Posts Tagged ‘Dave Koehler’
Monday, March 3rd, 2008
All links via the Journal Star:
- Today’s Word on the Street is especially newsy today. Dave Koehler comments on his civil union legislation. It looks like Elliot’s is gonna get some kind of liquor license today. Peoria County officials defend their silly little push poll that faked public support for raising taxes for the regional museum that Caterpillar is pushing for the former Sears block. The Peoria City Council is gonna put an already existing shopping center into an enterprise zone, and naturally it’s nowhere any neighborhood that could be considered poverty stricken. Naturally, Journal Star commenters are frothing at the mouth over the sex issues, not the tax issues.
- Apparently, it was warm yesterday.
- The Chicago Cubs and the St. Louis Cardinals played spring training games yesterday. Yet the only pro baseball news I could find on the Journal Star Website was this one about a member of the Milwaukee Brewers who is upset at how much he is getting paid.
Tags: Dave Koehler, elliot's, enterprise zones, sheridan village, Word on the Street
Posted in Local | 6 Comments »
Saturday, March 1st, 2008
UPDATED to fix a fact error.
I have to admit. I was initially baffled by State Sen. Dave Koehler’s latest idea. He’s proposed legislation — still very much in draft form — that would tax patrons of strip clubs a few bucks every time they walk through the doors. The cash would apparently go to support programs that help women who are victims of sexual assault. No doubt the state will take a little off the top for the “administrative costs,” namely jobs that would never, ever, ever go to campaign supporters or relatives of politicians, heaven forbid.
The thinking, apparently, is that domestic violence is caused by the looking at nekkid women. The buzzword that’s used in the article is “objectify.” Whatever. All I know is that they have ZERO strip clubs in nations like Saudi Arabia, and over there, you can cut your wife’s head off, and they consider it mildly uncouth, at worst.
I’m all for fighting domestic violence. Blaming it on strippers for inspiring the violence is silly. What’s Koehler thinking, other than he wants to raise a few bucks for a good cause?
Then it hit me. Koehler is triangulating. It’s just like the Bill and Hillary Clinton used to do. They’d spend 90 percent of the time making appears to the Democratic Party’s traditional base, but every once in a while they would take a stance that was designed to made centrists and moderates think they weren’t all that bad.
This is Dave Koehler’s Sister Souljah Moment.
Consider that just a few days ago, Sen. Koehler proposed legislation that would establish “civil unions” for couples– including same sex couples — that come with rights and benefits equal to married people. As I said then, Koehler was really letting his liberal freak flag fly with that one. He’s not facing re-election until 2010, but anything that smacks of gay marriage really gets some folks riled.
Now, he’s working to put a tax in strip joints — and the rationale being bandied forth is the same sort of silliness that’s been coming out Peoria’s own conservative nags, Citizens for Community Values, for years.
Of course, this won’t get Koehler any more votes of CCV members. These folks take an all-or-nothing stance. But it might mean he loses fewer votes from those who aren’t quite as conservative.
Tags: Dave Koehler, gentlemen's clubs, Sister Souliah, strippers
Posted in Statehouse & Capitol | 1 Comment »
Thursday, February 28th, 2008
 NOTE: Somewhere in this post, there’s a joke to be made about smoking a few fags, but this is a serious blog and I am far too classy a person for that.
Anyway … here’s the whole sordid story:
State Sen. Dave Koehler is proposing legislation that would legalize civil unions in Illinois and entitle unmarried couples — including those of the same sex — to the same protections and benefits currently afforded to traditional married couples.
I have several thoughts:
- I am 100 percent in agreement with Sen. Koehler. In fact, I want the state completely out of the marriage business. Marriage is a religious institution. We don’t need the state codifying marriages anymore than we need them codifying baptisms or bar mitzvahs. I can hear the argument now: ‘The government has a compelling interest in promoting marriage, as stable families are the foundation of society.’ That’s right — so that’s where there ought to be civil unions that give people the right to form families and enjoy all those wonderful benefits, regardless of whether couples are all innies or all outies. Churches should have the right to say “no” if they want. That’s their business.
