FeedToday’s news budget, 12/6/2006
December 6, 2006 in The Wire Tags: Camile Gibson, fire station 11, garbage fee, Jeanette Mitzelfelt, Mary Harkrader, ryne sandberg
All links are via the Journal Star:
- Jeanette Mitzelfelt was fired as executive director of the Peoria City Election Commission. Democrat Mary Harkrader and Republican Camile Gibson voted to give her the boot, while appointed Commissioner LaColis Reed, a Democrat, abstained. Included in this story was news that the board of election commissioners want to start using the services of the Peoria County State’s Attorney’s office instead of private attorney Robert Day.
My two cents: First, using the state’s attorney’s office will cost $12,000 compared to the $4,800 that Day charges. My question is why would the commission be charged anything? I was under the impression that city residents are also county residents. Second: I am shocked, I tell you, shocked, that anyone would play politics with a service that helps determine which politicians win elections. Third: It’s the job of executive directors to get along with their boards, not the other way around.
- Ryne Sandberg will manage the Peoria Chiefs next year.
My two cents: This is good news. The bad news is that he’s NOT actually going to play. And it’s likely to be one and only one season, as he wants to manage in the bigs. No doubt the Cubs envision hiring Sandberg as their new stunt manager after the Lou Piniella show gets cancelled in three seasons.
Also: Is it absolutely necessary that every big story about the Peoria Chiefs slobber all over Pete Vonachen? One of the greatest baseball players of all time is coming to Peoria to manage, and the first half of this article about it is about Vonachen.
- Mistakes were made in the city’s snow removal effort.
My two cents: The public works department thinks stupid car-driving residents are the ones who made them.
- No, Peoria taxpayers. You cannot have a budget that provides adequate police and fire protection. Not yours.
My two cents: They’ve started meeting early — in August — because the the new mayor and council members were serious about fulfilling commitments to re-open Fire Station 11 and doing away with the hated $6 garbage fee that’s been attached to residents water bills to pay for additional police officers. Instead of a brave new budget, residents got more of the same. Don’t count on anything better, because the next budget will be approved by at least two new at-large council members who won’t know enough about the process to make a difference.
- Peoria just recorded its 18th homicide of the year.
My two cents: It’s heart-warming to see that things are getting back to normal and that people are now able to get out and about.
December 6th, 2006 at 3:04 pm
Election Commission: Sure stinks! But of course politics had nothing to do with it…pure coincidence. Bullsh**! Harkrader and Gibson were appointed for one purpose and one purpose only - to get rid of Mitzelfelt for the two Election Boards can be combined. While I continue to think it’s a good idea, I think it better be run by the county now (where in the past I thought an independent group would be better); because it’s clear the Election Commission is playing games/politics. The County which normally is not as high profile in the news, appears to be the more professionally run goverment organization in the area. Maybe we can take a clue from them.
BUDGET: Maybe the reason that there wasn’t an uprising of citizen concern regarding the budget that was passed is because either (1) they really don’t care and are happy with the service levels that are in place or (2) they are afraid if they speak up the City Council will tax them again and again to add more services.
I’d really like to know what standard of Fire protection we’re trying to achieve–then we can calculate what it takes to provide it, where stations should be located, etc. But this blind mantra open adding more staff to Station 11 doesn’t address the real issue — what level of service is needed and where. It may be that there are other locations in the City where it would be more appropriate to locate 11 new firefighters. I’d rather see a long-term strategy rather than add 11 here and then next year we hear we need 11 more in anothe part of town, and the year following that another 11. If we have other less protected areas (which I think several Councilmembers alluded to last night); let’s really discuss this issue. I expect Van Auken to push for the 11 at St. 11 since it’s in her district, but the other 10 on the Council should be asking for a broader review.
December 6th, 2006 at 4:59 pm
I’ve been watching out my office window today as truck after truck fills the Peoria Riverfront Museum site with loads of snow. So instead of a Regional Museum, we currently have a giant snow fort. You know the funny thing, I’m actually more interested in touring the giant snow fort than I ever will be in touring the new museum.
