This blog is maintained for the sole purpose of allowing the people of Peru and those interested in the cities of the Illinois Valley to express their views.
“It doesn’t take a majority to win, just a tireless minority that will keep starting brush fires in the mind and hearts of their fellow men.” Samuel Adams
MCS Advertising
This could be the group we will be hiring for economic development.
84 comments:
Anonymous
said...
They seem to be exceptional at wedding booklets. Maybe Reverend Harl is planning a comeback.
I like how they keep the understated 400 dollar canned website for their OWN business site... No need to intimidate potential clients. Keep it simple. I can't wait to FOIA the contract and services for this city deal. Maybe we could hire them to web blast just how screwed up things are here in Bedrock.
Passed by the Council 6-2 with a 30 day opt out included. Three levels were offered which were bronze, silver and gold and of course we chose the gold @$1000 per month. Question was asked about the advertising done by IVAC and Mr Vickery stated that IVAC looks for development in a 4 state area and we pay approximately 13,000 per year for that service. Since we are their first customer in this new development it seems there might have been some room to negotiate this price and depending upon the activity and analytics they provide to us. I'm not sure what metrics they will be giving to the city and they did not say. Also it was stated that money from TIF funds will pay for this.
What about Oglesby? Is the Greedy Peru going to pay for interwebs for Oglesby? Boma said the rich needs to pay for the poor. Oglesby is poor and needs Interwebs so Peru has to pay for it that is the law becasue everyone is created equil and we need to distribute money from the rich to the poor.
So they pass an ordinance to pay 36 thousand dollars for a web site over 3 years without discussing in detail the specific services rendered and reviewing the qualifications of the contractor to provide this type of city promotion campaign.
The 30 day opt out is in force throughout the contract for non performance correct?
The 30 day opt out is force throughout the contracted period according to Ald. Radtke.
7:53 AM Development Delivered is the name of the program they are using to promote the economic development of Peru and hope to expand to other cities. Perhaps we might be considered the "guinea pig"
5:15 you might consider that your moronic satire really has backfire effect, like stating 47 per cent of people are helpless victims and vote for Obama because they are dependent upon government. I am a republican leaning independent who gets sick when people state the rich have no obligation to care for the poor and we are the first generation to leave debt for future generations. Both of those arguments are so over simplified and flat out wrong they barely deserve response, but they play well to the masses. Redistribution via tax brackets has been a core of the tax code for a very long time, and it reflects the fact that not everyone has the same opportunity in America. It is hardly burdensome, and as evidenced by the low effective percentage rates paid by the rich, they use the loopholes well. Give the rich Peru comments a rest and try to focus on the dysfunction of this government.
I find it interesting the Alderman Radtke made the comment that $900.00 was saved by tabling the motion to video the council meetings. Isn't it ironic that the committee he is on, refused to table the motion they presented to spend $12,000/year to MCS for an economic website. Maybe if this had been tabled last night, they would have had the ability to save on this proposal. Just by going with the silver option the city would have saved $2,400.00 per year. Also the tabling of that proposal might have forced MCS to come up with a lower cost to the city.
To be fair Ald Radtke did vote to table along with Alds Mayszak and Perez but I believe he knew that it would be passed because the others always vote together as a bloc and that would be Lukosus, Waldorf, Ankiewiz, and Potthoff. Ferrari would have joined them if he had been present. Very few individual thinkers and no surprises.
Lois: Didn't the four aldermen you listed above already vote against tabling the issue? Since alderman Ferrari was absent the issue was already decided. Isn't that correct?
What qualifications, expierence within the field of economic development does MCS have? If Peru is the first customer of this scheme, why would the city of Peru sign a 3 year contract? Would these aldermen take out a 3 year loan on a new model vehicle that has never been road tested and comes with no warranty? That 30 day opt out clause is bogus. How much does the city pay for IVAC ? What other funds are put towards development. I was told the city plans to cut IVAC the way Lasalle has. Is this MCS way of taking over the printing and Internet from others? Perhaps there's a bigger savings package in the works for Dave P and Bob V. Buddy?
Actually it was rather funny because there were 2 motions on the floor, one to table and one to approve and they had quite a scramble trying to figure out what should be taken care of first.
This makes absolutely no sense and adds more ammunition to the argument for recording and posting council meetings. Here is the quote from the News Tribune:
“Separately, the council voted 7-0 to update its own website with video features allowing people to view city council meetings from their computers. The council voted 7-0 to approve a $1,545 contract with Connecting Point Computer Centers to record council meetings and then post them on the city’s site at www.peru.il.us. Alderman Mike Radtke reminded the council the video issue was tabled and that by doing so the city saved $900.”
So was it approved or was it tabled? I’m assuming it was approved, but I have heard stranger things coming out of that council chamber before.
Now it is time to fight for recording the committee meetings!
Thanks to Alderman Rodney Perez for his consistent stance to have those council meetings video recorded despite his fellow aldermans opposition to allow that.I recall the video recording several posts down on this blog where the aldermen were clearly opposing that idea.The mimics and objections from the council and mayor were obvious they did not want to have any part of it. Of course they realized it would have been political suicide to say no to such a positive thing to have available.I truly figured the council would've voted it down. Thank you Alderman Perez!
They don't even try to hide the Crony Capitalism any more. What ever happened to putting things out for bid? I guess that only works when you can rig the bid.
You better watch out Mr. 5:15 and all greeedy Peru people. I just sent Obabma a letter on the interweb and I just no that he is going to make Peru give Oglesby interweb pages and stores and money. He is going to distrubute peru money to oglesby.
If its true the owner of MCS serves on the YMCA board for Alderman Potthoff wouldn't that be a conflict for Pottsy to vote on? Lois- I heard Perez received papers to run against Harl. Could you verify this?
#1 - Recording and making council meetings accessible on the web is a direct result of the efforts and pressure applied by Alderman Perez and Alderwoman Mayszak. Nobody else. If these two elected officials had not continued to push for it this council "never" would have agreed to it. The others did not want it and they would have killed it if they could have, but they knew they could not outwardly oppose it for fear of the political backlash.
#2 - Mike Schmidt is Dave Potthoff's voice and supporter on the YMCA Board of Directors. Potthoff is simply returning a favor to his supporter for services rendered by Mr. Schmidt in his capacity on the Y board. Most notably, deflecting the regularly occuring criticism of Mr. Potthoff's "uninspired" performance as the "CE-No"
#3 - The services offered by MCS which were approved by the council on Monday are certainly something that is a vital part of any progressive city's approach to promoting developing itself. However, the research, the construction of the website, the web-blasts and any other aspect of the service could be and should be done by any legitimate and qualified "Economic Development Director". Therefore, Peru should have a "full-time" Economic Development Director at a reasonable salary of $35,000 to $45,000 annually who would be dedicated to promoting the exclusive interests of Peru. Unlike Mr. Vickrey, who is solely dedicated to promoting and develping only one entity. That being Bob Vickrey.
