Posts Tagged ‘Bill Spears’
Thursday, October 19th, 2006
Willy Nilly has some very interesting inside-baseball type revelations and insights about the Aaron Schock campaign. It turns out his campaign manager is a former house mate of a woman who resigned as director of Freedom House in Princeton after being accused of misuse of funds and sexually harassing some male employees. The misuse of funds included having taken a car donated to the shelter and giving it to one of her daughters.
It also turns out that the Schock campaign is paying Freedom House for the use of it’s PR person, Stephanie Cartwright. The shelter for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault just sends the Schock campaign a bill for her services, which they gladly pay. Steve Shearer, Schock’s campaignh manager, is also on the Board of Directors of Freedom House, Willy says, which means he was one of the people responsible for policing Mary Carla Grube, former director of Freedom House.
Why is this important? Remember that Schock has already been accused of insensitivity to women because of his acceptance of donations from former U.S. Senator Bob Packwood, who resigned amid allegations of sexual harassment. This only serves to cement the feeling that Schock is less than concerned about women’s issues.
Willy also discusses articles from Rich Miller of Capitol Fax describing serious problems with the Journal Star’s coverage of the Schock/Spears campaign. Hey, what am I? Chopped liver? Willy bets that this news will never, ever see the light of day in the Journal Star, which prefers that all its coverage of the 92nd District Illinois House race be about what a mean-spirited fellow challenger Bill Spears is for having the audacity to criticize Schock for taking money from oil companies during a time Illinoisans are facing 50 percent jumps in heating bills. The nerve.
In an earlier post, Willy commented on relatively mild criticism in the Journal Star towards Ernie Russell’s laughably harsh negative ads directed at Dave Koehler in the 42nd State Senate race.
My two cents: Most people will read this and go “eh.” It’s all too “inside baseball” to most people. I think it reveals that it’s shortsighted for the locals to assume the anyone with a “D” next to their name on the ballot is a tool of the so-called Chicago Machine, while letting Republicans get away with all sorts of nonsense, including being associated with people with ethical problems. Illinois Speaker of the House Michael Madigan might be lending support to the Spears campaign, but at least Madigan and company aren’t diverting goods and services intended for domestic violence victims.
Full disclosure: Bill Spears is a friend of mine and I’m a supporter of his campaign.
Aaron Schock,Bill Spears,Ernie Russell,Willy Nilly,Dave Koehler
Tags: Aaron Schock, Bill Spears, Dave Koehler, Ernie Russell, Willy Nilly
Posted in Statehouse & Capitol | 39 Comments »
Tuesday, October 17th, 2006
Did you think I was kidding when I said that the Journal Star’s editorial page would go to any length to criticize Bill Spears? Consider today’s anonymous editorial about the CeaseFire referendum:
It’s interesting that CeaseFire’s primary proponent, 92nd District Democratic House candidate Bill Spears, is a city councilman. He’ll forgive Peorians who view this do-nothing referendum as mostly a political ploy aimed at enhancing Spears’ chances at election.
That said, Peoria really does need bold solutions for its decaying and crime-worn neighborhoods. This city has suffered 14 homicides so far this year. Peorians living in the thick of gang activity and gun violence have been crying out for a program like CeaseFire.
In other words, CeaseFire is a wonderful idea, but the guy who put it on the ballot can’t be trusted. Crap like this is why no one who pays the slightest bit of attention to politics and the media in Peoria has any respect for the Journal Star’s award-winning (snicker) edit page, especially when it comes to endorsements.
Bill Spears,Journal Star,editorial page
Tags: Bill Spears, editorial page, Journal Star
Posted in Watchdog | 20 Comments »
Tuesday, October 10th, 2006
This just arrived in my inbox:
Spears Proposes New State Law Limiting Child Murderers’ Access to Children
Democratic Candidate Unveils Plan to Protect Kids from Convicted Child Killers
PEORIA—Democratic Candidate for State Representative of the 92nd District Bill Spears on Monday announced his plan to file legislation that would fix a disturbing flaw in the legal system allowing child killers to reside within 500 feet of a school or playground.