- I do not buy the argument that letting two guys or two women form a legal union somehow degrades tradition one-man/one-woman marriage. People used to say that blacks should be allowed to vote, read, ride at the front of the bus or any number of activities because it disrespected whites. And someone explain to me how the recent marital escapades of Britney Spears and Pamela Anderson are somehow more holy than when two gay people lovingly raise their children together?
- Sen. Koehler must be really, really sure of his re-election chances in 2010, because he’s really letting his liberal freak flag fly with this one. Or, he might simply not care if he is re-elected or not. Peoria is not exactly a bastion of open mindedness, you know. This is a town that cannot agree to sufficiently honor one of its most famous citizens — considered a genius by his peers — because he liked to use naughty words in his act. The horror!
- One of the arguments made by people who oppose gay rights is that homosexuality is a lifestyle choice, and it’s potentially unhealthy. Hmmm … I recall a piece of legislation that DID pass that restricted the rights of people who made a choice that is considered unhealthy. As Sen. Koehler argues against this position while securing passage of this legislation, I hope he notes the irony, as he is a huge proponent of the smoking ban.
Tags: civil unions, Dave Koehler, gay marriage, Richard Pryor
Posted in Statehouse & Capitol | 33 Comments »
Wednesday, February 6th, 2008
Talk about depressing.
I had been planning all day to go to the the John Morris victory party at the River Station. I like John (and I like the River Station) but the thought of spending the evening among people as they watch their favored candidate finish third in the three-person race just didn’t appeal to me.
When I heard that Allen Mayer was holding his victory party at the Radison Hotel (a short jaunt by car from Randolph Avenue), I went over there to schmooze and watch people celebrate Allen Mayer’s victory in the race for the Democratic nomination for the 92nd District seat in the State House of Representatives.
I why wouldn’t I expect to see people celebrating? I thought at the beginning of the race for the his foe, Jehan Gordon, was the underdog. Mayer had it all over Jehan. He had the backing of powerful unions and the environment lobby, as well as a ton of local goodwill through his having served on the Peoria County board AND with being the staff attorney for Illinois Comptroller Dan Hynes. I found Gordon to be smart, likable, attractive, and because she was black, she would likely attract a sizable numbers of black voters to the polls. This was why Democratic party leaders recruited her to run back when they thought the opponent would be Aaron Schock.
Then stuff about Gordon started coming out. Turns out she never really completed her studies at the University of Illinois, contrary to the claim on some of her campaign materials. Then there was a dispute over whether or not she ever worked to encourage business to make use of the North American Free Trade Act. Late in her campaign, she held a press conference to reveal that she once was arrested for shoplifting. And in a development that was reported on C.J. Summer’s site, but not in the mainstream media, she only paid the fines on the shoplifting charge seven years after the case was adjudicated … three days before she told voters about the charges.
So, forgive me for thinking that Gordon had gone from being a slight underdog to a longshot.
There were plenty of clues that it wasn’t quite going to play out that way. First, Mr. Mayer was late, and arrived with a nervous look on his face. He and his campaign people kept leaving to gather what info they could to piece together an accurate picture of the results beyond the rare updates the local media provided.
Second, it was not fun in that room. The very early results showed Gordon with a huge lead. We were assured that once votes started coming in from the county, the race would narrow. And it did. But shortly before 11 p.m., with just a few precincts left, the gap was too great to overcome. Mayer, informed of the numbers, walked over to his wife, took her aside and whispered in her ear. They left the room, and returned a few minutes later.
He stood at the podium and announced that he had called Jehan Gordon to congratulate her on her victory. He thanked his supporters, his wife (who seemed more upset that he was) and his young children, and urged everyone there to vote for Gordon and to work hard to support the entire Democratic ticket.
The final results? Jehan Gordon: 5,695; Allan Mayer: 5,332. That’s a 363 vote difference.
The postmortem: I’m sure that experts wiser than I in matters political will have a more in-depth explanation. These are my immediate thoughts.
- Early voting was critical. A person close to the campaign told me that in the city of Peoria alone, some 500 early votes were cast for Gordon. The number was closer to 200 for Mayer. I have to think that some of those votes were cast before the revelations about the U of I degree and the shoplifting charge hit the paper, and that at least some of 500 votes would have gone to Mayer otherwise.
