Our Communities: The Good, Bad, and Ugly
Seen the new campaign in Pekin? With the motto, "Pekin. What a pleasant surprise," the city is off and running on an ambitious campaign to attract new business and spur growth. In the process, organizers hope it will build residents’ self-esteem and attract a more diverse population.
Impressive work and most commendable. This kind of campaign-along with the road, retail, and riverfront work underway in Pekin-is one of the best investments a city can make in itself.
God speed.
It takes a team
If efforts like Pekin’s are to succeed, it’ll take the enthusiasm and support of elected officials. Without that, anything community groups do is little more than spitting into the wind.
A Vision 2020 group is hard at work to make central Illinois a highly attractive place to live and work. But nothing will be accomplished without backing from city councils.
Certainly, money is tight and urgent needs must be met first. Difficult as it is, city officials must look upon such projects as necessary investments in the future. While the dollars may not be there right now, nothing should prevent unrestrained moral support.
Such investments deserve a higher rung on the priority ladder of city expenditures. Certainly they’ll have a more positive impact on the future of a city than funding a retirement home disguised as a fire station.
A river runs through it
It’s encouraging to see more and more attention paid to capitalizing on the area’s major area asset-the Illinois River. From the eventual design of the museum to the direction and purpose of even restaurants, people are thinking of how what’s being done ties into the river.
While it’s sadly too late in at least one key spot, we’d like to see cities require more than just passing attention to the river in future development.
Give us at least one of the above
So here we are, not even a year into the term of our latest governor, and it’s hard to find any person or business that hasn’t been "touched" by the policies emanating out of Springfield-or is it Chicago?
More than $2 billion in new taxes, fees, and mandates are already on the books, and who knows what’s to come? Trucking fees up some 36 percent, landfill fees are up, taxes on new tire purchases, discharge permits for municipalities, you name it (except, of course, the income tax) and it’s gone up.
Many small pharmacies are struggling because of delayed state payments, but the "pork for pals" tradition from the governor’s office continues.
We have 37 months to the next election. Can’t both parties commit themselves to ensuring that won’t be the third consecutive election where voters would have opted for a "none of the above" choice if it were available?
City manager search
There may have been a more disgusting and embarrassing time in Peoria’s history, but darned if I can think of it. IBI
Impressive work and most commendable. This kind of campaign-along with the road, retail, and riverfront work underway in Pekin-is one of the best investments a city can make in itself.
God speed.
It takes a team
If efforts like Pekin’s are to succeed, it’ll take the enthusiasm and support of elected officials. Without that, anything community groups do is little more than spitting into the wind.
A Vision 2020 group is hard at work to make central Illinois a highly attractive place to live and work. But nothing will be accomplished without backing from city councils.
Certainly, money is tight and urgent needs must be met first. Difficult as it is, city officials must look upon such projects as necessary investments in the future. While the dollars may not be there right now, nothing should prevent unrestrained moral support.
Such investments deserve a higher rung on the priority ladder of city expenditures. Certainly they’ll have a more positive impact on the future of a city than funding a retirement home disguised as a fire station.
A river runs through it
It’s encouraging to see more and more attention paid to capitalizing on the area’s major area asset-the Illinois River. From the eventual design of the museum to the direction and purpose of even restaurants, people are thinking of how what’s being done ties into the river.
While it’s sadly too late in at least one key spot, we’d like to see cities require more than just passing attention to the river in future development.
Give us at least one of the above
So here we are, not even a year into the term of our latest governor, and it’s hard to find any person or business that hasn’t been "touched" by the policies emanating out of Springfield-or is it Chicago?
More than $2 billion in new taxes, fees, and mandates are already on the books, and who knows what’s to come? Trucking fees up some 36 percent, landfill fees are up, taxes on new tire purchases, discharge permits for municipalities, you name it (except, of course, the income tax) and it’s gone up.
Many small pharmacies are struggling because of delayed state payments, but the "pork for pals" tradition from the governor’s office continues.
We have 37 months to the next election. Can’t both parties commit themselves to ensuring that won’t be the third consecutive election where voters would have opted for a "none of the above" choice if it were available?
City manager search
There may have been a more disgusting and embarrassing time in Peoria’s history, but darned if I can think of it. IBI