Lois, have you given any thought to having comments sent to you by 3x5 cards. To become a blogger the person could possibly have to go to city hall and have their picture taken at the podium with the mike turned on. Transparency????
You are wrong, Harl was all for it before he became Mayor and not now when he has become an ineffective mayor. If Ald. Perez had not pushed this, it would not have happened, plain and simple.
It is going to be interesting to see if La Salle jumps onto the MCS bandwagon. At least they have the foresight to delay voting on it, immediately after the presentation. I found the comment by Marci Duro from IVAC to be interesting. This is a concern because I believe I heard that the eblasts are thrown out there like spam and you all know how computer users love spam. We even have a special delete to folder for it.
I am happy to see the City of Peru take a positive approach to business. I am pleased to see the city reach out to generate more opportunities for all.
When you are spending $1000 a month and I understand that this will be from the cities portion of TIF funding, I would prefer to see the city go with someone with a proven track record of success. I would guess that if these same alderman were being asked to spend that much money per month out of their own pocket, they would have looked into this and bargained for a better price. I see where La Salle asked for a shorter term and MCS pretty much said NO and I guess they figured Peru fell in line pretty easy and LaSalle should do the same.
Lois. You had a video posted when an unidentified alderman clearly said to let the person in the audience continue recording, wasn't it the mayor that then said " yea let them do it"? Is there a way to find which video that was?
Lois. You are correct! Many filters will spam those e-mails. Do be successfull with anything it takes hard work, foot stomping, commitment, passion and plenty of door pounding to make anything a success! That program is simply designed for the unproductive manager of the city. A clear example is the equivalent to the excercise in a bottle theory. You can take the easy way out by taking diet pills while sitting on the couch. You will NOT see results unless you are committed and willing to work for it. Common Sense and our parents have always told us- things don't come easy" Peru should fire their director and have invested that $1,000.00 per month towards a hard working dedicated Developer. Way to go Peru Council ya did it again! Duh!!
Is MCS a member of IVAC? My guess would be NO. Is the Peru Director of Development a member of IVAC? I would guess NO. The city of Peru has discussed breaking away from IVAC around the same time LaSalle did. Could this be a stepping stone to doing just that? I think, and know So.
11:23 Yes, here in Stepford we all are happy that the steps taken are always positive. We are never negative and never criticize. We are positive in Peru.
The only thing I am positive about is that the city got hosed for another website and unproven marketing campaign for 36 grand. Websites do not cost that much any more! Web Blasts, social networking, and all forms of Internet based advertising are risky at best. Every RELIABLE marketing contractor is a performance contractor, setting reasonable and measurable goals and being paid ONLY for performance. Oh, and by Performance I do NOT mean the song and dance before the council.
8:35 Are you stating that citizens need to be held to the same transparenc standards as their public servants? That you would like any quorum of citizens to publish agendas? That our meetings and discussions should be recorded and televised? no more anonymous critics?
Sounds a bit like some of the blissful dictatorships throughout history? Are you sure you aren't Emperor Harl? You have the press in the Valley functioning as a government mouthpiece, so if you can just get rid of a few more transparency laws or get them applied to the voters , then things would really start running smoothly.
You do realize Bleck has a family member working for IVAC and that apparently Ald. Bob is a good friend of his. End of story for now because connections do matter in Peru.
anno : 738 oglesby needs to get their own blod then you can post your stupid comments about peru supporting you's and giving you money ! grow up gvbet of state aid and get a job . maybe then someone will listen to you .
Nepotism at it's finest! No free market in the City of Peru. None with Baker and none with Harl. All favors that deepen the pockets of a few. Every single dollar that is spent foolishly as a favor is a crime. -Harl did not want video taping. EVER!! I asked him. Pottsy's vote as an alderman for MCS should be challenged. Damn, I would vote too to give $36,000 (and trust me, MCS will bill more than that - mark my words)to my boss if it meant job security. I love Vickrey's ad in the paper last night. Did his committee pay for that? I sure hope he reports more revenue than expenses to the Election Board. We all know how much an ad that size really costs to an outside 3rd party. "Attended 100 meetings." Whoopty DOO!! I can show up and sleep too! At 18 minutes per mtg each like some of our township board members, I wouldn't be so proud. What did you ever accomplish Bob? Removed (or resigned)from one of the most prestigious Boards in the State of Illinois? Now that's an ad you should promote!! The truth!! The latest political discussions with this City sicken me. I can't believe the audacity of these people. The older people in our community probably don't read this blog so make sure you tell every single one of them what is really going on. Make sure your friends and family are all registered to vote. Drive them to the facilities if needed. Write down every topic on this blog and tell them what really happened.
College students design websites everyday. High school students design websites. Our company pays less than $100 a month to host their website and forward all incoming data collected from visitors from the site. How did MCS con Peru into buying the same thing for $1,000 a month.
To EVERYBODY: BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH. Does anyone on this blog have anything constructive to add to ANYTHING?? You people (probably all 20 of you) just sit back, glued to your computer screen and complain about the smallest things, "claiming" you have a solution to what "should" have been done. Funny, I bet maybe....maaaayyybbeeee two or three of you TOPS ever go to a city council meeting and voice your concerns, because I tell you what, complaining on this blog doesn't get you very far. If everyone here claims that there has been such a problem in Peru then why do we constantly have the same alderman getting re-elected?? Lukosus was appointed, but he joined what you all call "the good 'ol boys club." Maybe the alderman aren't the problem, maybe it is YOU. The only REAL weapon in your "arsenal" is your vote (since NONE of you regularly, or ever, attend a city council meeting), and judging by the amount of times some of the alderman have been re-elected I can tell your votes don't get you too far for the "change" you are all so eagerly awaiting. This blog is just a half-baked club of whiners and complainers. My advice? Organize some kind of club or routine get together and actually try to accomplish something. Although I don't expect that to happen when everyone is so scared to meet face to face with other humans and its so easy to bash anyone and anything from the safety of your own house under the "anonymous" logo. Oh and we get it. Perez and Mayszak are the greatest alderman since sliced bread, but do the math, 2 alderman against 6----who is going to win?
Evidently you don't read very well about the number of people that read this blog, the numbers are on the front page and at present it is over 13,000 page views over a 30 day period. I don't really mind if you don't come back and if this is your first time reading it, I suggest you stay away. I know everyone that attends council and committee meetings and you have not been there unless you are using an alias. We are looking forward to the next election to change those numbers on the council that you refer to. Going back to your post, it reminds me so much of a former alderman and a friend of some of the voting bloc on the council who just cannot believe that Peru is changing. Many in Peru don't think the people in our government are well representing the citizens of Peru. And without a doubt, there will be a big turnout for the next election. I have worked 2 elections and both had a huge number of people turn out and we will do it again.
