Central Illinois reacts to Gorbachev visit

Over 1200 guests from throughout Central Illinois gathered at the new Peoria Civic Center ballroom to see and hear former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev.

For full coverage of the Gorbachev visit, please see my post on the Peoria Pundit.

It was a rare opportunity for us all. A chance to be a part of history - and many are still talking about it. Dr. David Arnold, Eureka College President, is particularly pleased with how the event turned out.

I am still walking on air. In terms of preparation, the event was extremely well-orchestrated by my staff, and the campus visit was positively received by President Gorbachev and his daughter, Irina. In fact, he said it was one of the best days of his life!"

Dr. Arnold recalled a fond moment with the former president.

President Gorbachev asked what is meant by the expression "How will it play in Peoria?" The next day we were able to share with him the front page of the Saturday Peoria Journal Star. Obviously, we were able to show him that "Mikhail Gorbachev plays very well in Peoria!"

He also found him to be a very spontaneous and gracious guest. "He was always reaching out to people, asking them questions, and often showing a great sense of humor about the things he was experiencing during his visit."

Zachary Treadway is a teacher of Social Sciences at Pontiac Twp. High School. I had the pleasure of sharing a table with him and about 8 of his students at the "Witness to History" event. He sent me this e-mail:

I thought Gorbachev was excellent. The kids responded well to him, especially when he spoke about the importance of trying to understand people on a personal level and not buying in to propaganda and stereotypes. As educators we always stress to our students the importance of forming their own informed opinions about issues and people and it was great to hear one of the most important world leaders of the past century reinforce that.

Zachary's student, Shiann Poshard, a student at Pontiac Twp. High, had a somewhat mixed review on the lecture, but was very impressed with Gorbachev. He thought the first panelist was a little "out there". Overall, though, he did feel they did an effective job putting the period into perspective. Regarding Gorbachev himself, Shiann had this to say:

I thought Gorbachev did a wonderful job, and honestly I was just honored and very humbled to be in his presence. He was a very funny man, and this just reminded me that even though he is known for such a big event in history, he is also a real man who is like anyone else. What stood out to me the most of the whole presentation was that I got to really understand that even though the world was going through such a fear-full and panicked time, some people were able to keep a level head and make wise decisions that inevitably lead to peace and a better world in general. I was very moved at this banquet because opportunities to hear and see someone as influential like Gorbachev do not come too often. He changed the world in his own way, and I believe that if he can, then so can I and other people who want to make a difference.

Peoria Mayor Jim Ardis was pinching himself as he walked out onto the tarmac to greet the visiting President:

When walking across the tarmac I asked Rep. Leitch if he ever imagined he'd have an opportunity like this..... welcoming the former President of the Soviet Union to Peoria, Illinois. That's what I was thinking. How unlikely. It was almost unbelievable.

Jim explained that they welcomed Mr. Gorbachev through his interpreter, and he was very tired after a long day. He had had an extended lunch with George Shultz and Henry Kissinger earlier that day! Jim was moved by his comments Friday evening as well:

I thought his comments during his speech were amazing. The one thing that struck me was how lucky we were, collectively as citizens of the United States and Russia, to have these two men leading our countries at that particular time in history. Two men with bigger egos and less ability to communicate may never have had the success that Reagan and Gorbachev did as they moved the world towards nuclear disarmament.

Hmmm. Wise words regarding a world leader, from a local leader. Finally, a giant Thank you to Eureka College, particularly Michelle Lehman, for allowing me to be part of this awesome event!

Can't wait to hear what all the cop-bashing bloggers say about this!

The full story is here. A police officer in North Carolina stopped a shooting rampage at a local nursing home.

Justin Garner was the only officer on duty Sunday in the town of Carthage, population 2,021 when he saw a vehicle shot up in the parking lot of the Pinelake Health and Rehab Center. He heard shots from inside. He didn't wait for other officers; he went right in, said his uncle, William Garner.