“I believe that it is our responsibility as parents and as citizens concerned about the community to do everything in our power to protect our children from criminals who would seek to hurt them,†Spears, who supports life in prison without parole for child murderers and child rapists, said. “The current law is flawed and we need to fix it. I promise to be a strong voice for protecting our kids in the state legislature and this will be my first action.â€
Spears is concerned about the unintended effects of action taken by the Illinois General Assembly this spring creating the Child Murderer and Violent Offender Against Youth Registration Act, which moved criminals convicted of non-sexual violent offenses against children from the Sex Offender Registry to the new Violent Offender Registry. Criminals convicted of first-degree murder, aggravated kidnapping, unlawful restraint, and forced detention of a child will be listed on the new registry pending verification by the local state’s attorney.
In examining the new law, Spears discovered a little known fact—violent criminals convicted of murdering a child do not face the same residency requirements as child sex offenders. Currently, a child sex offender is not allowed to reside within 500 feet of a school, playground or daycare, while a child murderer can—a notion the father of three boys finds disturbing. According to the Illinois State Police, as of July 2006, 180 murderers convicted of killing a child of under the age of 18 are no longer serving the prison sentence for their crime.
“As a parent, the idea that a child killer could be living across the road from where my kids go to school is very shocking,†Spears said. “I believe that the state legislature needs to take immediate action to ensure this doesn’t happen. If elected, I will do everything I can to get this law passed and make sure that child murderers are not allowed easy access to our kids.â€
Spears resides in Peoria with his wife Deb and their sons Tim, Mike and Billy. For more information about his new proposal, please call Spears’ campaign office at (309) 637-1350.
My two cents: Someone with a taste for murdering kids isn’t going to be deterred by this. Still, I’m betting that a lot of these “child killers” are gangbangers who killed other gangbangers, and these people need to be kept away from schools.
child killers,child murderers,crime,Bill Spears,Aaron Schock
Tags: Aaron Schock, Bill Spears, child killers, child murderers, Crime
Posted in Overset | 10 Comments »
Thursday, October 5th, 2006
I got the following email from Yellow Dog Democrat:
Once again, Aaron Schock is talking out of both sides of his face. Two years ago it was abortion. Now it’s taxes.
Schock tells Peorians that he’s keeping all options on the table, because he needs the support of the Peoria teachers to win.
But what’s he’s telling his conservative backers, including the folks hosting a Gingrich fundraiser for him today? He tells them he’ll vote against any tax or fee increase.
http://www.votevaluesillinois.com/ILhouse.htm
Big. Fat. Liar.
My two cents: Two years ago, Schock told in the Illinois Leader that he almost single hendedly hand-crafted the Peoria School District 150 budget, which was at that time, thought to be balanced. When the budget collapsed like a house of cards, he (and everyone else on the board, to be honest) blamed the entire mess on former Superintendent Kay Royster.
,tags>Aaron Schock,Bill Spears,Kay Royster
Tags: Aaron Schock, Bill Spears, Kay Royster
Posted in Statehouse & Capitol | 5 Comments »
Wednesday, October 4th, 2006
I attended Barack Obama’s appearance at a rally for State Senate candidate Dave Koehler this afternoon outside the Peoria County Courthouse.
I made the decision that If I wanted to shake Obama’s hand, I was going to have to stand next to Peoria City Council members Barbara Van Auken and Gary Sandberg, both of whom have met and worked with Obama before.
My strategy worked, as I did get to shake his hand. Barbara warned him to watch what he said, cause I was one of those bloggers. I, however, was far more wit. I said “Nice to meet you.” Classic line. I don’t think Obama actually said anything to me.
So perhaps one day I will be able to say I once met the president of the United States. Perhaps this will happen after inauguration day in 2009.
Unfortunately, I just didn’t have time to listen to the whole speech, as I had to leave to get a freelance writing project done and emailed off. What I did hear was classic Obama. Plenty of talk about the value of electing candidates who are more concerned about representing their constituents in Washington and Springfield than in representing Washington and Springfield to their constituents.
He also spoke about candidates who base their votes on their values, not on deal making with lobbyists.
I’m sorry I didn’t get to hear the whole thing.
There were plenty of politicians there. In addition to Van Auken and Sandberg, I saw City Council members George Jacob and Bill Spears (running for state representative, and who also got a mention from the podium by Obama). I made a bad joke to Jacob about whether they frisked him, considering he’s a Republican. Bad taste, I admitted.
I also caught sight of G. Douglas Stephens, who came close to defeating both Bob Michel and Ray LaHood in separate races for the U.S. Congress from the 18th District. I think Stephens would be able to wipe the floor with LaHood were he running today.
