I just read the last posted minutes from the Peru Committee of a Whole Meeting, took me about one minute.
Again I searched for information on how the mayor of Peru abuses the system. I usually go to You Tube to see how other municipalities are dealing or using with problems or development.
This is from the city of Geneva population about 21,000. Before you watch this video make sure you read the last download of our CMW.
This is a great conversation about economic development, incentives and a very good economic director. Something our aldermen should be reviewing and really listening and learning from. Kind of like an line class just for them.
22 comments:
Those aren't minutes of a meeting. That's just a motion to open the meeting, a motion to go into closed session, a motion to close the closed session, a motion to open the committee as a whole meeting, and finally a motion to close the committee meeting. Those are not minutes!! They're procedure.
This is my idea of what a "committee as a whole" meeting should be. However, this will never happen in Peru because we have been told repeatedly "no questions allowed". And, this type of meeting can't happen in Peru if our "as a whole" meetings continue to occur behind closed doors.
This is an abuse of power by the mayor and the council for going along with it, just as the president of the United States is going to do in about a half hour.
A good friend talked with Rodney and he assures her that the caw have all been very legitimate. He would prefer to do them differently but said in next few months it will all be understandoable and people will be very happy with what is happening. He said it will make sense why some things must be negotiated in executive session but final votes will be public.
9:13 Pm
But they are at present making a mockery of the Committee Meetings of the Whole by immediately going into closed session. It is not necessary to have a CMW but instead do what has always been done, go into closed session either before or after the regular council meeting but just don't misuse the CMW and that is my point. At this point what they are doing makes them look like fools and totally like they are making fools of the residents. My point continues to be that he is misusing the closed sessions under guise of the term Committee Meeting of the Whole. If you have watched the video, you then know what this type of meeting is meant to be and that is not how it is being used.
I just read the minutes of the meeting which were nothing but one paragraph of a standard form for a meeting which lasted 1 hour and 26 minutes. 1 hour 26 minute meeting minutes recorded in 1 paragraph?
Of course there are legitimate reasons for going into Closed Sessions. I'm sure 9:13 pm is referring to some sort of announcement that a company is is going to open a store or an industry is going to build a plant bringing jobs to the area and it must be kept quiet until a deal is finalized. OK, fine, wonderful. That's "ONE" subject. The Peru city council discusses "ALL" subjects and "ALL" issues in Closed "Committee in a Hole" meetings. Harl and this council lack the will and ability to govern openly in order to include the people of Peru in the decision-making process. They are deathly afraid of being shown-up by citizens with questions and knowledge that exceeds theirs. They are incompetent in the ways of honest and open governing.
Sad but true!
Considering the comment by 9:13 pm, it is apparent that Harl and the council are manipulating the timing of an announcment of economic interest to be revealed some time before the municipal election coming up next April. The phony mayor and aldermen seem poised to release the grand news leading up to the aldermanic election so that the "entrenched" aldermen up for re-election can claim they were instrumental in bringing this great economic benefit to their constituents. Harl wants to keep the current cast of lackey aldermen intact because they have all fallen nicely in line with him. They Goose-Step in unison into those Closed Session meetings like good little soldiers. All except Rodney Perez of course. Harl and the Peru establishment have already banded together and found a willing challenger in hopes of taking out Mr. Perez next April. The Second Ward challenger is eager to get on board with the others and take his turn licking the boots of the great moderator of Closed Sessions and Rob Ford impersonator.
Quite funny how Harl claimed in 2009 that he would never govern the way Baker had, and in fact he has taken the "back-room deal" mentality to a new low even for the city of Peru.
When the great announcement of economic interest is revealed the back-slapping and self-serving celebration by the Peru council will begin. The Daily Fish-Wrapper and it's favorite cheerleader reporter will hail the news as the greatest thing to happen since "The Westclox" came to town. There will be a few lame canned and rehearsed comments in the news story from the phony aldermen who are up for re-election stroking themselves for all the "hard work and effort" that they put into it and the uninformed and apathetic Peru electorate will stumble aimlessly to the polls next April and make the same mistake over again by voting for all the incumbents in Peru, except for Perez. Harl and the other aldermen have already banded together to defeat "The Outsider". The one who dares to call for open and honest government in Peru. That is not the "Peru way of doing business". He must go!
On every issue those who were attending the meeting were asked if they had a opinion to express, the meeting was a public meeting and the city professionals were the ones who were exchanging ideas with the council, but above all there was recipricol respect to each other with no derogatory smart remarks. The meeting had a positive, open expressive atmosphere which was refreshing and there was no dislike openly expressed by city reps between each other. Sadly I did notice few in the audience.
those closed sessions are the mayor and council's way of thumbing their nose at lois and the blog.
9:06 If that's true them then they are pretty childish and do not deserve to represent us.
Here is another issue that may be of very much importance! A committee is trying to establish eminent domain. For so many reasons this is wrong. First off- eminent domain allows for condemnation of any building for any reason the committee feels just. Governments use Eminent Domain to condemn buildings that should be condemned, however the power hungry men on these committees who are only looking to put more money in their pockets will abuse this as they have abused every other power in Peru. For example, the head of the economic development has over 10 properties in Peru alone (they may not be under his name, but are under his wife's or partner) and how did he acquire many of these great location, cheap properties- he knew ahead of time and grabbed them up prior to the public even knowing. (I think someone was revoked of their position for doing something of the same matter).So with the eminent domain issue, if these money hungry, power hungry guys want a property, a scratch on the paint of the siding could get a property condemned, then who buys it? One of those men or a company they own. Very dangerous for a committee to have so much power especially when it is clear what they seek- money and more power. It is sad that Peru is really becoming a whoever has the most money gets to make all the decisions.