"One of the first things he saw was someone who'd been shot," said William Garner, who said he talked to his nephew about what happened. "I have no doubt that he knew it was going to get a whole lot worse if he didn't do something." When Justin Garner came across the shooter reloading a shotgun "he gave him several opportunities to put the weapon down," the uncle said. "I think he learned that if it ever happened again, he'll only tell the person once or twice to drop that gun." Garner shot Robert Stewart, 45, a house painter who allegedly murdered seven residents of Pinelake and a nurse. Garner was shot by Stewart, getting hit with two buckshot pellets in his leg and one in his foot, the uncle said.

Damn cops. Too bad Garner didn't try to help the gunman get in touch with his feelings.

Peoria's hot Real Estate pockets

Here is an article by DeWayne Bartels of the Peoria Times Observer regarding several Peoria subdivisions that are continuing to do very well in terms of Days on Market and list/sale price ratio's. An insightful article and some of the comments contained within are simply BRILLIANT! heh heh.

Peoria Mayor Jim Ardis encourages supporters to get out the vote!

Supporters of Peoria Mayor Jim Ardis gathered Thursday for a fundraiser and "Get out the vote" rally at Brewers Distributing on Townline Road in Peoria. Jim was a little late arriving at the event. He had a good enough reason though. He was meeting visiting former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev at the airport. Gorbachev will be speaking on behalf of Eureka College tomorrow night at the Peoria Civic Center.

Jim encouraged the crowd to make sure they vote on April 7th. He said that voter turnout is predicted to be very light, somewhere in the vicinity of 15 - 20%. That makes each and every vote exceedingly important.

Our boy with Mayor Jim Ardis taken this evening.

Jim also briefly mentioned the Museum referendum. He recognized that it is a personal choice, and always respectful, said he doesn't want to tell anyone how to vote. He did encourage everyone to consider supporting the museum and to "dream big". He felt it would be a big boost for the downtown area. I agree.

Jim doesn't want to tell you how to vote, but I will. Please re-elect Peoria Mayor Jim Ardis, and vote YES on the public facility tax. Thank you.

A big thank you to At-large council member George Jacob for the use of his beautiful facility.

Realtors, Homeowners call "FOUL" on Peoria Board of Review

The Peoria County Board of Review has come under fire from multiple sources recently regarding policies and decisions made by them at the Property tax Board of Review level.

For background, please refer to this article by Karen McDonald of the PJStar and this article and this article by DeWayne Bartels of the Times Observer. Outstanding, detailed coverage is why they get paid the BIG BUCKS! heh heh.

For the past several weeks, I have been receiving copies of letters and e-mails addressed to various county board representatives and Administrators from taxpayers pleading for their claims of unfair treatment at the hands of the B of R to be investigated and addressed by the entire county board. Apparently, this has been on-going for several years, but the county board has never undertaken any serious investigation into the allegations.

I can understand the taxpayers level of frustration. At the last County Board meeting (which I attended) many of them addressed the full board. My reaction as well as the reaction of those who spoke was that 1. their concerns were marginalized 2. blame was transferred from one county entity to another and 3. The Board attorney refused to allow any testimony that would cast the Board of Review in a bad light and 4. The few board members that did agree and sympathize with the taxpayers (Widmer, Baietto and a lady (not sure of her name)) were met with smirks and eye rolls from several of their fellow county board members. This is not hearsay, I saw it with my own two eyes!

Today there will be an important County Board real estate tax committee meeting of which I cannot attend but these are the issues as I see them. I will refer frequently to Karen McDonald's article in the Peoria Journal Star.

Shadid says: "When an individual brings a property, the result of our decision will have an effect on their neighbors. If we do lower it it has to be based on some sound evidence that the neighborhood is depreciating"

Fact: Their only task at a Board of Review hearing should be to identify the FAIR MARKET VALUE of the particular property in question. Attempting to factor in "the big picture" is being fundamentally unfair to the appellant.

Shadid says: County officials say a change in the process has prompted more complaints. "Now property owners must file standardized forms and follow procedures that did not exist before."

Fact: This is patently UNTRUE. I filed my first protest in Peoria County over 10 years ago and the appellant must still follow virtually the same procedure and fill out nearly identical grids. The current Bd of R. policies require additional documentation that has made it more time consuming for the appellant but other than that the procedure has been relatively unchanged.

