Peoria "Leaders" Transparency???

While I bask in sunny Southwest Florida playing tennis those who have attempted to lead us, meet in secret to devise, manipulate and connive. First, they advise Urich to resign and prepare Sorrel to take his place, they promise Urich a prosperous and rosy future in Peoria; Urich tells Peoria County Democrat Tom O'Neill, "I will still be in Peoria to tell Sorrel what to do". They tell most of the city council people, these ivory tower people, "don't look for a replacement for the City Manager you just fired, Urich can do what he did while planning how to sell Peoria County residents the concept that they must merge with the City to "save the City from future bankruptcy".

Don't worry Carol, maybe you and four or five other "country bumpkins" Republicans on the board did not know what was going on, but County Board members like "fence straddler Republican" Stephen Morris, Democrat Board Chairman O'Neill, and most Democrats Board members did know.

Who are these "transparency" 'leaders' who have have been leading us into what will one of the highest taxed Counties in the bankrupt Democrat led State of Illinois? I predict they are Henry Hollings, Caterpillar and two ex-Cat CEOs, a guy named Gary from Bradley, a brokerage big-wig, the three Bradley profs who predict that the PRM will bring in $14 million (add inflation to this figure) a year in new business over the next 60 years, some City Council people like Tim Riggenbach, who has higher ambitions than a lowly Councilman, some bankers, at least one developer and her husband, etc.

Oh well, Peoria has always been known for it's deals cut behind closed doors.
As to Urich, as a bureaucrat, he always knows where the wind blows, never offends anyone and is probably the best one to lead a Uni-Gov in Peoria once formed.

If you have been a long time blog reader of mine, you know I have always believed that combining services is usually more economical for the residents and especially the property tax payers. I was a leader in attempting to combine the election services, emergency services, building code uniformity, neighborhood infrastructure and improvement, etc., so I hope that what is going on behind closed doors will result in smaller government with more services bid to allow the private sector to compete with the public sector.

As a successful businessman, after a lot of struggles, hard work and long hours, I know that the successful private sector is the sector that pays the salaries and benefits of those in the public sector.

This having been said, I advise leaders in the County, not necessarily our politicians, be wary as to projections as Peoria has an amazing record of missing "projections". Did I just read that the original Glen Oak School plan ran around 20% over its projected budget? What about Harrison.

Remember, property tax payer, the School Dist. #150 expansion bond taxes (I estimate with interest approx. $130 million was borrowed) will start coming due in 2012 or 2013.

And then there is the ball park. My $50,000.00 investment has been for sale for 13 years without an offer. (Why did I invest? I didn't know that behind closed doors the club was planning to move to the so-called riverfront). Although the ordinary ticket buyer can't see the river. And then on the local governments record there is Mid-Town, a smaller grocery store on SW Adams, FireFly, In-Play, Globe Energy, RiverStation, etc.

What happened to the planned African Exhibit entrance to Glen Oak Park and the paved parking lot to handle the big crowds? These upgrades were budgeted to cost $5 million. Also, why did the Peoria Park District is alleged to have budgeted a $750,000.00 loss for the zoo in their 2011 budget if the new zoo is meeting its projections??

And again, the land swap between Bradley and the Park's former Meinen Field that never happened? Don't you recall Casssidy and Noble boasting how the PPD would soon have new ball fields to complement East Peoria world class ball fields that bring hundreds of thousands of visitor dollars into the community each year? Those braggings that never happen are typical of the PPD operated on an amazing $44 million dollar budget. Remember the bragging about a skate board park?

Find it.

And tax-payer backed new Marriott Courtyard downtown?

What happened to the $100-300 million sewer system that the mayor and the Greater Peoria Sanitary District leader, Stanton Browning was a "must do" according to common sense and a "mandate??" from the Illinois EPA?

Good luck, Peoria County little people residents, at 85, I'm soon out of here. In the meantime, I'm in sunny (and windy) Florida playing tennis so why am I "p----ing in the wind" as an ex-County Board member so often writes about my efforts to bring fiscal sanity to this community.

Hm.