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
Thank You Sean, in less than five months you have accomplished more for Peru than anyone else is expected to do in 2 full terms. Sadly most follow the 80-20 theory and don't accomplish much in 2 terms. Your starting salary , $87K/yr, is alot of money but you came to town with your wheels on the ground ready to take off proving you were worth it. Sean we all know that you are more than capable to perform your profession at the airport but you would not be allowed to do so because the airport from day 1 has been a huge money pit for a particular family and every time they believe they need more something will happen at the airport to open the bank. It didn't help you that this family practices the same profession as yourself and does not allow fair competition nor does it practice competition fairly. Most believe that a engineer from this firm will be appointed to your present position before you leave town. Back about three years ago a very good alderman asked for the councils backing to go out and price hardware for a timeclock. Mayor Harl responded with "Aldermean Potthoff where did this idea come from? The troops are not going to like this". What he called troops should have termed as my brotherhood. Sean to your credit you know what a manger is our present Mayor believes that you can be both, one of the boys and also a manager. For further proof does anyone think he would be under investigation if he did? Only a true bonehead would pay a man for unnecessary work that he does not have to appear for but is being paid premiun time for! WOW, jessie you don't need a gun to rob the city. Sean, word on the street is that Harl came into your office threating you and he told you that this investigation is all your fault and you will pay for it. Also he is supposed to have told you that he is going to have this all come back to you. If the word on the street is factual Harl has sealed his envelop with the guilty ballot no matter who his coach and attorney are. Incidently Harl has left a long line of supporters behind approximately five years ago for a group of political switch blades and the members of this line will never forgive or forget him. These supporters now KNOW Scotty and will never turn their backs to him. He evidently has also earned this mistrust. Sean I could go on with more but I don't want to taint my comment andyour reputation. Many from Peru appreciate your effort and realize that there are reasons for you to leave and hope that you leave us, the Joe the Plumbers, with a good feeling. We have a good feeling for you and will come forward to cover your back as needed. Sean, Merry Christmas and best of luck in 2014. You have not only proven that you are a top notch engineer, skilled with computers ,very updated in programs and technology, but above all a human being with the attributes of honesty, good jugement and a ability to take a interest in informing the citizen of what you are making a effort to accomplish with how much money it will take to get there and what the financial reward will amount to. Sean some day will you inform the citizenship of Peru whatyou mean by the dump truck has been "misplaced". I have a idea but I believe misplaced is a short word meaning most know where it is but on account of it last usage at the power plant it would be best to collect insurance and never have it enter the state again to encounter the EPA. I believe this has been accomplished without your knowledge or your approval, but in time the evident becomes evident.
Word on the street also is the city employees did not respect Sean or treat him well. They finally had somebody telling them what to do, and apparently, they don't like being told what to do.
I just hope that the council tells the PW employees that they better respect and listen to the next person that's hired or they will be reprimanded.
Harl should resign now. He won't speak to anybody, so why is he needed? Why does he even go to city hall?
To 8:05 pm, You make many good points. But I want to point out what I believe to be the biggest failure by our elected officials which likely caused Mr. Mikos to want to cleanse himself of Peru politics as fast as possible. Mayor Harl is first to blame of course for his total lack of leadership and integrity. But equally responsible for the departure of the SPW/City Engineer is the duo of Waldorf and Lukosus on the illustrious Public Worst Committee. Those two "do-nothing aldermen" failed to provide the necessary support to Sean Mikos to enable him to fulfill his duties as a City Engineer. Chamlin would never allow a "city engineer" to cut into their billable hours and Waldorf and Lukosus did "nothing" in support of Sean Mikos to provide the engineering services he was hired to do. The Public Worst Committee, as well as the rest of the Peru council abandoned Mr. Mikos immediately after hiring him. Nothing changed. Waldorf and Lukosus just continued "feeding the beast" that is Chamlin & Associates, and they were never going to allow Sean to cut into that gravy train. While Harl is also responsible for the disgrace of this resignation, Waldorf and Lukosus are the primary cause for not having the "stones" to stand up to Chamlin. The Public Worst Committee cut Sean Mikos off at the knees, and kept the status quo intact. Shame on them all for this embarrassing display of cronyism and corruption. Who can blame Sean Mikos for wanting to put the filth of Peru politics in his rear-view mirror as fast as humanly possible. Good Luck Sean. You made the right decision. The Peru city council let you and the citizens of Peru down again.
Sean, have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year with your family. As 8:05 stated, the Joe Plumbers of Peru thank you for your short time here, but you made the right decision. Take your education and knowledge where you will be appreciated. Thank you once again for your honesty and integrity, your parents should be proud of the son they raised.