I ran into Joni Paris, another 1981 Woodruff High School graduate. She’s apparently working for Dave Koehler now. We were chatting and Koehler was standing there, wondering how he could politely excuse himself from a conversation about high school.
As Obama and the others were speaking, I caught site of some odd goings-on along Jefferson Street outside the courthouse. I saw Sheriff’s Department personnel wearing gloves treating an injury to the hand of a man I took to be a member of Obama’s entourage. Eventually, someone from the fire department showed up to help, and a police officer stopped by. At about the same time, I saw sheriff’s department personnel run buy and run into the courthouse.
I have no idea what happened, and it spooked me a little.
Barack Obama,Bill Spears,Dave Koehler
Tags: Barack Obama, Bill Spears, Dave Koehler
Posted in Statehouse & Capitol | 15 Comments »
Saturday, September 16th, 2006
A lot has been said about the support Bill Spears is getting from Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan. But Willy Nilly has an interesting post about supposedly high-priced Washington D.C. consultants that Aaron Schock is paying to stave off Spears’ challenge.
I seem to recall that trick not working for Dave Ransburg, who hired high-priced mercenaries to keep his job as mayor of Peoria.
Tags: Aaron Schock, Bill Spears
Posted in Overset | Comments Off
Friday, September 15th, 2006
From a press release:
In the interest of providing an educational opportunity for Peoria citizens, the Neighborhood Alliance is hosting a candidate’s forum. Each candidate will have an allotted time period with which to speak and/or answer questions.
Date of event: September 18, 2006. Time: begins at 5:30pm. Where: Advanced Medical Transport 1718 N. Sterling Ave. Peoria. Contact Person: Paul Wilkinson.
(more…)
Tags: Aaron Schock, Bill Spears, Bob Sheehan, Dale Risinger, Dave Koehler, David Leitch, Ernie Russell
Posted in Overset | 1 Comment »
Friday, September 15th, 2006
From a press release:
State Representative Candidate Calls for Blockage of Rate Hike to Save Consumers Money
PEORIA-Democratic Candidate for State Representative Bill Spears on Friday lambasted the state’s utility companies as they unveil the results of a power auction on Friday afternoon predicted to increase utility rates for consumers and small businesses by nearly 55 percent.
“The big electric companies promised to lower their rates through competition. That competition has never developed and now they want to use their monopoly to raise rates on customers,†Spears said. “The people of the 92nd District are working class people who cannot afford a rate increase of any kind. This power auction is a farce aimed at pillaging the pocketbooks of local residents and I won’t stand for it.â€
Last week, power companies held the auction approved by the Illinois Commerce Commission earlier this year which will allow electricity to be sold by generating companies through a bidding process. This decision also removes the ICC’s authority to conclude if power is being offered to consumer’s at the most affordable rate.
Spears believes that the auction, which is based on the premise of several bidders vying for electricity, is dishonest because very few companies were expected to place a bid in the auction process, thereby allowing current electric companies to maintain their stronghold on the state’s power market and the consumers wallet. As a result of the power auction, it is expected that consumers with a monthly electric bill of $100 could see their costs rise to as high as $155 per month with increased services.
To fight the rate increase, Spears is pushing for House Bill 5766 to extend the current rate freeze until 2010, hopefully allowing competition to fully develop in the state. Spears, who is facing Republican state Representative Aaron Schock, is also beginning to circulate petitions objecting to the rate hike. Spears says that once again, local residents must come together to do the work that their current legislator has failed to do.
“Local residents haven’t been getting the representation they deserve in the state legislature and Aaron Schock’s silence on this issue is deafening,†Spears said. “Aaron Schock has taken thousands of dollars from big utility companies and his silence reflects his lack of courage in standing up to big business in support of his constituents.â€
Spears, who is currently a member of the Peoria City Council, pledged to fight the rate increase from all angles.
“I will work with local consumer advocacy groups, senior citizen groups and business associations to implement a new law blocking this rate hike,†Spears added. “I have taken a very strong stance on this issue because I have met thousands of families who are struggling to make ends meet. Our goal should be to make things easier for local residents, not add to their problems because greedy businesses want to pad their profit margins.â€
Spears is asking local residents opposed to the electric rate increase to sign a petition voicing their objection. For more information or if you would like a copy of the petition, contact Spears’ office at (309) 637-1350.