- Were campaign workers imported to get out the Gordon vote? Several people attending said that some 200 workers out of Chicago — perhaps belonging to the Laborers International Union — hit town today at the behest of Governor Rod Blagojevich.
- Voter turnout was huge this year. The Mayer camp believes that voting was heavy among black people who were eager to cast their ballots for Barack Obama. This tended to help Gordon.
- Mayer supporters were angry that Gordon ran ads in the final week decrying attacks on her. The Mayer’s campaign had nothing to do with the revelations, they said. Indeed several people congratulated him after his concession speech for running a clean campaign that didn’t resort to mud slinging. While there are those who will assume that the Mayer’s camp tipped off the PJS, it’s also true that not one single Mayer ad mentioned any of it.
- It’s safe to assume that while Mayer didn’t make hay of the degree controversy or the shoplifting conviction, it is a safe bet that House Minority Speaker Tom Cross will have no compunction against doing so on behalf of the Republican candidate.
Tags: 92nd District, Aaron Schock, Allen Mayer, Billy Halstead, Dave Koehler, George Shadid, Jehan Gordon, Laborers
Posted in Overset | Comments Off
Thursday, January 31st, 2008
As someone who has been there — often — I don’t relish the idea of anyone losing their job. That’s that’s what’s facing some city workers at the the Workforce Network. The feds have apparently reduced their grant funding by $1.5 million, and as a result some 11 people are getting laid off, and there’s some concern about cuts in services.
While this agency is funded by grants, the employees are carried on the city of Peoria’s books. So, it’s Peoria City Hall that’s sending out the layoff notices.
Let me be the first to say that under NO circumstances should there be any consideration for Peoria taxpayers to pick up the tab for these workers. In actuality, Peoria taxpayers already were picking up the tab, since they were paid with taxes paid by Peorians, and more than likely the money being used to keep these 11 people employed possibly would have been used for more essential services.
I’ve found myself down at the Workforce Network more than once, at various job fairs and the like. I was unimpressed. There is no job training service that they offer that already isn’t being performed or should be performed by some other already existing government entity.
And those job fairs? They are cattle calls. Usually the jobs being offered are for low paying positions that have high turnover. Job fair and job training do NOT increase the number of jobs available. I cannot imagine any of these employers increasing the number of positions they will offer because Workforce Network offers a job fair.
Here’s the bitter truth: When politicians talk about cutting the fat out of bloated government bureaucracy, Workforce Network is exactly the sort of thing they are talking out.
If there is any luck, this monstrosity and all similar agencies like it throughout the state will lose all their funding. Good riddance.
Look at it this way: Since all these people losing their jobs are such experts at helping other people find work, I’m sure it will be no burden on them to find one of their own in the private sector.
Repeat after me: Government is not the solution to high unemployment; government is the cause ofhigh unemployment. Government is not the solution to high unemployment; government is the cause of high unemployment ….
Tags: Dave Koehler, Workforce Network
Posted in Overset | 1 Comment »
Saturday, January 26th, 2008
I can’t find a clip on the Web, but I think I must have heard it on WCBU. State Sen. Dave Koehler attended the rally in support of turning the Kellar Branch into a walking/biking trail.
Sen. Koehler was indignant over the fact that the Surface Transportation Board wouldn’t let the City of Peoria and the Village of Peoria Heights proceed with their longstanding plan to rip out the Kellar Branch and replace it was the trail. It’s not right, Koehler said.
I’m paraphrasing, but he essentially said ‘Whatever’s happened to the rights of property owners?’
I’ve known Sen. Koehler for a long time, and I respect him. But I’m amazed he would evoke property rights.
When Dave Koeher was a member of the Peoria City Council, he was a mover and shaker for a little project that was supposed to fix a blighted neighborhood in his 3rd District. You might have heard about it. The city used eminent domain powers to buy up a bunch of homes, then turn the property over to a developer who demolished the homes — most of them perfectly habitable — and build something new on the site. That’s how millionaire developer David Joseph built Mid-Town Plaza.
