Journal Star Editorial Board Opinion

Read today's JS Opinion on democracy's march forward with museum and then read C.J.Summer's, The Peoria Chronicle blog on the same subject.

Interesting that the rights of democracy become the scapegoat of lack of forward progress in Peoria according to the JS. And one false and misleading statement supposedly made by a petition drive leader becomes a focus of misleading statements by the JSEB.

The JSEB should go back and review a couple dozen misleading statements made by museum promoters including the ONLY 1/3 cost to the taxpayers, a blatant misstatement by a Roundtable and museum board promoter, a promised, no, guaranteed Digital 3D IMAX theater, an adequate endowment of at least $12 million, now standing at $3+ million, oh, sure, the county is going to give the museum $6 million from the facility tax for the museum to use as they see fit. The museum has determined this roughly $6 million will be used to build the museum freeing up $6 million in "pledges" to transferred to the endowment.

No mention in the JS about CREATIVE BOOKKEEPING".

How costs have risen while other building costs in Peoria have come in under estimate? The museum building that the county will own (over my objection of expanding bureaucracies) is projected to cost $48.6 million with overall PRM costs projected to be a rising $93.4 million.

Remember when is was $65 million and was some 30 thousand feet larger? With a "spectacular" design?

I could and have in previous blogs, state all the the misleading statements, many of them promoted in the $640,000 museum educational advertising campaign but the point is, in your opinion, the Journal Star a "fair and honest" news paper???

As an aside, Karen McDonald, JS reporter mis-quoted me again today by saying "Widmer HIMSELF secured 1080 signatures" quoting from my blog which you can find in my archives that says, "I and 15 SUPPORTERS, raised 1080 signatures."

We could have secured more if communications from the prime petition supporters had lent more enthusiasm to the gatherers, including myself.

Maybe Karen was trying to make me look good. If true, she left out credit to my supporters.

At any rate, the JSEB is quoted under Opinion. The problem is they buy ink and paper by the semi-load. Dissenters usually have no funds; thus little ink and paper.