority of the citizenry.

The board is elected to make decisions based on the facts presented to them, whether they listen or read or not, and must carefully analyze the pressures of special interest groups such as unions, lobbyists and other special interest groups, etc., before casting a single vote. If board members need more information, as States Attorney Keven Lyons testified last week before the "the Committee as a Whole, (subject Peoria Riverfront Museum), those questions should be asked now, not after votes are counted.

In JS Reporter "Word on the street" article Monday, Ms. McDonald wrote, "Nonetheless, the questions, WHICH SHOULD BE ASKED IN COMMITTEE, UNNECESSARILY prolong meetings to the chagrin of other board members," is a statement in printed in error. It is not possible to ask questions in committees you are not required to attend or are absent from for one reason or another. (I note more absentees of board members in the last 14 months than at any other period of my community service). While minutes of the meetings are kept, only a summary comes to board members.

Unless one goes in and asks for a copy of the tape. Then you hear all "comments" like "let's push this museum deal through without further discussion and allow no comments from the audience". Strange that politician Dave Koehler, (more on Dave later) was allowed to make an impassioned speech about why this boondoggle, opps, now called REGIONAL AGAIN museum should be built.

At the end of December, MS. McDonald reported a shortage of over $7 million remained, a low estimate as out of the $13+ million donated in cash, only $1+ million remains and uncollected pledges remain around $11 million.

And the endowment usually funded by philanthropists, has $1 million plus on hand and the balance of $6, $7 or $13 million required, depending on whose figures one uses, is being sought from, guess who, NMTC, these credits from the government eventually must be paid by taxpayers somewhere in the U.S.A.

Don't ask questions? Sure that is why the country is in the mess its in. People like myself do ask questions, without us, a dictatorship looms in the not too distant future. We have already taken large steps in that direction.

Read all the news. Will Caterpillar "pull the plug" Friday as they threatened? Or are they beginning to ask questions as to why a project discussed for 11 or more years and kicked off in 2002 has still only $1+ million cash in the bank and isn't the JSEB question asked on 6/11/99, "Fundraising will gauge interest in the museum" come true?