Will someone kindly explain the difference between getting 13,000 respondents in a month and to potentially connect with 13,000 developers around the country. Why is the city paying a $1,000 a month for what this blog does for Peru citizens free of charge. Also I understand that Mr. Mike Schmitt told our city officials since he had to set up a initial website he was not going to charge Peru as this was the site he choose because it is his hometown. Reading the paper tonight I see he is offering LaSalle the same thing. Peru alderman and Mayor does he have two home towns? Haven't heard of any negotiations taking place for the MCS service. Were there any? Peru now has IVAC, MLS and RV will we run out of letters or money first? Ops! We are already out of money.
You are entitled to your opinion, but I know for a fact that this blog, and several regular posters on it have had a great deal of influence on decisions made and actions taken. Like all free press, there is a power that comes from exposing and shining a light on civic issues. The effects are much more powerful than attending meetings where citizens are mocked , harassed and not allowed to question or challenge elected officials. There is a very active movement among several posters on this blog to expand coverage and exposure of many of the issues discussed here to a broader base using alternate methods of communicating to the electorate. You may not consider it constructive, but it will be illuminating to those who choose to become informed.
I can see how "powerful" of a movement any of you have. You influence two out of the six aldermen on the council, the rest think you are a joke! How far does that get you?! And you say you want to change the council? NOBODY on here even discusses who is running or has a discussion on who is running! Oh and I did the math-the same 20 people clicking on this website 20 times a day will give you your 13000 hits a month. And Lois, I can tell you know everyone who attends a council meeting-I have been there 3 times, they have a consistent public crowd of about 15 people. Nice. I would know everybody too.
What metrics are being collected to determine success or failure. Will the "e-mail blast" list be available for review? Rental lists often contain many unqualified addresses. This results in many bounces and quite a bit of spam filtering. However, many people do read these e-mails - the trick is making sure you provide information the recepient wants and do not send so frequently that you become irritating. The bottom line is what determins success. Another retail outlet or chain restaurant / fast food joint? I hope we can do better than that.
It will cost at a minimum of $1,000/month to employ MCS Advertising in a city which has already employed IVAC for $13,200/year plus a Director of Economic Development. Would it be best for the Director of Economic Development to get his big bike back from the Ambassador of Pickle ball and ride it on a country wide campaign for whatever he is presently doing for Peru?
Your answer only lets me know that you don't understand the way in which google analyzes what is taking place on this blog but that ok because you don't understand the people in Peru either.
John Y. Those consistent 15 people you speak of - I can think of 6 that are either employed by the city or very closely related to the city. There are very few "regular" citizens, like Lois and Linda, who show up to these meetings. Lois knows what she is talking about, and you do not.
Get with the times 9:05. Mr. Director of Economic Development has 2 of his vehicles - a volkswagen bug and an old yellow Cadillac decorated for his Circuit Clerk campaign. Probably got his advertising signs free from MCS Advertising since he conned our alderpersons to vote for the $1,000! He no longer needs the Picklebike.
Its good to hear that the majority of the city council felt that the blow-up rat wasn't the answer to economic growth. Thank God we still have a few of those elected officials left in our town.
OMG why such a fuss about a bike? Or somebody running for political office? Those who have been in a elected office and are running for reelection or a new office won't be fazed by the name calling or conspiracy theory. You are only discouraging those who want to run for office or want to be involved. We need good people at all levels including the County, State, Township, City.
The famous bike! Advertising? Is it insured, and is the rider of it insured by we taxpayers money? Since the bike, rider, and the advertisement attached to it has to do with pickleball, which has to do with the city of Peru! Maybe the rider of the bike and the bike needs to HOOK-UP with the famous bike and rider from LaSalle with the cross attached! In no way I'm degrading the cross, but I had no other way to describe it.
I like the idea of restitution for those who live by the pickleball courts. And we need to redistribute the wealth in Peru. And only one car for each person in town. Shame on Bob for having two cars! No bikes allowed with advertising. And a rat on every block. That will be the campaign promise to win the next election.
I honestly believe that the blog GREATLY contributed to the change at the last election. A 44 year term mayor was beaten out of his office, REMEMBER?????? Beaten kind of bad if I recall correctly. And the other runner was wiped clean off the slate too. Kind of embarrassing actually.
OMG Yes we need good people at all levels because we definitely don't have them now. OMG open up your mind and realize that it is not the bike but the phonies it represents.
One true test of every failing city is that they did not pursue economic opportunities. Those of us that need jobs appreciate the effort of Peru. Many of those who have established business understand that we need more of a customer base to survive. Those who have a government job or work for a tax based entity will also agree that we need more jobs and more of a tax base to sustain our jobs to higher levels. Again thanks to those involved with the City and put their necks out to support business.
Johnny, Johnny, Come on Johnny! Do you really think for a second the 20 bloggers on here believe your name is John Y?
Johnny, Johnny, John-Do you really think the 20 bloggers on here believe you've only been to three council meetings? I'd have to imagine you're at All council meetings.You seem to have allot of information of what happens at those meetings, and very familiar with who is against each other.I read the paper everyday and what i get out of it is the whole council is against each other.The only battle clear to the public is between Aldermen Dave Pothoff and Perez. Those are the only two name I read about with conflict. Mr. Alias John Boy- It's ok to be one of the 20 bloggers who has nothing constructive to do through the day but sit and wait to see who responds to your non-sense tales. I chose to take a minute to respond, just to be the one to call you out on your Bologne. It's confirmed you were on this blog at least twice today, let's see how many more you can commit too. Unless of course you decide to use Anon instead? Oh, and John Boy- You know as well as the other 20 bloggers on here that these posts are monitored by many.If they weren't? I have news for you- John Boy wouldn't waste time coming on to Rant!
3:10 Put their necks out to support business? What are you talking about? It's a web site and email campaign. Besides over paying, the city is not doing much of anything to support anything. They are taking tax dollars and wasting them to support one small Peru business.
Lets reserve judgement until this crack web advertising agency puts up a flash demo or video of it's council presentation for residents to see. Before I spend 36 k on my business I usually research the crap out of it. This should have been done as a performance contract..pay for qualified leads and placement in the city. You could find dozens of web agencies that would take that contract. I'd be willing to pay 100 k over three years in finders fees for something real, not just another pretty thing PERU can point too. This city is all about style, no substance.
My son was getting a hair cut listening to the "Barber" complain about two certain aldermen/women to the gentleman he was cutting hair. This barber was criticizing certain council members for wanting to hold up the development contract. Mr. Barber you should be a bit more professional while operating business and take into consideration of who your clients are. Not everyone wants to be subjected to your pressured political conversations. You may have lost a customer to a LaSalle stylist. More sales tax lost in Peru. Peru does not care about the businesses it currently has and it wants to try and bring more in? I don't think the businesses north of the Mall are feeling welcomed.
John, I'd like to correct you on two of your quotes that were in the last paragraph of your first post:
"Oh and we get it. Perez and Mayszak are the greatest alderman since sliced bread, but do the math, 2 alderman against 6----who is going to win?"
