Brent Lonteen and the PCB

The resignation of Brent Lonteen, President and CEO of the Peoria Area Visitors and Convention Bureau was made public Friday. His three week absence from his office created a period of public speculation which continues today. Maybe the problem is with the organization. My contact with the PVC has been infrequent starting with criticism I received from Greg Edwards who held Brent's position at one time. Greg's brother Rick has been and is chairman of the PCB board.

Greg criticized me for resigning from the Prairie States Games Board in Peoria when I learned the organization wasn't organized at all. It had been kicked out of various communities, the last location Bloomington. The leaders were more interested in socializing at bars and fund raising efforts, (they left Peoria owing local businesses an alleged $40,000) than developing venues for youth. Next year they were gone from Peoria and again have had trouble finding a home roving from city to city. I searched for PSG on the net and found they had finally landed in Bensenville with much hype. The net and other sources say they had the same problems in Bensenville. I could not find where they were active this year.

The JSEB criticized me also for resigning. Had they asked the sports desk who was familiar with the problems Peoria was encountering, but in those days certain people on the JSEB "knew it all". Years later, 1999, the JS wrote that this "mickey mouse" operation should be shut down.

When Dave Williams was chair of the Peoria County Board, he noticed that no one from the county had filled an open PCB advisory seat or board seat for years. Dave submitted a qualified board member only to be told that Peoria County no longer was invited to sit on any PCB board or committee.

Maybe the problems at the PCB are just that; PCB problems.