The wheels of government turn slowly
Last week, City Councilman Gary Sandberg sharply rebuked Pat Landes, Peoria’s director of planning and growth management, for suggesting that permit approval sometimes takes a matter of minutes.
Apparently, this is also a problem in Chicago.
People want to do away with the bureaucracy to speed things up and make the city a good place to do business.
But they also want a ton of rules to make sure that nothing unsafe, unsightly or immoral sets up shop next door.
It’s like matter and antimatter. You can’t have both.
Billy Dennis is a former reporter and editor at small daily and weekly newspapers in Illinois and Missouri. He comments on media, news and politics. He also owns and operates 
