This topic was brought up at the Finance Committee Mtg and initially I understood that the Mayor would pay for all those invited but informed that only Peru elected officials would have their meal paid for plus elected officials outside the city as Rep Kinzinger and others. Bartley our city clerk advised them to not plan a meal for opening day because things tend to not go as planned on the first day. Fell on deaf ears. Spouses or girlfriends are also invited, not sure if they are responsible for their own meal or not.
Is this a good idea with the rising unemployment in Peru due to store closings. Kind of looks like an in your face thing to me. Appears that Harls reelection campaign is in full swing.
26 comments:
I just finished reading about this in the news tribune and was quite shocked. The city paying the bill! I understand it's good PR for mayor Harl, but it's not! Thought the city is trying to watch it's spending. Paying for meal, etc., isn't going to bring any revenue into the city budget. Wow, I guess mayor Harl can use his city credit card. Are alcoholic drinks at this party going to be on us taxpayers also?? Bet so. I'll be looking for pictures in the news tribune. Spend, spend, spend!
Besides picking up the tab for visiting officials we are also picking up the tab for all our Peru elected officials.
perhaps harl needs to use his campaign funds for this little party? if anyone votes for him this time around they ought to get their heads checked. thats just crazy hasn't there been enough damage done by him aleady?
You people helped elect these typical politicians! The council should be ashamed of themselves if they actually attend and make us tax payers flip the Bill. K Mart is closing, Jewel is closing, hundreds of local residents are losing jobs and these soon to be un-employed residents are flipping the Bill for a night out? JOKE!
Maybe he use some of his $15,000 re-election fund to pay the bill.
That's just a little bit unreasonable Brian and I'm happy to tell you why. Because, after all, Don didn't have to use his own money to renovate Westclox.
You follow?
Besides, Harl will need all of that campaign cash and more just to compete with the "deep pockets" of your benefactor and anti-reform "Super-Pac" front man Don Baker.
Steve you can accomplish more by dealing in the present tense and the future. Mayor Baker, an alderman for 8 yrs and Mayor for 44, has not held the office for 3 long years. You have continuously accused Mayor Baker of not using his own money for his private holdings. I emphasize "continuously accused" and also emphasize that you have not pursued those accusations with any proof. To accuse, and not only accuse for a period longer than 1 year after a new regime takes over, is making you part of the problem. As of today, your accusations are appearing to be your own private pipe dreams.
In summary, the "deep pockets" and what he does with them are his personal business. It is also his business as to what he is motivated to practice politically.
I do know that his campaign slogan, "Vote with your pocketbook", is sounding better every day!
You are showing no method of improvement for the city by criticizing Don Baker whenever a someone questions Mayor Harls tenure. Mayor Baker was very influential in the creation of jobs in Peru. Possibly you would care to comment on the recent state of job retention in Peru.
Steve, you can't really believe that Brian taking you to the woodshed about campaign financing is unreasonable. And union money is better than PAC money?
Being this is a Mayors Conference why is anyone else besides the Mayor of each city invited?
4:27 PM
At the Finance Committee meeting where I first heard of it, they referred to the dinner as the Mayors Appreciation Dinner.
Does anyone know anything about this as it involves most cities in LaSalle Cty and not sure about Bureau Cty? Perhaps something new?
Anon 4:50 PM No, this is nothing new as political campaigning is as old or about as old as prostitution which is claimed historically to be the oldest profession. Prostitution and politics in Peru are very similar to brother and sister.
The problem with the Mayors Appreciation Dinner is why are the citizens paying for it.These department heads are paid twice if not three times what the wage earner earns in Peru and what timing. One hundred twenty five to one hundred fifty jobs have been lost in Peru in the last few weeks. This means that more than one hundred twenty five families have been affected.
Maybe this is not political campaigning. Appears more to be STUPID! STUPID is hard to improve upon without getting rid of it.
Don't you think it is about time to stop complaining about something this administration has failed to do something about besides accuse?
* What Don Baker does with his money is Don Bakers business.
* What Mayor Harl does with my money is my business.
right on annon 4:05, steve needs to quit bashing former mayor baker, i for one am very thankful for all of his years of hard work for this city he tru;y loved his city and the people-i believe steve is only trying to make his guy look better and all he is doing is making the 2 of them look like fools-grade school mentality.
It was announced by the Mayor at the council meeting that approx. 150 people were invited to this dinner and invitations were in the mail to Aldermen, Mayors, Representatives, Senators and the tooth fairy.