I once asked Mr. Joseph why he didn’t just try to buy this land directly, rather than have the city government essentially force property owners to sell at a price they may have considered too low. His answer was that, it would take too long, cost too much, and essentially might be a waste of time if any of these property owners simply wanted to continue living in their own homes and didn’t care to take any of his money.
You know — exercise their property rights.
Koehler wasn’t around to see the the project make it all the way through the council. He decided to not run again. But his replacement, Gale Thetford, was more than happy to shepherd the project through the system. I remember Thetford congratulating Joseph with a warm hug after the vote was taken.
Here’s another thing I remember: There was a classmate of mine at Woodruff. She and her family lived on Dechman, near Nebraska. They lived there pretty much all their lives.
They didn’t want to sell. They had to. Their property rights didn’t matter much to the city or to Joseph.
In Joseph’s case, he was motivated by simple human greed. He wanted to make a buck. In the city Council’s case (and I include Dave Koehler in this), they were motivated their belief that it’s sometimes necessary to overlook the rights of individuals in order to serve a greater public good. So it was acceptable, in their minds, to toss a few individuals off the lifeboat to improve the survival chances of the others.
The fact that carving a shopping center out of the middle of an unwilling residential neighborhood was NOT a wise course of action in a battle “save” the neighborhood is and remains lost on them … but that’s the subject to another post.
My friend’s mom ended up living in a home much smaller than the one in which she raised her children, and far less beautiful. It as all she could afford. The Peoria City Council never accomplished what it hoped to accomplish — this particular part of the East Bluff has even fewer owner occupied homes than before, and the crime problem is even more pronounced.
David Joseph has moved on to other projects and no doubt continues to make a buck or two from Mid-Town. At the exact site where my friend’s house USED to stand is an empty lot. Joseph hasn’t been able to convince anyone to build there. I’m furious every time I see it.
Now, back to the idea about the government stepping on individuals’ property rights in order to provide for the public at large: The City of Peoria and the Village of Peoria Heights are in the railroad business. They are the owners of a rail line. When they bought the Kellar Branch, the thinking was that they wanted to keep the line open (that changed when the movers and shakers sniffed some cash in the form of grant money, and when developers got the idea that getting rid of the line might make them richer by promoting housing development).
But the cities also knew at the time that the railroad business is regulated by the federal government, and has been for more than 100 years. This was not something they discovered after they got the bright idea to rip out the line.
When mega-rich railroad tycoons were arguing against passage of the Hepburn Act back in 1906, used the argument that people ought be be able to use their property as they see fit. The Surface Transportation Board is a direct descendant of that act. It exists to keep railroads open as long as there’s a railroad customer who would be screwed otherwise — much like Carver Lumber was screwed when the City of Peoria and the Village of East Peoria decided to toss them over the side of the boat for the “greater good” of a walking/biking trail.
How odd that Koehler, a man who can proudly boast to have worked with Cesar Chavez of the United Farm Workers, making the same argument made by the robber barons of 100 years ago.
Tags: Dave Koehler, Keller Branch, surface transportation board, United Farm Workers
Posted in Local | 5 Comments »
Sunday, January 13th, 2008
In a way, the contest between Jehan Gordon and Allen Mayer is starting to remind me of the 1996 primary battle between incumbent 92nd District State House Rep. Don Saltzman and challenger Ricca Slone.
On one hand, there was Saltzman. He was tight with the building trades unions. He’d been there was a long time and pretty much represented traditional working-class Democrats. Then along game Slone who dared to challenge this party insider. The primary battle left a lot of hurt feelings behind, and some of that played into Slone’s 2004 loss to Aaron Schock, handing the mostly Democratic district over to the Republican Party.a
Now we have Mayer, who — while not the incumbent — is certainly the “party insider” in the race. Mayer works for State Comptroller Dan Hynes and serves on the Peoria County Board. Gordon holds office as a member of the Pleasant Hill school district, but was essentially an unknown before the race began.