1. "2 aldermen "against" 6...who is going to win?" This may lead some readers to think Alderman Perez, and Alderwoman Mayszak choose not to play nice with the rest of the council. So not true! We get along perfectly fine with our fellow council members; at least for me...I will continue to make decisions and vote the way i feel my constituents want me to vote.. and govern the way i promised i would when i ran for office. Every councilmember governs in their own way. I would hope you wouldn't want to see 8-0 passages of items brought before the council week after week. We all have separate personalities and opinions and none of us are afraid to let that be known.(that's part of politics)
2."Who is going to win"? John, Politics may sure seem like a game at times, and to me, it's just as exciting as playing a game. however, I'm passionate about every part of it. At least for me...This isn't about winning or losing; in fact,Most everything i bring to the floor has been brought up before, if not a thousand times before. I give everything i bring to the floor 100% but, never expecting to "win" I figure some-things have to be brought up a thousand times over a hundred years for it to ever pass. I enjoy being the alderman that has the opportunity to bring something up to see just how close it is to hitting that 1000 mark. An example to this: Video recording our council meetings. Rodney Perez was not the first one to bring this to the floor. but, it must have been close to that mark because it finally passed. I don't consider that to be a win for me, I consider it to be a win for all other's who've brought it up in the past. Most importantly It's a "win" for the citizens.
John Y, I sure hope this was constructive enough for readers, and appreciate you bringing your thought's to the blog so I could take this opportunity to share:-)
4:33 here. I am sure they are. Obviously obtaining idiot clients is one of their strengths. Like I said, lets reserve judgement until we can see them get rid of their own 12th grade web site and put some flash presentations, or interactive live video, FAQ interactive, links to actual detailed client references, a portfolio of projects, etc. Lets start with a flash or youtube show of there their presentation to the city. Maybe they would blow me away. Their minimal client references didn't, their awards didn't, and that was when I thought they were a relatively new business. Knowing that they have been at it for 20 whole years makes me even less impressed.
Given the fact this is a new service they are proposing, the city should have INSISTED on a performance contract. If they deliver they get paid, have a nice new client and service to show off, but if they do not hit benchmarks they get nothing, just like the city. These types of contracts are VERY common with new offerings in the service and data mining industries.
Peru is not that far from Chicago. There is real competition that can service city media campaigns. At least use them to show how over priced our local services are and negotiate.
With as much decision-making as goes on outside council meetings, I for one am thrilled that Rodney and Sherry vote the way they do. If they did not, the average citizen might never hear ANYthing except the final vote count. Yes, they are just TWO and it's true that their votes rarely change whether or not a motion is passed, but their voices get heard which means the citizens in their wards get heard and the rest of us benefit from more information and more discussion than we would receive otherwise. Can you say the same for your alderman/alderwoman? If Peru had just two more aldermen/women to adopt Rodney's and Sherry's democratic ideals, we might begin to see progress and prosperity in the city of Peru once again.
Would somebody please tell me the name of one company in this country that decided to relocate to a city based on the economic development website they found during their google search? The people that are putting faith in our current economic development plan via Vickrey and MCS are fools. Lots of money being thrown out the window by blindsiding the trusting taxpayer again. Trust me, it takes lots of knocking on doors, networking, association membership, government interaction between states, state and federal involvement, and much much more. Peru has a bad habit of sitting on their butts and waiting for somebody to find us. We have nothing to offer businesses and people! Our youth are running from this area to find their future. A true professional will think of a good business plan with incentives to attract outside companies. I'm to the point that I believe most of the people we have in office right now have no idea how to run a real world class business with a future. I think we've gotten to comfy cozy and thought we were immune from failure. Whoa, did we screw up. We need a serious economic development group that does more than sell empty promise memberships and host cute parties with a camera for photo opportunities. Basically, we need to ask the econ dev group "What have you done for me (and my checkbook) lately?"
10:31 Classic argument of the incompetent when they are criticized. "let's see you do better".
Let's have someone who believes this was a good decision actually give some DETAIL about what it is and why it is worth this money!
So far all I have seen is, "thank God for the city doing their best" and " the ad agency has been in business 20 years so they must be good."
You know the same can be applied to almost any posting that criticizes the city. The arguments in favor of Pickleball, closed meetings, intersection changes, publicly funded for profit concerts- they are always the same. Little logic, attack the complainers for complaining, say that the complainers are wrong while never refuting the complaint.
For Gods sake just post some details and reasons why this was the right thing to do. Use examples, arguments, anything! Remember your high school debate class if you need help.
I still think back to the classic statement, when someone was trying to minimize the Pickleball problem, saying that if it was wrong the Mayor would have gotten involved. That's funny right there.
1:42 Why do you feel that someone who points out problems MUST run for office? Is your position that people either run for office or be quiet and accept everything that happens in their community? Dissent, commentary, or any other observation is not to be allowed unless someone runs for the office.
If I am reading that right, it's a pretty odd statement.
2:22 What a silly thought. I don't feel that way at all. In fact, my thoughts on who should speak and when they should speak are quite utopian, just like Peru. Everyone has a voice and can use it publicly without fear of ridicule or retribution.
No... in all seriousness, you've misread my intentions because clearly I have not been direct, so here it is! I feel that people who run for office must identify and correct problems and it is my perception that 10:45 may be able to do just that. In addition he or she clearly has no qualms with calling a spade a spade. I also detect some humility and suspect that this blogger would have the balls to admit if he or she had made a mistake. Personally, I'd like to see more of these in Peru, and not the pickelball sort.
9:34 thanks for clarifying! So many of the current individuals in power seem to fall back on the "be quiet unless you can do it better" argument, I assumed that was your original meaning.
Being in a penal system you are not allowed to vote. Yet! So a few of those interested bloggers won't be able to run for office in 2012-2013. Johhny Y how dare you give a candid opinion on this blog site? They will be wondering who you are. You might be one of those anti-tax, pro-business, hard working,"old fashion" residents that looks at the City as a place with a historical past. Shame on you for not taking a stand on the pickleball court location or city hall in 3D. Hopefully a few more of our elected officials will look at the real issues that effect our future. You do sound like a person I would vote for, get on the ballot. Johnny V, we like your style!
2:54 Historical past? What other kind of past is there? Go back to your hard working, business building, real world. We will just lay here collecting welfare and complaining about idiots who would not see another point of view if it hit them like a pickle ball.
84 comments:
They seem to be exceptional at wedding booklets. Maybe Reverend Harl is planning a comeback.
I like how they keep the understated 400 dollar canned website for their OWN business site... No need to intimidate potential clients. Keep it simple. I can't wait to FOIA the contract and services for this city deal. Maybe we could hire them to web blast just how screwed up things are here in Bedrock.
Passed by the Council 6-2 with a 30 day opt out included. Three levels were offered which were bronze, silver and gold and of course we chose the gold @$1000 per month. Question was asked about the advertising done by IVAC and Mr Vickery stated that IVAC looks for development in a 4 state area and we pay approximately 13,000 per year for that service.
Since we are their first customer in this new development it seems there might have been some room to negotiate this price and depending upon the activity and analytics they provide to us. I'm not sure what metrics they will be giving to the city and they did not say. Also it was stated that money from TIF funds will pay for this.
