Election Commentaries

Okay, the election is over and this time the popular vote for the Republican President is said to be the largest vote total in history. The spread was significant so most of the lawyers can now go back to their clientele and defend and prosecute their usually non media worthy causes. (Of course the tort lawyers will keep advertising to find users of Vioxx who died of any kind of heart failure.) The candidates stated their accomplishments and outlined their plans for the future of the country. The media reported whatever was being said, put their own twist on these words or pictures and often showed their bias in support of the candidate they favored. And then suddenly it was over with the voter having the last say. Now we will see if the Republicans and Democrats can agree on the priorities that are in the best interests of the country and do what voters elect them to do. These party leaders say to us they plan to work toward these priorities without political affiliation getting in the way. We’ll see. In the meantime we can start looking forward to the 2006 elections. Oh boy!!

No, I didn’t forget our own mayoral races right here in “rivercity”. Three current City Council members are candidates for this position. Unfortunately they helped spend prodigious amounts of your money on such outstanding projects as the ballpark,(missed their attendance projection this season by 92,000), the RiverPlex center,(lost approx. $6,000.00 a day in 2003 and rumored this year to be 2200 contracts below the targeted number of 5,000 (JS 6/16,1999, quoting Bonnie Noble, Park Super), the Gateway Center,(losing $500,000.00 a year, One Tech Plaza, (vacant space) Damons (oops, gone ) Cubs Foods, who received a rumored $5.5 million in tax breaks from the city (guess the two grocery stores that closed up after the Cub store opened, didn’t get any city money), and tax rebates of $706,560.00 to a privately owned riverfront recreation center. (JS, Mike Bailey column 2/2/02.) A strong mayoral candidate should be a shoo-in, but probably not – we seem to love people who spend our money. But help is on the way (THE CUBS ARE COMING TO TOWN IN 2005!!).

Oh, and before I forget, two PPD board members are up for reelection in March, both probably will run unopposed, for who would want to face the wrath of the Park Superintendent. Besides, the PPD’s budget is only $44,700,000.00 next year, up approximately $11,000,000.00 from last year plus selling another $3,000,000.00 bond just like they have done the past four years. Chump change for our Peoria leadership!! (Just think what $20,000,000.00 of that money would do for the infrastructure of the City of Peoria!!) Paul Gordon stated in the JS on 11/02/04, that 4254 people moved out of Peoria last year showing a population loss of 1%. Remember when Peoria was the 2nd largest city in Illinois? But then, why live in the City of Peoria when you can live anywhere and drive over and use our Peoria taxpayer funded money losing facilities?


I voted yesterday, the candidates I supported were most all winners, the stock market was up, I won my tennis matches today and the world is good!! I’m not going to talk about elections for a long time---well at least not till next week.

It’s true we like beautiful things in Peoria, but remember that some people thought Attila the Hun was one of the best dressed people of the 5th century.