Her political credentials come from being a graduate of Barack Obama’s leadership school for young people,
And as everyone who’s following this primary race knows, Mayer was one of the Peoria Democratic Party leaders who recruited Gordon to run. The thinking was — to be blunt — that a young, attractive, professional, smart Black woman was just the ticket to beat Schock. Then U.S. Rep. Ray LaHood decided to retire at the end of his term, and Schock decided immediately to run for that seat, legally preventing him from being on the ballot for the 92nd statehouse district.
Once Schock was out of the race, Mayer decided to run. Gordon stayed in the race, and several prominent Dems honored their commitments to back her all the way. This included county Chairman Billy Halstead, State Sen. Dave Koehler and former State Sen. George Shadid. This kinda ticked off Mayer, since it was known at the time that he was considering a run.
At first, it looked like Mayer and Gordon were going to run a campaign based on their varied qualifications, but because they agreed on most of the issues, intended to fully support the other if he or she lost.
It’s looking more and more like a divisive campaign with every single day. First, I got a press release from the Mayer’s campaign stating that the Teamsters and the Operating Engineers were furious at Gordon for her work on behalf of the North America Free Trade Agreement. They also accused her of being a member of an anti-union school board. The release also criticized the United Auto Workers for supporting her.
The Mayer’s campaign sent out supporting documents, including this one and this one, which shows that her biography states:
“After college, Jehan began working at the Small Business Development Center/NAFTA Opportunity Center at Bradley University.”
And the Gordon camp sent out the following press release from the UAW, which denied that she ever worked to spread and wonder that is NAFTA:
“The allegation was that Jehan Gordon had worked for the NAFTA Opportunity Center. We investigated the allegation and determined that it was untrue. Jehan Gordon worked for the Illinois Small Business Development Center. These are two completely different entities.”
First, Gordon’s own Website suggests the two entities are at least linked. Whether that means Gordon personally went out and closed factors and drove the jobs down to Mexico, I’ll leave to idle speculation.
Second: For all the teeth-gnashing coming out of the Mayers camp, this needs to be noted: Mayers must have known about it at the time he and Billy Halstead recruited her to run. Why is it suddenly a problem, other than the fact that Mayers thinks he ought to be getting the nomination?
In my opinion, this hurts Mayers more than Gordon. It’s hard to win a contested Democratic Party nomination in Peoria without the labor votes. How can Mayer’s win it with the UAW being actively accusing him of being unfair to the UAW? I wouldn’t discount the strength of the building trades unions — especially the Operating Engineers and the Teamsters. But methinks they are outnumbered.
What seemed to start as a friendly competition among Democrats has turned into a slug-fest that going to divide party insiders and party leaders, and leave a lot of hurt feelings behind. If the attacks continue, the Democrats in the 92nd District are going to find themselves on the outside looking in.
The full version of this UAW press release is printed below:
Mayer’s Attempted Smear Discredited
UAW Local 974 Debunks False Allegations Against Gordon
Local 974 of the United Auto Workers today set the record straight regarding recent comments made by the Allen Mayer campaign and local unions questioning their endorsement of Jehan Gordon and her campaign for State Representative.
UAW Local 974 President Dave Chapman made the following statement.
“We received an anonymous letter two weeks ago that contained the same inaccurate information that has been spread to the media by the Mayer campaign over the past few days. The allegation was that Jehan Gordon had worked for the NAFTA Opportunity Center. We investigated the allegation and determined that it was untrue. Jehan Gordon worked for the Illinois Small Business Development Center. These are two completely different entities. It’s unfortunate that the Mayer campaign has chosen to take this inaccurate information, and use it to make outlandish charges against the candidate we’ve chosen to endorse.
“Our Union has a long and proud history in this country and especially this area. We take our endorsements very seriously. For the Mayer campaign to imply that we would endorse a candidate for any office that is not 100% behind the working people we represent is offensive.