And honestly I think that the Mayor is just a puppet with these committees being the puppet master or the men on these committees anyway. Peru needs some change- maybe all new alderman should be elected and definitely a new mayor.
Eminent Domain is a topic most people don't understand. Eminent Domain has not been used in Peru since the old turn-hall property. It cannot be used randomly and has no connection to any individuals acquisition of property. Its the purpose of acquiring property for the greater use of public use. It does not have the ability to throw people out of their home or business. I don't think anybody in any town thinks that your local city council official randomly looks for property and have the entire city council vote to place the eminent domain tag so they can purchase the property for a profit. That would be illegal! That would be crazy. Can you give us residents one example of our city using eminent domain to profit a city council committee member.
I have heard a lot of conspiracies and even a few alien landings, this is right up there with the best. We all look forward to your next comic book theory.
11:26, you should do a little bit of studying.
Eminent domain = the right of a government or its agent to expropriate private property for public use, with payment of compensation.
You are mixing up the process of condemning a building for aesthetic or safety reasons with forcing the sale of a private property to the government.
If a government body exercises Eminent domain to purchase a property, it still must compensate the owner for the market value.
The Illinois Eminent Domain Act, in many cases, places extreme restrictions on the government’s ability to acquire private property against the will of the owner and often increases compensation. Eminent Domain is not a method to simply take private property. It involves the court and compensation. It is expensive and would probably be use only in the event that a property owner simply refuses to get out of the way of a public works project.
11:26 What committee is establishing eminent domain?
11:26 Pay your taxes and fix up your house and you won't have to worry about big government taking over your castle! Actually, they should take over a lot of these properties that are on the tax bills and falling over. 11:26 go to Ottawa and pay your bill. Then take a little time to tape up the siding falling off your home. Duct tape is on sale!
Anon 11:26 AM Even with eminent domain I would think that the city would find it advantageous to first offer to buy a parcel of property for more than it is worth. If property owner did not want to sell and it is essential for the city to own it to progress wouldn't it be taken to a court or is this when eminent domain is enacted and the owner of the property can take it to court. To be truthful normally it is best to take the cities inflated offer because if it is left to the judge to make a decsion the property owner ends up getting less. It has been approximately 23 years since the city purchased Hubies the Eagles, and other pieces of property. The theatre and Turn Hall were possibly the only two pieces of property to be taken to court.
Anon 7:56 AM
What makes you and your viewpoint any different than the manner in which you describe Mayor Harl and the Peru Establishment?
I do not know who the candidate is who will challenge the 2d ward incumbent, Rodney Perez, but I do know that they are every bit within their constitutional rights to make this challenge.
I also know that they have declared themselves a candidate in a ward which has already had a failed attempt to limit any opposition to the present status quo with a end result of a withdrawal of candidacy.
It is questionable what your reasoning is in regards to calling someone a bootlicker before the opening campaign bell rings and a full 5 months before elections. It is a known fact that many qualified individuals have not seeked political office in Peru simply because they did not want their names familarized with the dirty politics which you have just shown. This is truly sad and the comment which you have made and similar comments only hurt Peru not help Peru.
In conclusion, is your goal to only have your candidate in the race and eventually to only have the incumbents run for office? This candidate now has immediately gained recognition thanks to you and now has our anticpatation in what he will do in the next five months and in April. In rereading your comment I take it that you are more scared of those who are not bootlickers than those who are but have problems correctly identifying each from one another.
This is your problem mine is understanding why a persson believes they have the right to define who and who does not have the right to avail themselves of their constitutional rights.
Never having a taste for shoe polish which tastes better to you Brown Kiwi or Black Shinola and do you desire a style up to the knee or a ankle top?
Why,in Peru, is it considered a good thing that 2 or more candidates/ward run for aldermen except if running against Alderman Perez? To identify a opponent of Perez as a bootlicker or any other demeaning nonsensible name is stupid simply because he is not running to defeat Perez but is running to obtain the 2d ward aldermen chair and represent Peru as a aldermen. To get down to the nitty gritty of democracy this is why the United States has elections.
8:50 pm. You are clueless if you think the candidate running against Perez is not already a bootlicker. The new candidate has been seen in the mayor's office as well as walking out of city hall with the mayor. He is bought by Harl and I wouldn't be surprised to learn that Harl is financing his campaign. Apparently you are not "in the know" about Peru politics. My question is if this new candidate is so interested in becoming an alderman, why has he not come to any council meetings? Wake up 8:50!!
In response to 9:44 AM
I really hesitated on this one because I do encourage people to get involved with their government on all levels and in a recent conversation I was told there was not a connection with the mayor and if what you say is true, the people are certainly entitled to know as we already went through this unfair and unnecessary partisan politics using the power of the mayors office and I had hoped not to see it again but if it is happening this time, I want to know on it and so do you.
I agree with you Lois. It's good that people are interested in helping govern their city. But when there are shenanigans going on, then it's not good.
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