What about Oglesby? Is the Greedy Peru going to pay for interwebs for Oglesby? Boma said the rich needs to pay for the poor. Oglesby is poor and needs Interwebs so Peru has to pay for it that is the law becasue everyone is created equil and we need to distribute money from the rich to the poor.
So they pass an ordinance to pay 36 thousand dollars for a web site over 3 years without discussing in detail the specific services rendered and reviewing the qualifications of the contractor to provide this type of city promotion campaign.
The 30 day opt out is in force throughout the contract for non performance correct?
Who is "Development Delivered" and who are it's key players? Might be some surprises there.
7:46 AM
The 30 day opt out is force throughout the contracted period according to Ald. Radtke.
7:53 AM
Development Delivered is the name of the program they are using to promote the economic development of Peru and hope to expand to other cities. Perhaps we might be considered the "guinea pig"
5:15 you might consider that your moronic satire really has backfire effect, like stating 47 per cent of people are helpless victims and vote for Obama because they are dependent upon government. I am a republican leaning independent who gets sick when people state the rich have no obligation to care for the poor and we are the first generation to leave debt for future generations. Both of those arguments are so over simplified and flat out wrong they barely deserve response, but they play well to the masses.
Redistribution via tax brackets has been a core of the tax code for a very long time, and it reflects the fact that not everyone has the same opportunity in America. It is hardly burdensome, and as evidenced by the low effective percentage rates paid by the rich, they use the loopholes well. Give the rich Peru comments a rest and try to focus on the dysfunction of this government.
Does anyone know if it's true that MCS is a business located in a building that is partially owned by Mr. Vickrey?
I find it interesting the Alderman Radtke made the comment that $900.00 was saved by tabling the motion to video the council meetings. Isn't it ironic that the committee he is on, refused to table the motion they presented to spend $12,000/year to MCS for an economic website. Maybe if this had been tabled last night, they would have had the ability to save on this proposal. Just by going with the silver option the city would have saved $2,400.00 per year. Also the tabling of that proposal might have forced MCS to come up with a lower cost to the city.
It was in the newspaper after Crafters Village burned about the building MCS is in and pictures of Vickrey thanking the firemen.
10:00 AM
To be fair Ald Radtke did vote to table along with Alds Mayszak and Perez but I believe he knew that it would be passed because the others always vote together as a bloc and that would be Lukosus, Waldorf, Ankiewiz, and Potthoff. Ferrari would have joined them if he had been present. Very few individual thinkers and no surprises.
Lois: Didn't the four aldermen you listed above already vote against tabling the issue? Since alderman Ferrari was absent the issue was already decided. Isn't that correct?
So video of the council meetings is dead a dead issue now?
What qualifications, expierence within the field of economic development does MCS have?
If Peru is the first customer of this scheme, why would the city of Peru sign a 3 year contract? Would these aldermen take out a 3 year loan on a new model vehicle that has never been road tested and comes with no warranty? That 30 day opt out clause is bogus. How much does the city pay for IVAC ? What other funds are put towards development.
I was told the city plans to cut IVAC the way Lasalle has. Is this MCS way of taking over the printing and Internet from others? Perhaps there's a bigger savings package in the works for Dave P and Bob V. Buddy?
11:08 AM
Actually it was rather funny because there were 2 motions on the floor, one to table and one to approve and they had quite a scramble trying to figure out what should be taken care of first.
This makes absolutely no sense and adds more ammunition to the argument for recording and posting council meetings. Here is the quote from the News Tribune:
“Separately, the council voted 7-0 to update its own website with video features allowing people to view city council meetings from their computers.
The council voted 7-0 to approve a $1,545 contract with Connecting Point Computer Centers to record council meetings and then post them on the city’s site at www.peru.il.us.
Alderman Mike Radtke reminded the council the video issue was tabled and that by doing so the city saved $900.”
So was it approved or was it tabled? I’m assuming it was approved, but I have heard stranger things coming out of that council chamber before.
Now it is time to fight for recording the committee meetings!
Thanks to Alderman Rodney Perez for his consistent stance to have those council meetings video recorded despite his fellow aldermans opposition to allow that.I recall the video recording several posts down on this blog where the aldermen were clearly opposing that idea.The mimics and objections from the council and mayor were obvious they did not want to have any part of it. Of course they realized it would have been political suicide to say no to such a positive thing to have available.I truly figured the council would've voted it down.
Thank you Alderman Perez!
MCS should be paying the City of Peru.
11:49 They were following the lead of the rec commissions 3 year plan with the pickle ball.
Brian; it was previously tabled for a month or two and finally got approved last night
I'm sure a college professor might take peru's website as a project for his students. At little costs!
They don't even try to hide the Crony Capitalism any more. What ever happened to putting things out for bid? I guess that only works when you can rig the bid.
You better watch out Mr. 5:15 and all greeedy Peru people. I just sent Obabma a letter on the interweb and I just no that he is going to make Peru give Oglesby interweb pages and stores and money. He is going to distrubute peru money to oglesby.
Interesting that some players in the MCS program are on the Board of Directors of the Illinois Valley YMCA.
I didn't mean to delete the above, so please repost.
If its true the owner of MCS serves on the YMCA board for Alderman Potthoff wouldn't that be a conflict for Pottsy to vote on?
Lois- I heard Perez received papers to run against Harl.
Could you verify this?
Who is the Oglesby NUT?
Three things to keep in mind.
#1 - Recording and making council meetings accessible on the web is a direct result of the efforts and pressure applied by Alderman Perez and Alderwoman Mayszak. Nobody else. If these two elected officials had not continued to push for it this council "never" would have agreed to it. The others did not want it and they would have killed it if they could have, but they knew they could not outwardly oppose it for fear of the political backlash.
#2 - Mike Schmidt is Dave Potthoff's voice and supporter on the YMCA Board of Directors. Potthoff is simply returning a favor to his supporter for services rendered by Mr. Schmidt in his capacity on the Y board. Most notably, deflecting the regularly occuring criticism of Mr. Potthoff's "uninspired" performance as the "CE-No"
#3 - The services offered by MCS which were approved by the council on Monday are certainly something that is a vital part of any progressive city's approach to promoting developing itself. However, the research, the construction of the website, the web-blasts and any other aspect of the service could be and should be done by any legitimate and qualified "Economic Development Director".
Therefore, Peru should have a "full-time" Economic Development Director at a reasonable salary of $35,000 to $45,000 annually who would be dedicated to promoting the exclusive interests of Peru. Unlike Mr. Vickrey, who is solely dedicated to promoting and develping only one entity.
That being Bob Vickrey.
Lois, have you given any thought to having comments sent to you by 3x5 cards. To become a blogger the person could possibly have to go to city hall and have their picture taken at the podium with the mike turned on. Transparency????
Anon 2:20 your comments are very creative, but again fantasy. The Mayor was responsible for the video of the meetings. Give Harl the credit.
9:15 AM
You are wrong, Harl was all for it before he became Mayor and not now when he has become an ineffective mayor. If Ald. Perez had not pushed this, it would not have happened, plain and simple.