“These accusations against our union and Jehan Gordon further illustrates that we chose the right type of candidate to win back this seat for the Democratic Party. On behalf of the more than 2000 members we represent in the 92nd district, I want to state very clearly that we have chosen to endorse Jehan Gordon for State Representative, and we will continue to support her.â€
“I am so grateful for the support of the UAW and the working families they represent, said Gordon. “Their values are my values: education for our children, more jobs in the 92nd District and access to quality health care. As State Representative, I promise to bring a different kind of leadership to Springfield, one where we focus on issues important to the working families of Peoria County.â€
Tags: 92nd District, Aaron Schock, Allen Mayer, Billy Halstead, Dave Koehler, George Shadid, Jehan Gordon
Posted in Overset, Statehouse & Capitol | 4 Comments »
Monday, December 3rd, 2007
State Sen. Dave Koehler and Peoria County Board member Jimmy Dillon attended tonight’s meeting of the Kingspark/Four Seasons Neighborhood Association, and did they get an earful.
I know for a fact they Koehler is familiar with the complaints residents have at the place, but left the meeting with the feeling that Koehler was disturbed the litany of abuses he heard.
“You are good citizens, You pay your rent. You don’t deserve to be treated like this,” Koehler said.
“This is not acceptable in any other community in the state of Illinois and it’s not acceptable here.”
I’ve addressed many of these complaints before. They include water cut offs, poor quality water, residents being overcharged for water, mobile homes that don’t have air conditioning installed, refusal to trim dangerous limbs that threaten homes, no water meters, levying “fines” than can be paid only in cash, the firing of the park’s line security officer, threats to levy fines or evict residents who complain, black mold in abandoned homes and others, etc.
Some residents say that the lack of water hampered firefighters called to put out a fire that destroyed a mobile home last month. Koehler noted that new apartment buildings are required to have sprinkler systems. He plans to talk to the state fire marshal to look into whether laws need to be “tightened up.”
“In a community like this, why shouldn’t there me working hydrants,” he said. Residents told him that the because so many of the homes to not have shut-off switches, the hydrants must be opened and the lines drained before a new home is installed or removed or when repairs are performed.
Koehler notified residents that Value Family Properties (the Oklahoma-based company that owns Kingspark and Four Seasons in Bellevue) failed to submit a “plan of corrective action” by 5 p.m. today. The company was cited for more than a hundred violations by the Illinois Department of Public Health.
Terry Nelson of the Mobile Home Owners Association of Illinois (MHOAI)
Koehler will meet with the IDPH, and invite them to a special meeting of the neighborhood association, set for Thursday, Feb. 7.
The state senator told me after the meeting that he’ll be speaking to Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s office to discuss whether placing the mobile home parks in receivership is a possibility. Considering the state’s sorry financial situation, I’m not sure that would be an improvement.
Koehler also said that many of the complaints he heard discussed were not addressed by Illinois, and are instead matters of private business relationships between residents and the mobile home parks. The state won’t even have the power to issue fines until after new laws take affect on January 1.
I had never met Jimmy Dillon before. We chatted after the meeting, and the county board member told that’s he’s going to talk to the sheriff’s department about the crime situation. Communities like West Peoria actually contract with the sheriff’s department to serve as municipal officers, which isn’t an option for Kingspark. Losing our full-time security officer did a lot to undermine residents’ confidence in the relative safety of the park, as most residents believe the park’s owners will not rent to anybody, without background check, as long as they can pay a hefty deposit and the first month’s rent.
Dillon also told me that the Limestone Township Fire Department station located across the street from the park on Southport Road was once the most heavily manned station in the department. This was due to the fact that the park was once home to many volunteer firefighters.
UPDATE: All three Peoria television stations sent a reporter and photographer. WMBD 31’s report is here. I’m not seeing any posts yet from the other two.
UPDATE 2: WEEK is up.
Tags: Dave Koehler, Four Seasons, Jimmy Dillon, Kingspark, Value Family Properties
Posted in Local | Comments Off
Thursday, October 11th, 2007
 It’s political season out there, and announcements by would-be office holders are about as common as leaves turning colors.
County Board member Allen Mayer made it official yesterday and announced he is running for the 92nd Illinois House seat held by Aaron Schock.
He brought along his wife, Carey, and his 21-month-old daughter, the incredibly cute Katherine. Not present was his five-year-old son Conrad. Mayer didn’t have the heart to take Conrad out of school and miss the field trip to the pumpkin patch.
That puts him one up on Darin LaHood, who at his announcement last week confessed to having to promise one of his sons a trip to Chuck E. Cheese to make up pulling him out of school on the day a field trip to see dinosaurs at the museum was scheduled.