Shadid says: "Some property owners are attempting to get lower assessments using distressed sales, or foreclosures, as being comparable to the worth of their property, which are deemed invalid by the Supervisor of Assessments and Illinois Department of Revenue."

Fact: The fact that a property was sold as a foreclosure does not give the Board of Review license to throw common sense out the window. Foreclosures and bank sales are becoming increasingly common these days and the fact is that many of them are sold the exact same way a non-foreclosure is sold. That is, put on the market via the MLS and sold at the highest price the market will bear. The B of R is claiming far too frequently that a recent sale price is not in fact a reflection of its fair market value when most often it is! Ask yourself this. Under what circumstances would any seller (whether it be a bank or individual) want to sell a property for less than the market will bear? The Board of Reviews ONLY mission is to identify the FAIR MARKET VALUE of the ONE subject property at issue. Much of their arguments are red herrings and are only further indication that they are not being fair to the individual taxpayer.

A few last minute points. The Peoria County Board of Review is systematically arguing in case after case that home values are HIGHER than what a willing buyer has paid a willing seller after being subject to normal competition in the market place. In simpler terms, imagine a scenario where you purchase a home for $100,000 and the very same year the Board of Review tells you your home is really worth $140,000, and THAT is what they will base your taxes on. This is what I would consider "manufacturing" home values, and should not be allowed to continue.

Further, it is absolutely ESSENTIAL that if you are turned down at the Peoria B of R level, you MUST APPEAL to the state. This is the only way the local B of R will get the message that we are serious. Do not let anyone tell you that it is a long and difficult process. That would be untrue. It is certainly no more difficult, and the amount of time should have no bearing, because if you win, you will be entitled to a refund of your overpayment.

Here is an e-mail I just received from Realtor and homeowner Brian Monge of Jim Maloof Realtor:

“Fair” property taxes in Peoria? It has always been my understanding that property taxes should be based off the fair market value of your home and that figure is derived from what your home would bring on the open market. This is not how the current system works.I recently purchased a home for $72,000 (a home in very good condition, not a bank foreclosure). A home the owner had on the market for over one year, trying to get a higher sale price. The board of review changed the “fair” market value from $101,000 to $92,000 (not the true market value of $72,000). This is only one example of many! The idea of the Peoria County Board of Review members clearly inflating market values is unethical, most likely illegal, and a slap in the face to the Peoria County residents they are suppose to serve. I urge all Peoria County Board Members and taxpayers to review the current Peoria Property Tax Board of Review members and take immediate action to move this county forward in a fair and just direction.

All eyes should be on the County Board to see what if anything they will do to correct these perceived inequities. Homeowners in Peoria do not want preferential treatment, they only expect FAIR treatment. Peoria home owners should pay taxes on what their home is actually worth, not what the Board of Review hopes it will be worth.

Doug Whitley announces bid for Illinois Governor

The morning after the Schwartz soiree I attended a breakfast for recently announced Gubernatorial candidate Doug Whitley. Doug is an energetic and dynamic individual and suffice it to say he is fired up! His main goal if elected governor would be to restore trust and confidence in Illinois government. He feels that our national reputation has been destroyed and it will take strong and competant leadership to rebuild it.



Doug is frankly shocked at the lack of outrage over the state of our government. "The next governor will have to literally re-build our state" Doug said. "After a decade of lost leadership, Illinois can no longer compete in a global market. Our state has turned their back on business and we need an entirely new direction. Indiana is flourishing under the leadership of two effective governors, and folks are moving from Illinois!" He also made note of the fact that approximately every 10 years Illinois loses another congressman because of our declining (flee-ing) population. As Illinoisans, we should be very concerned.



"What do you do, do you give up? flee?" Doug asked. In his case, he runs for Governor. Doug realizes that being a candidate will require a lot of personal sacrifice from himself and his family, but he feels an obligation to public service. "I am the person who has the skills, the background and the knowledge to fix what is broken. If there is someone who steps up to the plate who is more qualified than myself, I'll gladly step aside. But for the sake of the citizens of Illinois, we need strong capable leadership, and I'm the one who can deliver." Here is a brief bio:

A passionate advocate, Whitley tirelessly promotes a supportive and cost competitive business climate in order to nurture investment and job growth in Illinois.