It is going to be interesting to see if La Salle jumps onto the MCS bandwagon. At least they have the foresight to delay voting on it, immediately after the presentation. I found the comment by Marci Duro from IVAC to be interesting. This is a concern because I believe I heard that the eblasts are thrown out there like spam and you all know how computer users love spam. We even have a special delete to folder for it.
9:15 You are absolutely wrong on that issue. Lois is right. The mayor promised it when campaigning but once elected forgot all his promises.
I am happy to see the City of Peru take a positive approach to business. I am pleased to see the city reach out to generate more opportunities for all.
11:23 PM
When you are spending $1000 a month and I understand that this will be from the cities portion of TIF funding, I would prefer to see the city go with someone with a proven track record of success. I would guess that if these same alderman were being asked to spend that much money per month out of their own pocket, they would have looked into this and bargained for a better price. I see where La Salle asked for a shorter term and MCS pretty much said NO and I guess they figured Peru fell in line pretty easy and LaSalle should do the same.
When did the City TIF start making money?
Lois. You had a video posted when an unidentified alderman clearly said to let the person in the audience continue recording, wasn't it the mayor that then said " yea let them do it"? Is there a way to find which video that was?
Lois. You are correct! Many filters will spam those e-mails.
Do be successfull with anything it takes hard work, foot stomping, commitment, passion and plenty of door pounding to make anything a success!
That program is simply designed for the unproductive manager of the city.
A clear example is the equivalent to the excercise in a bottle theory. You can take the easy way out by taking diet pills while sitting on the couch. You will NOT see results unless you are committed and willing to work for it. Common Sense and our parents have always told us- things don't come easy" Peru should fire their director and have invested that $1,000.00 per month towards a hard working dedicated Developer.
Way to go Peru Council ya did it again! Duh!!
Is MCS a member of IVAC? My guess would be NO. Is the Peru Director of Development a member of IVAC? I would guess NO. The city of Peru has discussed breaking away from IVAC around the same time LaSalle did. Could this be a stepping stone to doing just that? I think, and know So.
11:23 Yes, here in Stepford we all are happy that the steps taken are always positive. We are never negative and never criticize. We are positive in Peru.
The only thing I am positive about is that the city got hosed for another website and unproven marketing campaign for 36 grand. Websites do not cost that much any more! Web Blasts, social networking, and all forms of Internet based advertising are risky at best. Every RELIABLE marketing contractor is a performance contractor, setting reasonable and measurable goals and being paid ONLY for performance.
Oh, and by Performance I do NOT mean the song and dance before the council.
1:04 PM
I have heard NO as long as Ankiewicz and Bleck are in office.
8:35
Are you stating that citizens need to be held to the same transparenc standards as their public servants? That you would like any quorum of citizens to publish agendas? That our meetings and discussions should be recorded and televised? no more anonymous critics?
Sounds a bit like some of the blissful dictatorships throughout history? Are you sure you aren't Emperor Harl?
You have the press in the Valley functioning as a government mouthpiece, so if you can just get rid of a few more transparency laws or get them applied to the voters , then things would really start running smoothly.
1:04 PM
You do realize Bleck has a family member working for IVAC and that apparently Ald. Bob is a good friend of his. End of story for now because connections do matter in Peru.
anno : 738
oglesby needs to get their own blod then you can post your stupid comments about peru supporting you's and giving you money ! grow up gvbet of state aid and get a job . maybe then someone will listen to you .
Nepotism at it's finest! No free market in the City of Peru. None with Baker and none with Harl. All favors that deepen the pockets of a few. Every single dollar that is spent foolishly as a favor is a crime. -Harl did not want video taping. EVER!! I asked him.
Pottsy's vote as an alderman for MCS should be challenged. Damn, I would vote too to give $36,000 (and trust me, MCS will bill more than that - mark my words)to my boss if it meant job security. I love Vickrey's ad in the paper last night. Did his committee pay for that? I sure hope he reports more revenue than expenses to the Election Board. We all know how much an ad that size really costs to an outside 3rd party. "Attended 100 meetings." Whoopty DOO!! I can show up and sleep too! At 18 minutes per mtg each like some of our township board members, I wouldn't be so proud. What did you ever accomplish Bob? Removed (or resigned)from one of the most prestigious Boards in the State of Illinois? Now that's an ad you should promote!! The truth!!
The latest political discussions with this City sicken me. I can't believe the audacity of these people. The older people in our community probably don't read this blog so make sure you tell every single one of them what is really going on. Make sure your friends and family are all registered to vote. Drive them to the facilities if needed. Write down every topic on this blog and tell them what really happened.
College students design websites everyday. High school students design websites. Our company pays less than $100 a month to host their website and forward all incoming data collected from visitors from the site. How did MCS con Peru into buying the same thing for $1,000 a month.
To EVERYBODY:
BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH. Does anyone on this blog have anything constructive to add to ANYTHING?? You people (probably all 20 of you) just sit back, glued to your computer screen and complain about the smallest things, "claiming" you have a solution to what "should" have been done. Funny, I bet maybe....maaaayyybbeeee two or three of you TOPS ever go to a city council meeting and voice your concerns, because I tell you what, complaining on this blog doesn't get you very far. If everyone here claims that there has been such a problem in Peru then why do we constantly have the same alderman getting re-elected?? Lukosus was appointed, but he joined what you all call "the good 'ol boys club." Maybe the alderman aren't the problem, maybe it is YOU. The only REAL weapon in your "arsenal" is your vote (since NONE of you regularly, or ever, attend a city council meeting), and judging by the amount of times some of the alderman have been re-elected I can tell your votes don't get you too far for the "change" you are all so eagerly awaiting. This blog is just a half-baked club of whiners and complainers. My advice? Organize some kind of club or routine get together and actually try to accomplish something. Although I don't expect that to happen when everyone is so scared to meet face to face with other humans and its so easy to bash anyone and anything from the safety of your own house under the "anonymous" logo. Oh and we get it. Perez and Mayszak are the greatest alderman since sliced bread, but do the math, 2 alderman against 6----who is going to win?
9:50 PM
Evidently you don't read very well about the number of people that read this blog, the numbers are on the front page and at present it is over 13,000 page views over a 30 day period. I don't really mind if you don't come back and if this is your first time reading it, I suggest you stay away. I know everyone that attends council and committee meetings and you have not been there unless you are using an alias. We are looking forward to the next election to change those numbers on the council that you refer to. Going back to your post, it reminds me so much of a former alderman and a friend of some of the voting bloc on the council who just cannot believe that Peru is changing. Many in Peru don't think the people in our government are well representing the citizens of Peru. And without a doubt, there will be a big turnout for the next election. I have worked 2 elections and both had a huge number of people turn out and we will do it again.
Will someone kindly explain the difference between getting 13,000 respondents in a month and to potentially connect with 13,000 developers around the country. Why is the city paying a $1,000 a month for what this blog does for Peru citizens free of charge.