Heh.
Unlike Dick Versace, the millionaire ex-coach and pro-basketball executive who’s running for Congress on the Democratic ticket, Mayer wasn’t late to his own announcement. When I walked into the Peoria County Board meeting room a half-hour before the scheduled start, Mayer was there helping to set things up. He was friendly, helpful and more than willing to chat with reporters. And he actually answered questions at the end of the event. I found him to be unassuming and sincere. He’ll do well in small groups and one-on-one as he campaigns in the district.
The audience included friends and family of the Mayer’s family, as well as a smattering of local politicians. Also in attendance were members of the local Sierra Club and various building trades union members.
Mayer enjoys support from these groups because he spearheaded the Peoria County Board’s decision to vote to deny a request by the Peoria Disposal Company to expand the hazardous waste landfill in Pottstown, and because of Mayer’s work on behalf of prevailing wage and overtime laws as a member of Comptroller Dan Hynes office.
As readers know, I supported the PDC’s request, and was critical of the board’s decision to deny the request.
I asked Mr. Mayer how he can reconcile his opposition with his stated desire to bring more jobs to the area, since denial would certainly cause the landfill to close earlier than it would otherwise. He replied that loss of jobs and economic development were criteria that the board was legally allowed to consider, and that his record shows that’s he’s helped preserve other jobs, include those at Keystone Steel and Wire, by helping to restructure their loans, and the help the county board gave to Globe Energy, which promises to employee some 600 people making systems that allow industry to more efficiently heat their facilities.
His priorities, if elected, includes passage of legislation ensuring continued care of closed hazardous waste landfills, as well as laws to control “pay to play,” the practice of awarding contracts and business to companies that contribute to political campaigns.
Mayer also addressed several “inside baseball” controversies that are more about the race itself than any issue on concern to voters. Mayer was one of several Democratic Party members who helped convince Jehan Gordan, an Illinois Central College back when it was thought she would run against Aaron Schock. But Schock dropped out to run for Congress, and Mayer decided to run himself.
In response to a reporter’s question, Mayer said he met with Gordan and said that “circumstances had changed” and he decided to enter the both. But he and Gordan agreed to support whoever won the Democratic nomination.
He said the primary race won’t be decided so much on the issues, but on who voters believe has the most experience and ability.
He did concede that endorsements from people like State Sen. Dave Koehler, former State Sen. George Shadid and Peoria County Democratic Party co-chair Billy Halstead definitely help Gordan’s candidacy.
Tags: 92nd District, Aaron Schock, Allen Mayer, Dave Koehler, George Shadid
Posted in Statehouse & Capitol | 8 Comments »
Monday, October 8th, 2007
Some thoughts on today’s Word on the Street:
-
I see they finally got around to reporting on the controversy over Aaron Schock operating his 18th District U.S. House seat out of county GOP headquarters. I reported on it back on Sept. 20, 18 days ago. Kudos! Better late then never, I always say.
- Members of the Peoria Zoning Commission might resign if the city council insists on making the board meet in the evening so people who work for a living might have an opportunity to attend. I say don’t let the door hit you in the ass on the way out. No one is irreplaceable and some new blood on the zoning board might be a good idea anyway. There’s a strong sentiment that city hall needs to continue its trend toward fresh, new leadership. This gives Mayor Jim Ardis a way to make some needed changes.
- I have it on good authority that Peoria County Board member Tim Riggenbach will NOT run for the Republican nomination for the 92nd District seat being vacated by Schock. Instead, I hear that Riggenbach will instead stay on the county board and try to move up the ranks above being chair of the finance committee. Also, I’m hearing that Blair Gambill will seek the county board seat that would be vacated by Allen Mayer when he formally announces he is seeking the Democratic nomination for the 92nd Illinois House (more on this race later).
I heard these details on Sunday, which is probably after the Word on the Street was completed and turned over to editors, so I’m thinking my information is probably just a teeny bit more fresh. But thanks, anyway, for trying to keep us in the loop.
- WotS did put a name to the rumor I mentioned last week. Cindy Ardis-Jenkins, sister to Peoria Mayor Jim Ardis, is supposed to be considering a run for the job.
