Jim Ardis For Mayor - Again??

Soon, most Peorians will face the fact that Peoria is broke. Who, of any ability wants this thankless job except the incumbent and one other candidate. People forget. Ardis was a strong supporter (Dave Leitch was a stronger supporter) of the bankrupt Firefly that was supposed to be the greatest thing that was happening in Peoria and Illinois since Caterpillar arrived; now with it's 16.000 present local employees. Taxpayer loss between the County and City on the bankrupt FireFly was near $8 million.

Ardis put us on the hook for over $37 million in deals with Gary Matthews who may or may not be in very strong financial position.Should know shortly.

Ardis also supported the PRM (the City gave land valued between $11 and $14 million); a PRM yhat is at this point, approximately 700,000 short of projected visitors. And the County is on the hook for their ownership of the PRM building which includes maintenance.

Ardis changed over the years from a supporter of the little guy to a servant of the elite.Peoria elite got what they wanted. Now they leave it to the taxpayers to meet the bond payments with interest running into the high millions.

And then their is the abandoned Cub Building. The failed Tech Center, and the failure of three  big box stores. With probably more to come in 2017-18.

And then their is the Warehouse District on which somewhere in the neighborhood of $32 million  of taxpayers money was spent.The developers scored but the little guy lost.

Little is heard in the JS about the Cities investment in the new sports complex. No one I know has played there as yet. It came in approximately one year behind schedule and when I drove out there last fall, the entrance was blocked.

And the Peoria Baseball Chiefs, who have not disclosed their 2016 attendance (neither has the PRM and no census figures from the taxpayer supported Pere and Marriott) and who are supplemented by about $8-9 million taxpayer dollars

Then there our our streets, curbs and sidewalks, probably in the worst condition of any State north of the Mason-Dixon line. And no hope for repairs in sight as the City has elected to widen Northmoor and probably do $10-12 million dollars of work on Western.

Hmmm.

The City of Peoria is controlled by the unions, especially the notorious AFSCME. Read my blog titled "AFSCME Union", dated 6/30/2009.  Ardis, a quasi-Republican with his Democrat brother Tony, are strong union supporters and would never agree to making Illinois a RTW State and abolish the disaster called the Bacon-Davis act or Davis-Bacon Act that has cost taxpayers a trillion or more dollars since its' inception..

I will vote for neither. I will write in a vote for Bob Manning, one of the best City Councilman in recent history.