Also I understand that Mr. Mike Schmitt told our city officials since he had to set up a initial website he was not going to charge Peru as this was the site he choose because it is his hometown. Reading the paper tonight I see he is offering LaSalle the same thing. Peru alderman and Mayor does he have two home towns? Haven't heard of any negotiations taking place for the MCS service. Were there any?
Peru now has IVAC, MLS and RV will we run out of letters or money first? Ops! We are already out of money.
John Y
You are entitled to your opinion, but I know for a fact that this blog, and several regular posters on it have had a great deal of influence on decisions made and actions taken. Like all free press, there is a power that comes from exposing and shining a light on civic issues. The effects are much more powerful than attending meetings where citizens are mocked , harassed and not allowed to question or challenge elected officials.
There is a very active movement among several posters on this blog to expand coverage and exposure of many of the issues discussed here to a broader base using alternate methods of communicating to the electorate. You may not consider it constructive, but it will be illuminating to those who choose to become informed.
I can see how "powerful" of a movement any of you have. You influence two out of the six aldermen on the council, the rest think you are a joke! How far does that get you?! And you say you want to change the council? NOBODY on here even discusses who is running or has a discussion on who is running! Oh and I did the math-the same 20 people clicking on this website 20 times a day will give you your 13000 hits a month. And Lois, I can tell you know everyone who attends a council meeting-I have been there 3 times, they have a consistent public crowd of about 15 people. Nice. I would know everybody too.
What metrics are being collected to determine success or failure. Will the "e-mail blast" list be available for review? Rental lists often contain many unqualified addresses. This results in many bounces and quite a bit of spam filtering.
However, many people do read these e-mails - the trick is making sure you provide information the recepient wants and do not send so frequently that you become irritating.
The bottom line is what determins success. Another retail outlet or chain restaurant / fast food joint? I hope we can do better than that.
It will cost at a minimum of $1,000/month to employ MCS Advertising in a city which has already employed IVAC for $13,200/year plus a Director of Economic Development.
Would it be best for the Director of Economic Development to get his big bike back from the Ambassador of Pickle ball and ride it on a country wide campaign for whatever he is presently doing for Peru?
5:06 AM
Your answer only lets me know that you don't understand the way in which google analyzes what is taking place on this blog but that ok because you don't understand the people in Peru either.
John Y. Those consistent 15 people you speak of - I can think of 6 that are either employed by the city or very closely related to the city. There are very few "regular" citizens, like Lois and Linda, who show up to these meetings. Lois knows what she is talking about, and you do not.
Get with the times 9:05. Mr. Director of Economic Development has 2 of his vehicles - a volkswagen bug and an old yellow Cadillac decorated for his Circuit Clerk campaign. Probably got his advertising signs free from MCS Advertising since he conned our alderpersons to vote for the $1,000!
He no longer needs the Picklebike.
Its good to hear that the majority of the city council felt that the blow-up rat wasn't the answer to economic growth. Thank God we still have a few of those elected officials left in our town.
OMG why such a fuss about a bike? Or somebody running for political office? Those who have been in a elected office and are running for reelection or a new office won't be fazed by the name calling or conspiracy theory. You are only discouraging those who want to run for office or want to be involved. We need good people at all levels including the County, State, Township, City.
The famous bike! Advertising? Is it insured,
and is the rider of it insured by we taxpayers money? Since the bike, rider, and the advertisement
attached to it has to do with pickleball, which has to
do with the city of Peru! Maybe the rider of the bike and the bike needs to HOOK-UP with the famous bike and
rider from LaSalle with the cross attached! In no way I'm degrading the cross, but I had no other way to describe it.
OMG I was not aware that we were referring to the "good people".
I like the idea of restitution for those who live by the pickleball courts. And we need to redistribute the wealth in Peru. And only one car for each person in town. Shame on Bob for having two cars! No bikes allowed with advertising. And a rat on every block. That will be the campaign promise to win the next election.
I honestly believe that the blog GREATLY contributed to the change at the last election. A 44 year term mayor was beaten out of his office, REMEMBER?????? Beaten kind of bad if I recall correctly. And the other runner was wiped clean off the slate too. Kind of embarrassing actually.
OMG Yes we need good people at all levels because we definitely don't have them now. OMG open up your mind and realize that it is not the bike but the phonies it represents.
One true test of every failing city is that they did not pursue economic opportunities. Those of us that need jobs appreciate the effort of Peru. Many of those who have established business understand that we need more of a customer base to survive. Those who have a government job or work for a tax based entity will also agree that we need more jobs and more of a tax base to sustain our jobs to higher levels. Again thanks to those involved with the City and put their necks out to support business.
Johnny, Johnny, Come on Johnny! Do you really think for a second the 20 bloggers on here believe your name is John Y?
Johnny, Johnny, John-Do you really think the 20 bloggers on here believe you've only been to three council meetings?
I'd have to imagine you're at All council meetings.You seem to have allot of information of what happens at those meetings, and very familiar with who is against each other.I read the paper everyday and what i get out of it is the whole council is against each other.The only battle clear to the public is between Aldermen Dave Pothoff and Perez. Those are the only two name I read about with conflict. Mr. Alias John Boy- It's ok to be one of the 20 bloggers who has nothing constructive to do through the day but sit and wait to see who responds to your non-sense tales.
I chose to take a minute to respond, just to be the one to call you out on your Bologne. It's confirmed you were on this blog at least twice today, let's see how many more you can commit too. Unless of course you decide to use Anon instead? Oh, and John Boy- You know as well as the other 20 bloggers on here that these posts are monitored by many.If they weren't? I have news for you- John Boy wouldn't waste time coming on to Rant!
Signed: 007
3:10 Put their necks out to support business? What are you talking about? It's a web site and email campaign. Besides over paying, the city is not doing much of anything to support anything. They are taking tax dollars and wasting them to support one small Peru business.
Lets reserve judgement until this crack web advertising agency puts up a flash demo or video of it's council presentation for residents to see. Before I spend 36 k on my business I usually research the crap out of it. This should have been done as a performance contract..pay for qualified leads and placement in the city. You could find dozens of web agencies that would take that contract. I'd be willing to pay 100 k over three years in finders fees for something real, not just another pretty thing PERU can point too. This city is all about style, no substance.
My son was getting a hair cut listening to the "Barber" complain about two certain aldermen/women to the gentleman he was cutting hair. This barber was criticizing certain council members for wanting to hold up the development contract. Mr. Barber you should be a bit more professional while operating business and take into consideration of who your clients are. Not everyone wants to be subjected to your pressured political conversations. You may have lost a customer to a LaSalle stylist.
More sales tax lost in Peru. Peru does not care about the businesses it currently has and it wants to try and bring more in? I don't think the businesses north of the Mall are feeling welcomed.
OGLESBY LEADER OF THE VALLEY !!!!!!
To:John Y
From: Rodney Perez
John, I'd like to correct you on two of your quotes that were in the last paragraph of your first post:
"Oh and we get it. Perez and Mayszak are the greatest alderman since sliced bread, but do the math, 2 alderman against 6----who is going to win?"