,tags>Bill Spears,Aaron Schock
Tags: Aaron Schock, Bill Spears
Posted in Overset | 14 Comments »
Tuesday, August 15th, 2006
Speaking of Bill Spears, I want to make something clear about the “CeaseFire” petition he is backing: It has nothing to do with gun control. I admit I was worried a bit. Any “stop the violence” organization coming out of Chicago has to be suspected of being involved in depriving folks of their Second Amendment rights. I did several Google searches for news stories and Web sites, and found nothing linking them to gun control legislation. I do understand they’ve been involved in voluntary turn-in-your-guns programs, which is a whole ‘nother story. They don’t work, because the guns that get turned in are often old and unusable anyway.
Bill Spears,CeaseFire,gun control,2nd Amendment
Tags: 2nd Amendment, Bill Spears, CeaseFire, gun control
Posted in Overset | 3 Comments »
Tuesday, April 4th, 2006
Several weeks ago, I commented on the efforts of Peoria City Council member Bill Spears to get the city administration to consider purchasing replacement vehicles that use ethanol-based E-85 gasoline
It also has to be noted that Spears is running for the seat now held by State Rep. Aaron Schock. Promoting Illinois agriculture and reducing the nation’s independence on foreign oil sure sound like issues of greater interest in the 92nd District than the much smaller and non-agricultural 4th Peoria City Council District.
Spears spoke to me after a recent council meeting and reminded me that Peoria is home to an Archer Daniels Midland ethanol plant, and that while not many farmers in the 4th District, Peoria as a whole is home to a lot of agriculture-related commerce. Also, ADM is looking to expand one of its facilities, and Peoria is on the list of sites being considered.
Point taken.
The council is scheduled to vote on purchasing several of these vehicles tonight, so I thought I have better mention this.
Bill Spears,Aaron Schock,ethanol,E-85,ADM
Tags: Aaron Schock, ADM, Bill Spears, E-85, ethanol
Posted in Local | 5 Comments »
Wednesday, March 15th, 2006
WMBD 1470’s Dave Dahl seemed to go out of his way to not mention 4th District city council member Bill Spears’ name in his report about the council instructing city staff to do more to get bids on vehicles powered by E-85 ethanol-based fuel.
The press and bloggers who attended last night’s council agreed that politics was at least one motivating factor behind Spears taking the lead on this issue during the past several meetings. He says the city should switch to E-85 because it promotes Illinois agriculture, lessens the nation’s dependence on foreign oil and is good for the environment.
It also has to be noted that Spears is running for the seat now held by State Rep. Aaron Schock. Promoting Illinois agriculture and reducing the nation’s independence on foreign oil sure sound like issues of greater interest in the 92nd District than the much smaller and non-agricultural 4th Peoria City Council District.
And I share At-Large Councilman Chuck Grayeb’s briefly stated concern that difference in cost between vehicles with normal combustion engines and the more expensive E-85 engine might add up to the salary of a firefighter or two, perhaps at Fire Station 11.
To be fair, though, at this point, the council is simply asking for the city staff to collect information. These purchases have yet to be made and no one has seen the prices yet. There might before well be some pleasant surprises by getting bids from local vendors.
But I would hope in the end that the council takes care of the needs of city residents first, and farmers outside the city second.
WMBD 1470,Dave Dahl,Bill Spears,Aaron Schock,E-85,ethanol
Tags: Aaron Schock, Bill Spears, Dave Dahl, E-85, ethanol, WMBD 1470
Posted in Statehouse & Capitol | 4 Comments »
Monday, December 19th, 2005
Looks like its going to be Bill Spears running against Aaron Schock. Clyde Gully has decided against seeking the Democratic Party nomination, leaving fellow Peoria City Council member Spears alone in the primary.
Why the change of heart?
Gulley said it was a very difficult decision for him, and he’s still confident he could win, but decided not to run because “I was offered a position I really can’t turn down.”
What position is that? Gulley won’t say.
“The (offer) was so great,” Gulley said. “You know how much I wanted to run.”
Gulley said that although this new job, which he promised to disclose this week, will consume too much time to run for the House, he will continue to serve on the council.
That must be some job. Maybe I’ll threaten to run for office in hopes someone lures me out of the race with a sweet job.
Whatever happened to get Councilman Gulley out of the race, it’s good news for Spears, who won’t have to spend money in the primary or risk alienating minority voters.
bill spears,clyde gulley,aaron schock,2006 elections
Tags: 2006 elections, Aaron Schock, Bill Spears, Clyde Gulley
Posted in Statehouse & Capitol | 1 Comment »
Friday, December 2nd, 2005
You can stick a fork in the idea that Aaron Schock will run for the Illinois State Senate. The GOP has hand-picked candidate.
