Like the Borg, Civic Center will assimilate Peoria’s hotels

September 16, 2006
By Billy Dennis

Yesterday, I wrote that while the Peoria Civic Center was created as a way to help bring business to Peoria hotels, the plan now seems to be to build hotels to keep the Peoria Civic Center from going out of business. Today’s article on Peoria hotel renovations makes me think that by building a new hotel, the Peoria Civic Center will probably put one or two out of business.

If the Peoria City Council is serious about boosting private development — the best kind — then instead of letting the Civic Center Authority build a new hotel, it ought to declare that the city will do no such thing. Ever. Then, we can sit back and watch the free market work.

Nah. Most people on the council — much to my annoyance — continue to operate under the philosophy that the entire City of Peoria exists to keep the Peoria Civic Center afloat. As someone before me once wrote, the tail isn’t just wagging the dog, the tail has picked up the dog and is whirling it around the room like a rock tied on the end of a string.

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2 Responses to “ Like the Borg, Civic Center will assimilate Peoria’s hotels ”

  1. Anon E. Mouse on September 16, 2006 at 3:23 pm

    I agree that we should let the free market work this out.

    (PS: If this hotel were also the home site for Muni Wi-Fi, Bill would have to support it wholeheartedly, though.)

  2. Mahkno on September 16, 2006 at 10:16 pm

    Sell the civic center and use the revenue to hire more police officers.