Whitley has a long record of business leadership and expertise in legislation, taxation and regulation, which he has earned in a career spanning the public and private sectors. Before joining the Illinois Chamber, Whitley was President of Ameritech Illinois for the six years prior to SBC Corporation’s acquisition of Ameritech. Whitley served two years as Director of the Illinois Department of Revenue during the administration of Governor Jim Edgar. As president of the Taxpayers’ Federation of Illinois for 14 years Whitley built a solid reputation as the taxpayers’ fiscal watchdog in the state house.

Doug also spoke later that evening at the Tazewell County Republican Lincoln Day Dinner. There is good PJStar coverage of that event here.

It it is crucial that Republicans win back the Governorship in 2010. One party rule is a recipe for broken and corrupt Government. I agree with him. He's got my vote.

Funny story. This story has been in my drafts file for awhile with a back-log of future posts. I saw Doug Crew, who is managing Mr. Whitley's campaign at the Peoria Republican Dinner last Saturday. Doug deadpanned with a slight eye roll that he read my blog post about the petrified hamburger. Being an astute blogger, I read between the lines buckled down and completed this post. Lol, Mr. Crew!!

Ian Schwartz - over and out!

Friends, family, bloggers, and cast and Crew of HOI news and WEEK turned out to bid adieu to HOI news-anchor Ian Schwartz last Friday at Kellehers. Ian is relocating back to his old stomping grounds of Mesa, AZ. Sniff sniff.

I will never forget Ian's humor, fearlessness and the sensational piece he did on internet predators. He put the dude from "Dateline" to shame in a very understated, Ian sort of way. My fav memory of him is last Christmas Eve when he did the newscast as Santa Claus. I didn't even realize it was him but caught on when Santa kept talking about what a great newsman Ian Schwartz was. Guess I need to teach him a thing or two about subtlety.

One of the more notable moments of the evening was the HOI camera man telling the Bloggers a surefire way to get press passes. Heh heh. I'd tell you all, but then I'd have to kill ya! Below from Left to right is Ian, me, and the infamous Scott Janz.



Below Left to right, Paul Wilkinson, Ashley McNamee, Jen Christensen, me and Gina Ford.



Ian, We will miss your smiling face, and you deserve all the best. You better get back here often or Paul and I will come looking for you with our cameras - probably in about January. God speed!

A Message From General Parker, candidate for Mayor

Below is a comment posted by General Parker on another thread. I felt its points are relevant enough to make it it's own post. I have great admiration and respect for General Parker and his wife, Rachael and appreciate their tireless efforts in making Peoria a better community. They are honest, decent and hard-working people. That said, I would like to make it perfectly clear that my husband and I fully support the re-election campaign of Mayor Jim Ardis, and endorse him. We feel that Jim is doing a great job as Mayor, and he deserves to continue his vision in a second term. Additionally, with all due respect to Mr. Parker, given the challenges that Peoria as a community is currently facing, it does not need the added drama of a newly elected Mayor that cannot serve.

Diane,

I have sent a letter to the Journal Star and also to Billy Dennis. They seem to want to refuse to publish it. Guess I was wrong about bloggers.

Here is the letter I wrote and I just want you to know how feel and where I stand whether or not you publish it:

MAYORAL RACE

After lots of prayer and discussions with various people, I reluctantly became a candidate for Mayor of the City of Peoria when no one else was willing to challenge the incumbent. This race, and my campaign, is about issues and ideas. I believe the taxpayers of Peoria are not and have not been getting the basic city services they have been paying for with tax dollars. We need a change at city hall and I believe I can deliver the change that’s needed. The Journal Star has not been fair in its news coverage of this mayoral race and continues to assassinate my character at every opportunity. I believe that they will continue to do so. They endorsed my opponent without inviting me for a sit down interview to find out my position on the issues which affect all the taxpayers of Peoria. They also may not publish my answers to their election questionnaire. This questionnaire is very important because it gives the voter a side by side response by the both of us to specific questions of concern to the voters and the community. Hence, this letter may be my only opportunity to let the voters know my position on the key issues which affect us all.

