Citizens For Responsible Spending

Eric Turner, who was recently reelected to the City Council with 6,911 "votes" to newcomer Chuck Weaver's 14,785 votes, had made derogatory comments about the folks involved with CFRS by saying "Do these (you) people ever vote for anything positive"? Yes, Eric, we do. We vote for responsible spending which is about as positive as we can get these days. The City you have long "represented" is suffering from a $13-14 million budget deficit. The city budget deficit is widening while crime is up and our streets, curbs and sidewalks are a disgrace to any community spending an $160,000,000.00 yearly budget.

Turner likes to use the term "you people". At a city council meeting Turner used the term when castigating a neighbor hood group who were trying to stop the down slide of their part of our community. Turner, who is not listed in the phone book and usually has a full email box, probably lives in a nicer neighborhood with well maintained streets and no crime.

Turner, a minority, (being black still constitutes a minority for the time being) who says he doesn't need the 5 for 1 vote to get reelected, but still spent $17,000+ on his campaign. Or about $4 dollars per vote figuring approximately 4700 actual voters selected him. Whatever legislative action is needed to stop the 5 for 1 ridiculous way of voting, is needed to be in action now.

Who are those responsible? Maybe the JSEB can do more than print a protest.

Of course, Turner is not alone in voting for more spending whether in the form of police and firefighters pensions or hotels. A survey a few years ago, showed when it came to capital expenditure voting, 70 times out of 73, the politicians voted "yes".

Of the lousy 18% voter turnout for this April election, it could be that people no longer care who gets elected. Possibly, it is because approximately 50% pay no income taxes and 50% of the residents also pay no property taxes in the City of Peoria.

No, Mr. Turner, those you derogatorily refer to as "you or 'these' people" are very POSITIVE about risk spending when it is NOT YOUR PERSONAL MONEY you vote to spend on risky projections. But, then it is possible people who would ordinarily vote, just aren't interested in politics anymore. Maybe its because they believe most politicians say what it takes to get reelected; their promises are just that, promises, are too busy searching for a job to pay their bills, stressed out or aren't educated or brave enough to use the new voting machine technology, etc.

Or forgot to vote.

So sad. With only two new members on the Peoria City Council; George Jacobs was a tremendous asset hopefully only temporarily gone, and a "new" City Manager, I still see the City Council as between a "rock and a hard spot" when it comes to balancing the budget without more "garbage taxes", sales taxes or raising fines and fees. Or another attempt to buy the water company with money we don't have. Slowing the growth of pensions will help if it can be done, but cutting fat where fat can be cut, or hired directors who can control the powerful unions, would be a big help.