Widmer's Vacation is Over

Coming back from a two months vacation in sunny South Florida and Cancun, I had to go through over one hundred old newspapers, magazines and publications. I've already played tennis three times, organized hundreds of clippings, attended the best Mardi Gra party in Peoria, organized my tax records, read, answered and deleted some 250 emails, read other bloggers blogs, talked with County Board members, overcame my bloggers "block" and am ready to write again.

As I dig into past and present happenings, my background shows I have never been against unions, I worked with the Teamsters 22 years while I owned Widmer Office Products/Widmer Interiors. I was a school teacher who realized in my first year that teachers needed bargaining rights. It is the belligerence of today's unions as witnessed in Madison that I oppose. See my next blog.

I loved to play ball of anykind, loved libraries and zoo's. Growing, as I did at Widmer's, at one time having over 90 employees in 8 different locations. We occupied over 80,000 sq. ft. of space, from Decatur and Springfield to Bettendorf, Iowa, opened a small office and showroom in Phoeniz, AZ., started Widmer Leasing, Copier Systems, warehoused for a major marketing company based in Cincinnati, (MIV), sold franchises, etc., all done without the use of taxpayer dollars.

My stance on certain taxpayer related issues are quite simple as follows:

I bought into the Peoria Baseball Chiefs when they were playing at Meinen Field. I opposed the move downtown to the present "O'Brien Field". (O'Brien quit paying for naming rights years ago but didn't object to the use of their name on the stadium and advertising when the management of the Chiefs couldn't/haven't found another sponsor).

I wrote an article printed in the JS titled, "Stockholder: New ballpark too much of a risk. Money-losing operation shouldn't be expanded with public cash." Ex-Gov Jim Ryan, now imprisoned, gave the ballpark at least $2 million of state tax dollars. The City of Peoria kicked in somewhere between $5-6 million depending on city accounting procedures.

Since I bought into the club in 1994, I have never received on dime return on my investment and as usual, I am waiting for the tax form that I expect will show another sizable loss on my investment as it has every year since 1994.

When I heard we were building a $26 million downtown palace without the money to pay for it, I suspected I would never get a return on my investment. My stock has been for sale since 1996. No offers to-date.

I love museums but I could not support the tax referendum to fund building the PRM nor the county's ownership of the building and surroundings. Now another $3 million for 'permanent exhibits' is to be given the PRM as reported in the JS. Does that include the big digital screen and seating; the screen once widely promised to be an IMAX and who knows what now? No one is talking.

Extremely disturbing is that the museum is nowhere near raising the $16 million Endowment fund needed to offset operating costs last projected to be $4.3 million a year and growing. The County originally voted to fund the museum to the tune of $37 million. That figure keeps growing and the last published figure is $43+ million. As of Dec, 31, 2009, approximately $14 million had been spent by the PRM without a shovel of earth turned.

When it comes to the use of public dollars, I have little use for liars. These projects were built on "projections", not one of which has been true. Brad McMillan said to the County Board members while selling the PRM project that "it was not unusual for the taxpayers to fund one third of the cost". Actually, the taxpayers will fund over 70% of the costs.

I oppose the building of a new BelWood Nursing home where projections have risen from around $6 million to totally renovate in year 2000 to rebuild soon a 214 bed unit for a minimum of $65 million including interest. The county does not have the cash. Meanwhile, governments are planning to cut the cost of reimbursing BW for many costs, mainly Medicaid where 80+% of BW clients are Medicaid. State and Federal Governments plan to allocate more money for cheaper and more popular home care. This decision, which I predicted, has left board members divided, Democrats insist on proceeding to commit $65 million regardless of cost and risk to the taxpayers while some of the more common sense Republicans are wisely contesting proceeding.

Very few counties have public owned nursing homes including neighbors Tazewell and Sanagamon counties. Could it be that BW employees roughly 150 union members and the Peoria County Board is dominated by Democrats on all committees. (See my LTE to the JSEB approximately 12/16/2010).

Despite being a minority for all my 3 terms on the Peoria County Board, I take some credit that Mr. Urich left the county with a relatively balanced budget. Mr. Urich used to tell me "I kept him on his toes". We are both gone now but not forgotten. I hope.


I opposed the RiverPlex because of the exaggerated usage projected by the superintendent and disbelief that the RiverPlex (originally call the Rec-Plex interpreted by too many to mean "wreck") would generate a $500,000 profit by 2007. No profit, but approximately $1.2 million in losses.

The PPD has secured a liquor license to hold events inside the new African Zoo to help offset losses. The zoo is projected to lose $750,000 this year according to one board member.

These events like selling liquor compete against the private sector as does the RiverPlex with it's lower rates. The RP does not pay property taxes as does the privately owned Clubs at River City, Landmark, etc. Operating cost and employee benefits are charged to PPD funds to make it appear the RiverPlex breaks even. At last report, approximately 40% of the paying users at the RP come from OUTSIDE the PPD's taxing authority, meaning these people pay no property taxes to support park endeavors.

And the RP is a long way from breaking even, let alone make the profit projected.

The African Exhibit, which I called "Zooilogical" in my 5 blogs leading up to it's construction, was never completed. The planned parking lot was never built and their is small evidence based on visuals, that one is needed. The new signage advertising the exhibit was never built nor was the entry into the park improved as planned. Whether the millions borrowed from the Zoological Society were ever paid back is not known. Since that was private money loaned, I have no problem but the PPD is paying $4 million in interest on both loans. Those are property tax dollars. (Source, JS 9/8/06, "Park District approves loan for zoo of $2.2 million in addition to the $10 million obtained in March).

Then there is the library $40+ million dollar boondoggle. The library board considered closing the downtown library before spending millions to renovate it. They closed the SouthSide Library that they never gave a chance to succeed. Why not succeed? Hours were from 10-5, Monday through Friday. When did adults who could read use it?? They closed Taft Library and RiverWest Library and spent millions adding on to little used Lincoln Library. To complete the folly, they built a new library out along Rt. 6 in the industrial section of the city in competition with Dunlap's new expanded library a mere 5 miles away. Only my actions in swaying one of the critical 6-5 vote preventing the taxpayer from being stuck with another $7 million to expand and renovate Lakeview.

Despite considering at one time the closing of McClure Library, the board elected to renovate at a coat of over a million, all borrowed money.

I am not "aginer" as shown by my business record. The public sector has been the main spender that has gotten this country in the terrible financial shape it is in. Most of the these public expenditures nationwide fly under the radar or are considered priorities by special interest groups. But to spend and risk taxpayer money in such large unpaid projects goes against my experience. Let the private sector take the "high" risk. Not the spend and tax Democrats and the tax and spend Republicans.

Enhancements are nice but they do not bring home owning taxpayers. Well paying jobs do that. Once the building is all done, these projects will not pay taxes but collect taxes from, as an example, the nearly 15,000 people who voted against the PRM.

Trails, sure they are nice and we have an over abundance. But special interests want more. So let these special interests pay for the completion of the Kellar Trail. Don't expect many vehicles to stop to let walkers, hikers and bikers cross Pioneer Parkway, either.