First of all, I do support Lakeview museum and its quest for expansion and to bring a world class museum to Peoria, however I believe it should be expanded at its’ present location or another parcel of property that is already designated as nonprofit. The proposed riverfront location would result in a sales tax increase and remove prime real estate from the property tax base of Peoria.

Second, I would not have supported using 39.3 million dollars of taxpayers money to fund the private development of the new Marriott Hotel.

Third, I would put a moratorium on establishing anymore TIF districts or enterprise zones, especially in areas that abuse or misuse the incentive.

Fourth, we need to take the lead and ensure our public school system have all the tools necessary to guarantee student achievement.

Fifth, we need to ensure that our public safety workers have the adequate equipment and manpower needed to keep our public safe and make timely responses.

Sixth, I am committed to an open and transparent government. The citizens will remained informed and litigation will be kept to a minimal.

Seventh, we need to resurface all streets and sidewalks, especially in District 1, that are in serious disrepair or are nonexistent.

Eight, the City should negotiate an agreement with Comcast which would generate the most revenue for the City of Peoria while at the same time, substantially reduce the number of consumer complaints.

Ninth, we need to establish and implement strong neighborhood associations and empower them because their success is essential to taking back our neighborhoods and making them safe again.

This is a list of some of my priorities.

If elected, I will work with council to make city government more responsive to taxpayers. Some suggest that a vote for Parker is a wasted vote or more specifically “a vote in vain”. This is not true because the will of the people will prevail. Your vote is a testament of your beliefs and ideas. If my ideas outlined above are your ideas, then in no way is your vote in vain or wasted. In Missouri, John Ashcroft lost an election to Mel Carnahan, a dead man. Those voters did not believe their votes were in vain even though there was no way a dead man could serve. They voted for what Mel Carnahan stood for. Believe you me, your vote counts.
When elected, I will receive my long sought after pardon and I will proudly serve as Mayor of Peoria. If you share my concerns then I ask for your vote on April 7th.

General Parker, CCCA

More parade pics!!!

Thanks to my favorite Photog Paul Wilkinson for sharing these!



This one made my heart skip a beat.



Peoria City Council Candidate Curphy Smith



Da Mayor!



Ah-hem, Ryan. You look entirely too comfortable in this role!!



Gotta have the eye candy, eh Paul?



One for the ladies!



A ticker tape parade!



It was a great day!



Thanks for the awesome photos, Paul!

They just don't write children's books the way they used to.

Remember the good old days of the classic books "Fun with Dick and Jane" and of course "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish Blue Fish"? Apparently, those days are long gone. What has become of our children's literature these days, anyway? Seriously, check out this book title featured in our children's book fair yesterday:



So we either had some really distracted Moms set this puppy up or one with a slightly off-beat sense of humor. It wasn't me, I swear!

My apologies in advance to anyone offended by my humor.

My favorite parade photos!

Every year it seems the St. Patrick's day parade gets crazier and longer. The weather was beautiful though, and it likely brought out many more people than usual. We had to park in the boonies. A big Thank you to Methodist Diagnostic Center for not towing our car. Getting back to the car after the parade was a trip. We walked through party central on Main Street and I prayed that the kids would have the image of drunken raucous college students out of their head by the time it was their turn.

Below are a few of my favorite photos from the day. This first one is dedicated to Chef Kev!



And of course who can forget my homies at RE/MAX!



A great time was had by all!

Petrified Hamburger with photos!

Have you ever wondered what a 6 month old Steak-N-Shake hamburger would look like if it was left unrefrigerated and stuffed in one of the storage cubbies of a mini-van? Uh-huh. I thought so. So without further ado I give you...



Just one more benefit of being a faithful Peoriarocks! reader. The sad thing is I never even noticed the smell.

Jim McConoughey helps separate fact from fiction for Peoria Realtors

Peoria Realtors have fielded a lot of concerns from clients and the public lately about the state of our economy and housing market.

So who better to turn to for answers than Jim McConoughey of Heartland Partnership, the presumed expert of all things Peoria. Jim shared his thoughts on the Cat layoffs, area unemployment, housing and retail, and the Peoria Riverfront Museum recently at the Peoria Area Association of Realtors.

Click here to watch the video. It's approximately an hour, but well worth the time investment. It puts all the state and national news in perspective, and may allay some of your concerns.