- Meanwhile, there is some aggravation within the Democratic Party over county chairman Billy Halstead’s decision to back the candidacy of Jehan Gordan for 92nd Illinois House. The aggravated party members are those who might have wanted to back other candidates, such as county board member Allen Mayer, for the job. Mayers hasn’t announced, but has attended candidate forums. It’s not Halstead’s job, they say, to back a candidate before the primary, especially when there are other folks who are running for the nomination.
Here’s the background: Before Ray LaHood decided to retire from Congress, Halstead and other party leaders were looking for someone to run against incumbent Aaron Schock. One of those party leaders was Mayer. Then when LaHood dropped out, Schock decided to run for Congress, meaning he cannot run for the state house.
With Schock out of the picture, there’s more interest among Democrats for the party nomination for the 92nd District. One of those is Mayer, who backers now are ticked at Halstead for not ending his support for Jordan. Halstead wants to keep the promise he made to Jordan before Schock dropped out of the picture, to give her his full backing for the race against the popular incumbent. And it isn’t just Halstead. Current State Sen. Dave Koehler is backing her too.
I am reminded of what former U.S. Speaker Tip O’Neill said, that the only currency a politician has is his word. Once a promise is made, that promise has to be kept. If not, you have no credibility and no possibility of success in politics. Halstead would be a fool to go back on that.
And I am reminded that no one seemed to object to Halstead courting Gordan back when no one else had the testicular fortitude to run against Schock. And if Mayer is supposed to be so electable and Gordon is a nothing sacrificial lamb (as they suggest) and who needs to step aside, then why are they so worried about facing her in the primary? Fact is, she’s a viable candidate, both in the primary and the general election.
Tags: Aaron Schock, Allen Mayer, Billy Halstead, blair gambill, Cindy Ardis-Jenkins, Dave Koehler, Jehan Gordan, Journal Star, Tim Riggenbach, Word on the Street
Posted in Statehouse & Capitol, Watchdog | 13 Comments »
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 »
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 »
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 »
Monday, March 6th, 2006
Today’s Word on the Street comes to the defense, sort of, of Dave Koehler, who is seeking the Democratic nomination to replace George Shadid in the Illinois Senate.
The column tries to refute the charge of Republican candidate Blair Gambill that Koehler is “too left” for the district:
And the column does a pretty good job, not so much of refuting it, but to make it seem less important.
Gambill also declared Koehler a lefty because of his support for socialized health care. But Koehler said that while he thinks the federal government should consider a single-payer health care system much like Medicare, he does not believe Illinois should make such a move on its own. Is socialized medicine a lefty’s issue? Perhaps. But it’s also the position of former Caterpillar CEO Glen Barton. (Dare you call him a lefty?)
Well, I’d never try to refute an accusation of being “too left” by mentioning that a millionaire industrialist also hold the same positions. Corporate welfare costs this nation more than does welfare for poor people.
I’ll make a note here that if Koehler is “too left” i also didn’t keep him from getting alogn pretty well with the Peoria Area Chamber of Commerce, who employed him as director of the Peoria Area Labor Management Council for a number of years.
If anything, that closeness might hurt him with some ardent pro-labor voters, some of whom think that such groups invariably tend to weaken labor. (OK, I’m one of them).
But I’m also one of those weird libertarians who think labor organizations are necessary to counter the power of huge corporations thate don’t seem to have any compunction against using their influence on government to make the market as unfree as possible.
And despite my small-”L” libertarian leanings, I’m also in favor of a national health insurance plan similar to Medicare, which is wonderfully efficient in terms of administrative costs.
What I am not in favor of are the health care schemes like All Kids that Gov. Blagojevich has created without any concern to the costs. Koehler is in favor of it.
Blair Gambill,Dave Koehler,health care,all kids,state senate,46th district
Tags: 46th district, all kids, blair gambill, Dave Koehler, health care, state senate
Posted in Statehouse & Capitol | 6 Comments »
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.
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Gambill is a graduate of Southern Illinois University in Carbondale and has owned his own business in Peoria since he moved here in 1985.
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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 »
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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