Timothy Riggenbach hasn’t even completed his first summer as a member of the Peoria City Council, and it’s clear he’s forgotten exactly who he is supposed to represent.
Third District City Councilman Timothy Riggenbach hopes opposition to OSF Saint Francis Medical Center’s wishes to someday build an “energy center” in the East Bluff won’t scare off other developers from being transparent in their future plans.
“I would hate to think developers will take the wrong lesson from this,” he said. “We want to encourage as much openness and transparency as we can.”
Riggenbach said St. Francis was trying to be open in releasing details about what it wants to do in the future within its development plan. He said there was no requirement for the hospital to release details about an energy center it has no intention of building soon.
Exactly what does Riggenbach think the true purpose of transparency is? It’s not to PLACATE the residents. The purpose of transparency is to let the citizen of Peoria KNOW what the HELL is going on right outside the walls of their homes, so they can have input in public policy. If voters know what’s going on, they can tell their representative on the council how to better represent them.
But Riggenbach is worried that because East Bluffers declined to be placated, future developers might not be so forthcoming with the transparency. Well, screw the developers. The standard for the Peoria City Council should be that developers who want to change the rules in their favor had better damn well be transparent, or they’ll not get the changes they want.
This is the problem that infects this city council: They forget who their constituents are. It’s not the big institutions like OSF, Methodist and Bradley University. It sure as HELL is not Caterpillar or any other employer. The only constituents are the people who buy and rent homes in Peoria. Period. All else being equal, if big business and institutions want something, it should be approved only when it benefits the real constituents.
Riggenbach is being told by his constituents that they aren’t buying what OSF is selling. Riggenbach is telling his constituents to stop making so much noise or some developer might not approve.
Good Christ.
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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 
Peoria, like the United States, has the best government money can buy.
A petition of “25 people from the neighborhood” is a very, very small amount of residents and voters in the 3d district.
I for one favor OSF’s plans.
Not to be too obvious here, but one resident in favor of OSF’s plans is an even smaller amount of residents and voters in the 3rd district.
Do you know how hard it is to get 25 signatures on a petition in Peoria, going door to door in a neighborhood? I’ve tried to do it. That’s a significant number.
Twenty-five is 12 more than the margin of victory for that city council seat. Twenty-five from the neighborhood seems like an appropriate number – they are the residents that will be affected by the energy center. perhaps the people living in the Knolls (also the 3rd district) or Bournedale (where Mr. Riggenbach lives) are not that concerned about OSF’s transparent plans. Put a noisy, ugly energy center-equivalent in Sheridan Village and the people down by OSF may not care. But Riggenbach should represent the residents of the 3rd district and their interests – over those of the developer.
The question is: did those 25 who signed actually voted in the district election. It would be interesting to poll them and find out their true intent in so far as electing a council member.
The question is not if the 25 people voted ikn the last election, or who they voted for. Maybe they all voted for Riggenbach. Maybe they didn’t. The question is: Is Tim Riggenbach going to represent the concerns of the residents of his district or is he going to ignore their concerns? He’s not off to a great start on that count.
I feel a council member is not beholden ONLY to this district and its constituents but to the entire city as a whole. OSF is a big and good employer in this city. I’ve had relatives who worked there until retirement and still have relatives who work there. They are a fantastic employer. Their expansion is only beneficial to the whole area as I see it. And I disagree with the constituent issue. If any company or institution is within a council members district I feel they are a constituent as well. Am I wrong in that?