Lunch with yours truly goes to the first person who can correctly identify the individual who lobs the first question at him ;)

HEALTH NOTIFICATION BULLETIN - URGENT NOTICE - OPEN IMMEDIATELY

Did I get your attention? Are ya scared? A piece of mail boldly marked with URGENT NOTICE written 100 times in the background arrived in our mailbox today. It was addressed to my husband. Now I never open my husbands mail. He's kind of funny about that.. but when this arrived, I was worried. The return address was 4704 N. Sheridan Road, Peoria, which I estimated to be right about where the Public Health Department was.

I kept staring at that letter and all kinds of weird scenarios started running through my head. It looked very "official". Had the kids been lead tested at school perhaps? Did we eat something that had been recalled? Was there a lice epidemic at school? Had some long lost lover... never mind. As I looked at that letter with my mind racing, I knew there was NO way I was going to wait until the dh got home to open it.

So this next part is OFF THE RECORD! Agreed? If not, read no further.

I opened the letter.

Tinnitus Health Notification. Are you hard of hearing or do you suffer from ringing in your ears? Beltone is pleased to announce a special 3-Day hearing Health event in your area. Blah blah blah... Call Now if you wish to be included in this special event.

My reaction was a mixture of 1. relief that none of us was facing imminent death 2. extreme annoyance and 3. Glad that I hadn't waited nervously all afternoon for DH to get home.

Well Beltone Hearing Care Centers here is my answer. NO. I am NOT hard of hearing, I am not interested in this event, and if I was I would make it a point to call your competitor.

If something like this comes in the mail again, I'm callin your house and leaving a vague babbling message on your answering machine to call a phone number that goes directly to an ER.

By the way, here is a link to a list of all the consumer complaints against Beltone Hearing Aids.

Peoria Camera Shop to offer Canon camera seminar

It seems everyone has the photography bug these days. Now that the days of clumsy and expensive film processing are over, the sky is the limit. Don't you love the instant gratification of snapping, printing and forwarding right from home? I am no exception and have 1000's of photos to prove it!

I have to confess, however, that my camera's point and shoot feature is pretty much all I know about it. Hopefully that will change after completion of this class being offered by Peoria Camera Shop.

Here are the details:

Thursday, March 19, 2009

7:00 pm to 9:00 pm

Join us and camera Canon Educator Scott Alexander for a special 2 hour in-depth seminar on Canon Digital SLR cameras.

See you there!

A big Thank You to Northminster Presbyterian Church

Thank you to Doug Hucke and Roy Saatkamp of Northminster Presbyterian, for allowing the Christian Center Basketball the use of your awesome gym. It was a great season, in no small part because of your generosity. From the bottoms of our heart, we thank you.

Comfort Quilts: Peorians turn out this Saturday to support families of fallen Marines

Thank you to Karrie Alms for this press release. Here is a great example of ordinary citizens making a difference. Hope to see lots of faces this Saturday at Northwoods Mall in support of the families of our fallen Marines. Bring the kids and if possible some swaths of pre-washed 100% cotton material.

When: Saturday March 7, 2009 9am – 1pm

Where: Northwoods Mall, lower level outside JC Penney

What: Comfort Quilts display and activity

Who: Sponsored by Citizen SAM—Citizen Support for America’s Military

Contact person: Tammi Berry at 309-361-4794

Comfort Quilts are handmade and sent to every family in the nation who has lost a soldier in Operation Iraqi Freedom. The quilts consist of 12 x 12 squares each signed with an inspirational message. Sue Scheri from Spring Valley, IL has been a member of Marine Comfort Quilts for the past five years and will be on hand to answer questions and give direction. To date, 4000 Comfort Quilts have been completed by the organization. Citizen SAM is partnering with them to contribute to this effort. Volunteers will be cutting out quilt squares and signing messages of comfort. There will be at least two Comfort Quilts displayed on loan to us from local families who have lost a loved one in Iraq. To view a gallery of these quilts click on the following link http://marinecomfortquilts.us People wanting to become involved locally can learn more by visiting www.citizensam.org.

(Citizen SAM was formerly Central Illinois Proud Families of Marines)