Blair Gambill, 48, who owns an insurance company specializing in health plans for small businesses, is expected to announce his candidacy today.
—
Gambill is a graduate of Southern Illinois University in Carbondale and has owned his own business in Peoria since he moved here in 1985.
—
Gambill has never run for elective office but has been involved in a number of community service organizations. He has served on the Opera Illinois Board, the Peoria Ballet Board of Directors and the Heritage Ensemble Board.
Senate Minority Leader Frank Watson and his staff visited with Gambill earlier this week and pledged their support, he said.
I went to Gambill’s company Web site and found three pics of him standing next to three GOP bigwigs. They’re the kind of photos taken at fundraisers and usually end up on the wall in someone’s office or den.
So apparently Gambill doesn’t object to using his Republican-ness to market his business.
Depending on the kind of campaign he runs, Gambill has a shot at actually winning, but he’s still gotta be considered a long shot against Dave Koehler, the former County Board and Peoria City Council member and executive director of the Peoria Labor Management Council.
Dave Williams, chairman of the Peoria County Board, is also running. But I’ve got to think that Koehler is going to win in the primary because he has the backing of the retiring State Sen. George Shadid. Shadid has fans in his own party and the GOP, and a strong endorsement will help Koehler.
Schock will announce his plans Thursday. There’s been a lot of speculation that Schock would try for a “promotion” from the House to the State Senate.
I’ve chatted with and interviewed Schock. I get the impression that he realizes that he’s in danger of being labeled as too ambitious for his own good. After all, he went from 18-year-old write-in school board candidate, to school board president to a 24-year-old state legislator finishing his first term. Running for a promotion would be a bit much in some peoples’ eyes.
Ironically, the conventional wisdom says that he’ll have a harder time running against Bill Spears, the very popular member of the Peoria City Council, who also happens to enjoy family connections to state and local politicians and probably a bit of campaign cash as well.
I’ve found Spears to be a thoughtful representative to is a strong advocate for his council district. He also has a reputation for working and playing well with others when the television cameras are off.
blair gambill,aaron schock,dave koehler,dave williams,bill spears,2006 election,george shadid
Tags: 2006 election, Aaron Schock, Bill Spears, blair gambill, Dave Koehler, dave williams, George Shadid
Posted in Statehouse & Capitol | 4 Comments »
Friday, October 7th, 2005
To the surprise of none, the muckety-mucks who run the Democratic Party have annointed Bill Spears as its chosen candidate top run against State Rep. Aaron Schock.
Of course, the final decision will be up to voters in the primary, but having the state party organization behind Spears makes it an almost certain-lock. Besides, Spears is a popular local politician who is bound to have a ton of support.
If he runs and wins, that means the city council will have to find a replacement 4th District council member come November 2006.
And there is the chance that Schock will decide to enhance his resume yet again and run for the seat now held by State Sen. George Shadid, who will retire after this term expires.
Of course, there’s the chance that At-large council member John Morris will run for the state senate gig, or for the state rep. job is Schock decides to seek the senate spot. Dave Koehler, a former 3rd District council member, will run for the Democratic spot on the ticket.
bill spears,aaron schock,george shadid,john morris, 2006 election,state senate,state representative,dave koehler
Tags: 2006 election, Aaron Schock, Bill Spears, Dave Koehler, George Shadid, John Morris, state representative, state senate
Posted in Statehouse & Capitol | Comments Off
Friday, September 23rd, 2005
UPDATE (5:22 a.m.) : The Journal Star’s Jennifer Davis reports that Dave Koehler is rumors to be Shadid’s pick to replace him. I wouldn’t be surprised if Shadid resign early and let the powers-that-be appoint Koehler.
WEEK is reporting that long-time State Sen. George Shadid plans to retire. That’s sad news for his fans, but understandable. Shadid has spent most of his adult life in public service, from being a city cop to Peoria County Sheriff to the state legislature. Why not kick back and watch from the sidelines for a while, and enjoy being honored as an elder statesman?
Now, on the the speculation on a replacement:
(more…)
Tags: Aaron Schock, Bill Spears, Dave Koehler, elections, George Shadid, illinois general assembly, state senate, Willy Nilly
Posted in Statehouse & Capitol | 1 Comment »
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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