December 6th, 2006 at 5:11 pm
Peo Proud: Yes, where should we have police, fire and public works additions - redistributions — with a REAL Strategy —- that Peoria will actually follow and consistently enforce. With the recent annexations — our city is out of balance in these areas and we are asking for trouble with a capital ‘T’!
December 6th, 2006 at 5:35 pm
Karrie - Very true. The biggest problem is that “redistributing resources” to where needed means truly talking about and discussing the level of services needed and allocating them based upon that. However, in some case, especially police and fire, that means MORE services in the southern half of Peoria (where crime is higher, houses are older/closer together, etc.) and fewer out north. Yes houses in District 5 new subdivisions are larger and more expensive but they are also NEW, better built, farther apart, etc. Not the same type of risk as in the older sections of town). Unfortunately, the powers that be will never look at it from that perspective and we’ll continue to throw resources at the problem with the same approach that we’ve done in the past - put another cop on the street, build another fire stations, etc. Building an unsustainable cost in resources and personnel without making a difference.
We should be concerned about providing equal protection (in these three core service areas) and not necessarily equal resources. Pains my conservative republican core to say those words (a little too close to “From each according to his ability, to each according to need)….but I truly believe it’s the ONLY way to begin a turnaround in Peoria.
December 6th, 2006 at 6:54 pm
Our fire stations do more than fight fires however. They also have paramedics and are first responders for any type of heart-attack, etc. calls. These types of calls happen with just as much frequency in new neighborhoods as they do in old ones. You cannot simply look at fire response stats. You have to look at all of the responses.
December 6th, 2006 at 7:11 pm
MDD - No doubt about that and a good point. However, if we’re going to staff the entire City for basic life support (they are not paramedics) that’s fine…but you don’t staff for medical calls in the same way that you staff to fight fires. I’d be all for installing some mobile units that are out in the neighborhoods to address basic life support. Howver, we can’t afford to build and staff a service network for medical calls based upon a fire service model. That is unrealistic, wasteful, and too expensive. Until we as a community come to grips with this, we’ll never have more than the basic level of medical service out of the Fire Department — we can’t compete (in either service level or cost) with a professionally run ambulance company — unless we use similar resource allocations. Case in point - the City staffs its basic life support unit (Rescue 1) with three personnel and most professional ambulance companies (including those run by other municipalities) use two personnel.
Let’s build fire stations as needed to address fire issues and then place medical units in service as needed (and where needed) to provide that service.
December 6th, 2006 at 10:52 pm
Gee, I wonder where this shooting happened? Hmm.
December 7th, 2006 at 3:41 am
Junction City?
December 7th, 2006 at 11:08 am
I see Peo Proud is spouting off again about something he doesn’t know anything about! First, professional ambulance companies have two personnel because the fire department is already there with three fire fighters(limited to emt level - not by choice). Peo Proud, have you ever tried to work a full arrest with two people-last night we had four fire fighters and two ambulance paramedics for a total of six at just such an incident. Two fire fighters rode in the ambulance to the hospital and the patient was delivered with a pulse!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
December 7th, 2006 at 6:05 pm
Sorry to offend Bucket Head……but look at how other municipalities staff their ambulances (where there isn’t a professional ambulance company responding) and where they provide paramedic service and tell me why Peoria is so different that we need to do it with more personnel than they do. I’m waiting for the rationale and would love to hear it.
If we want to solve the problems in Peoria related to adequate protection for all citizens (fire service and medical) we have to look beyond the way it’s been done for the last 100 years or we’re doomed to fail and to continue providing sublevel service to the community as a whole. We have the means and the ability to have an even better level of service if we choose to.
December 7th, 2006 at 6:10 pm
Forgot to mention, that while Bucket Head says the Peoria Fire Department is not EMT level by choice, I think the facts say differently. The City Council (which determines service levels for City staff) have chosen to enter into an agreement with AMT to provide paramedic service to the area and not to enter into that service with the Fire personnel. In fact, as I recall, NO formal request has ever been submitted to take Peoria service to the paramedic level. So I think a choice was made.