1. "2 aldermen "against" 6...who is going to win?"
This may lead some readers to think Alderman Perez, and Alderwoman Mayszak choose not to play nice with the rest of the council. So not true! We get along perfectly fine with our fellow council members; at least for me...I will continue to make decisions and vote the way i feel my constituents want me to vote.. and govern the way i promised i would when i ran for office. Every councilmember governs in their own way. I would hope you wouldn't want to see 8-0 passages of items brought before the council week after week. We all have separate personalities and opinions and none of us are afraid to let that be known.(that's part of politics)
2."Who is going to win"?
John, Politics may sure seem like a game at times, and to me, it's just as exciting as playing a game. however, I'm passionate about every part of it.
At least for me...This isn't about winning or losing; in fact,Most everything i bring to the floor has been brought up before, if not a thousand times before. I give everything i bring to the floor 100% but, never expecting to "win"
I figure some-things have to be brought up a thousand times over a hundred years for it to ever pass. I enjoy being the alderman that has the opportunity to bring something up to see just how close it is to hitting that 1000 mark.
An example to this: Video recording our council meetings. Rodney Perez was not the first one to bring this to the floor. but, it must have been close to that mark because it finally passed.
I don't consider that to be a win for me, I consider it to be a win for all other's who've brought it up in the past. Most importantly It's a "win" for the citizens.
John Y, I sure hope this was constructive enough for readers, and appreciate you bringing your thought's to the blog so I could take this opportunity to share:-)
Thanks,
Rodney Perez
4:33
That "crack advertising agency" you referred to has been in business for over 20 years. They must be doing something right!
7:18
4:33 here. I am sure they are. Obviously obtaining idiot clients is one of their strengths. Like I said, lets reserve judgement until we can see them get rid of their own 12th grade web site and put some flash presentations, or interactive live video, FAQ interactive, links to actual detailed client references, a portfolio of projects, etc. Lets start with a flash or youtube show of there their presentation to the city. Maybe they would blow me away. Their minimal client references didn't, their awards didn't, and that was when I thought they were a relatively new business. Knowing that they have been at it for 20 whole years makes me even less impressed.
Given the fact this is a new service they are proposing, the city should have INSISTED on a performance contract. If they deliver they get paid, have a nice new client and service to show off, but if they do not hit benchmarks they get nothing, just like the city. These types of contracts are VERY common with new offerings in the service and data mining industries.
Peru is not that far from Chicago. There is real competition that can service city media campaigns. At least use them to show how over priced our local services are and negotiate.
With as much decision-making as goes on outside council meetings, I for one am thrilled that Rodney and Sherry vote the way they do. If they did not, the average citizen might never hear ANYthing except the final vote count. Yes, they are just TWO and it's true that their votes rarely change whether or not a motion is passed, but their voices get heard which means the citizens in their wards get heard and the rest of us benefit from more information and more discussion than we would receive otherwise. Can you say the same for your alderman/alderwoman? If Peru had just two more aldermen/women to adopt Rodney's and Sherry's democratic ideals, we might begin to see progress and prosperity in the city of Peru once again.
Would somebody please tell me the name of one company in this country that decided to relocate to a city based on the economic development website they found during their google search?
The people that are putting faith in our current economic development plan via Vickrey and MCS are fools. Lots of money being thrown out the window by blindsiding the trusting taxpayer again. Trust me, it takes lots of knocking on doors, networking, association membership, government interaction between states, state and federal involvement, and much much more. Peru has a bad habit of sitting on their butts and waiting for somebody to find us. We have nothing to offer businesses and people! Our youth are running from this area to find their future. A true professional will think of a good business plan with incentives to attract outside companies. I'm to the point that I believe most of the people we have in office right now have no idea how to run a real world class business with a future. I think we've gotten to comfy cozy and thought we were immune from failure. Whoa, did we screw up. We need a serious economic development group that does more than sell empty promise memberships and host cute parties with a camera for photo opportunities. Basically, we need to ask the econ dev group "What have you done for me (and my checkbook) lately?"
10:45...
Have you picked up your petition?
10:31 Classic argument of the incompetent when they are criticized. "let's see you do better".
Let's have someone who believes this was a good decision actually give some DETAIL about what it is and why it is worth this money!
So far all I have seen is, "thank God for the city doing their best" and " the ad agency has been in business 20 years so they must be good."
You know the same can be applied to almost any posting that criticizes the city. The arguments in favor of Pickleball, closed meetings, intersection changes, publicly funded for profit concerts- they are always the same. Little logic, attack the complainers for complaining, say that the complainers are wrong while never refuting the complaint.
For Gods sake just post some details and reasons why this was the right thing to do. Use examples, arguments, anything! Remember your high school debate class if you need help.
I still think back to the classic statement, when someone was trying to minimize the Pickleball problem, saying that if it was wrong the Mayor would have gotten involved. That's funny right there.
From 10:31...
To clarify--
Dear 10:45, please pick up a petition and run for alderman. I cannot as I am not qualified.
1:42 Why do you feel that someone who points out problems MUST run for office? Is your position that people either run for office or be quiet and accept everything that happens in their community? Dissent, commentary, or any other observation is not to be allowed unless someone runs for the office.
If I am reading that right, it's a pretty odd statement.
2:22
What a silly thought. I don't feel that way at all. In fact, my thoughts on who should speak and when they should speak are quite utopian, just like Peru. Everyone has a voice and can use it publicly without fear of ridicule or retribution.
No... in all seriousness, you've misread my intentions because clearly I have not been direct, so here it is! I feel that people who run for office must identify and correct problems and it is my perception that 10:45 may be able to do just that. In addition he or she clearly has no qualms with calling a spade a spade. I also detect some humility and suspect that this blogger would have the balls to admit if he or she had made a mistake. Personally, I'd like to see more of these in Peru, and not the pickelball sort.
9:34 thanks for clarifying! So many of the current individuals in power seem to fall back on the "be quiet unless you can do it better" argument, I assumed that was your original meaning.
10:31 - Legally, I can't.
Being in a penal system you are not allowed to vote. Yet! So a few of those interested bloggers won't be able to run for office in 2012-2013. Johhny Y how dare you give a candid opinion on this blog site? They will be wondering who you are. You might be one of those anti-tax, pro-business, hard working,"old fashion" residents that looks at the City as a place with a historical past. Shame on you for not taking a stand on the pickleball court location or city hall in 3D. Hopefully a few more of our elected officials will look at the real issues that effect our future. You do sound like a person I would vote for, get on the ballot. Johnny V, we like your style!
2:54
Historical past? What other kind of past is there? Go back to your hard working, business building, real world. We will just lay here collecting welfare and complaining about idiots who would not see another point of view if it hit them like a pickle ball.
Your right 4:11 your saying the same thing as Johnny V. Hard working, business building past is historic!
4:24 I was saying he writes like an idiot. What other kind of past is there except historical past? never mind lol.
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