As a citizen of Peru I do NOT want to pay for a dinner for Rep Kinzinger or any other political official.
Since the Rep. K was to go to Washington and provide jobs let him pay for his own meal because he DID NOT BRING JOBS TO OUR AREA?
He should be voted DOWN and vote for Manzullo. Period, and not with my money.
Anon 5:21
One hundred fifty politicians
Can you imagine the odor!
To 4:05 p.m. - You appear to be a Baker supporter with an ability to reason. If you think it's not true that's fine. If you really know the truth and still choose to deny it then you are probably at least partly to blame for burying your head in the sand while it was happening. Just because there were many who did the same doesn't make it ok. You have to deal with that. It is ancient history, but history it is.
I’m curious why people around here are so excited about this restaurant chain. I have patronized them while traveling and rate them as mediocre – and they are all exactly the same. OK in a pinch – but not a place to take clients. But this meeting sounds interesting. I wonder what time the dinner starts and if the restaurant will have an open table.
It's great that olive garden is opening in Peru and the city will reap some tax revenue. Medium priced food. This eestruant is going to hurt local restaurants, such as right spice, Peru pizza house, mark alleys, jakes. Peru eagles, maples, Etc.. Not to mention monaris, bartleys, skoogs, etc.. Prices alone!! What's going to happen to the little man? Here is an idea, why not each attendee for the mayors conference pay for there own meal and DRINKS? It's a tax write off for them. OH, not too many would attend I bet. How about the city pay for a concerned citizen taxpayers conference dinner and drinks for all who attend????? I could go for a free night out with the way this economy is going. Swipe the city issued credit card again! This is a needless expense on us taxpayers. A joke, and it's not even April 1st!!!!! Peru use to be a great city to live in and be proud of. Note I said "use to be." It's too bad that alot of taxpayers don't know what going on in the city. Too bad that All the blogs on ever issue are not viewed by most taxpayers due to the unavailability of technology to them or their household. They would be needing depends if they only knew.
The Darden family of restaurants features some of the most recognizable and successful brands in full-service dining: Red Lobster, Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, The Capital Grille, Bahama Breeze and Seasons 52. Our brands are built on decades of learning from our guests. (From their web site)
We ate at one Olive Garden while in Peoria and never really cared to go back but I do have friends that are very excited at having Olive Garden in Peru. I do realize that opening day is NOT a good day to entertain and try to impress people.
What comes first in a politicians list of priorities? A meal on the taxpayers money or making sure a unemployed father gets a little help in making sure that he has enough to have a Easter Egg Hunt for his children.
Political dinner my A_S Celebrity Waiter!
Brian, call olive garden and see if any tables are available to the public. Go about 5 o'clock, plan on staying until about 10 p.m. Figure on having one cocktail per half hour for five hours. That would be 10 drinks total! Approximately $5.00 a drink( not draft or bottled beer). That would cost $50.00 for one person to drink. Don't laught, that's reasonable and not unhear of! Have fun and get their and take your friends. And don't forget
To take your visa/master are with you. Maybe you could also take your personal banker/loan officer and treat him to a nice evening out and even allow him to bring his wife/girlfriend/mistress, or even his/her best friend. We taxpayers can't wait to know what it cost us to entertain 150 guests (approx) invited to the mayors conference at olive garden. Don't we all love higher taxes? How sad our families in Peru will be HOT again this summer with no place to cool off. Families, go to city hall. They will have it cool in there. PRICELESS !!!!
Maybe its not too late for some of you critics to convince the Olive Garden executives their jobs and sales tax is not welcome in Peru. Just head up there on opening night and express yourself like you have on this blog.
Brian Foster has provided his critique and informed us that this restaurant is "mediocre at best".
That's unfortunate Brian. My family and I have enjoyed Olive Garden a number of times in the past few years after graduation ceremonies in both Bloomington and Champaign. We find it a very enjoyable experience. Us regular folks just love that "endless salad bowl and bread sticks" Brian.
Attempting to trivialize the simple and traditional practice of welcoming a new business to town just reveals how silly and trivial some people really are.
I hear that the City council members do not sing "WERE ALL FOR Peru". The song has been changed to All Hail the King!
You made my day Steve. I haven’t laughed so hard in a very long time. You will argue about anything I say. How about this… I looked up in the sky today and it was clear blue. The chemical symbol for sodium is Na.
Thanks Brian. Glad to help.
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