I will always remember the comment made by Ald. Potthoff to Sean when a discussion of the road inside the airport was brought up. He asked a question which Sean was expected to answer in the way that the alderman wanted. It was "Is that outside your area of expertise?" Can you even imagine what would have happened if Sean had said no it is not. He was reined in from the very beginning by the council and the mayor to keep Chamlin happy. People have often said that Chamlin really runs the city and maybe they are right.
Think back to the last election when a fourth candidate by the name of Giordano popped up and played spoiler in the election enabling Harl to squeek by. He has not been heard from since the election and we all remember that his father was at one time an associate of Chamlin Engineering.
If Sean cannot be convinced that their is a citizenship that is going to make a concentrated effort to lift the black cloud which has covered Peru disappear and to stay with us we are going to lose a excellent young man. One that will be hard to replace. Sadly it appears that we have already lost him. As for certain elected officials we will never lose them, people such as this don't go away, they just keep returning, returning and returning(very similar to rodents). Sean knowing your abilities were challenged from start to finish by being handed a dual mission as SPW/P.E. a mission that the last SPW (who has nowhere near your qualifications and made more money for doing nothing but misusing the occupation, in fact he had no qualifications) only had to serve as SPW. Possibly he did do one thing along with his Commander in Chief and that is under investigation for a tipsy payroll. As for your problems with the city employees, city employees who have joined the same union as his honor, you are to be commended but you were in a hopeless position without the dishonest Reverends sanctions. I will tell you that your first confronter should have been given a end of job slip for insubordination, and so should the second, and on and on until the public works department only had you in charge and the group of employees who were smart enough to know it and would follow orders as they were hired to do. In rememberance those time clocks better be kept as part of the city payroll as lesson Number 1 that the city is in control of all its departments and its officials want to follow all legalities such as limiting questionable poor and improper business practices which are being investigated today. Also if your next position involves organized represenTAtion study all employee handbooks and contracts.
If what I am reading is true I am MAD, MAD, MAD. If the city employees, who earn a very desirable salary with great benefits, don't like being told what to do by their boss then LEAVE TOWN. You've gotten away with doing the least amount of work manageable for too many years already. There are many things that need to be done around town but because we had a lack of leadership many of those things have been neglected. How many citizens have reported workers riding around town, grass being cut 2 or 3 times a week, summer help hiding, etc.? Too often. Once again lack of leadership. Now we had a leader but the workers rebelled? Shame on those who did if it's indeed true. To those who continue to earn their keep thank you!
Those who rebelled should be fired on the spot, NO questions asked. There are plenty of good hard working people out there willing to take the time killers places.
OK, I did attend the meeting and listen and watch the interactions between the electeds. Aldermen Perez did suggest that Mayor Harl take a leave of absence and the mayor replied that that was not going to happen. After the meeting it was Ald. Radtke, Lukosus and Waldorf who gathered around the mayor. What they did not discuss tonight was the fact that they will not have a Superintendent of Public Works after Dec. 31. The questions is who will be appointed because after hiring a smart, well educated savvy civil engineer, a P.E as he was proudly called before he began his position. Well the aldermen and mostly the mayor found out that when you hire a Professional Engineer you better know how to treat him and how to interact with him giving him some freedom to do his job that he has been trained to do. Well he certainly didn't turn out to be what they wanted which I believe was a rerun of former SPW Bleck. Thank you Sean for being the stand up guy that we the residents respect.
A conversation I overheard between a resident and an aldermen this evening. The resident asked "DO you think they will keep the time clocks? The reply was that "they are probably gone already". The mayor will remain in office even though he has no clue what is going on. The employees will continue to run the department and maybe even the dump truck might reappear in the new year. And this city will continue its downward descent into nothing. We need someone to run this city so it looks citizens might need to take up the mantle once again and take out a petitions to get a City Manager hired. Yes it will take money but that can be worked out. Look how easily we found the cash for a Full Time Fire Chief/Zoning Inspector.
Lois - if we simply hire a manager nothing with change. They will just hire some political hack. The form of government needs to change to Council Manager to prevent interference in the day to day operations of the city. Concerning the SPW - Here is what I think will happen. Radtke has some experience in management at a local industrial plant. He will resign his position as Alderman and be hired as SPW. Harl will then select somebody to fill the vacancy on the council - solidifying his control of the council and the PW department.
Why couldn't a alderman also be SPW. Rodney was vounteer for the fire department and served on the aldermatic committee of Public Health and Safety and was thought of giving both the city and the fire department outstanding and fair representation. I have witnessed Alderman Perez in difficult situations many times and he has never failed to make a effort to represent all in a fair and extensive manner. Proof of this is the vast amount of time he has donated to city causes as a unpaid volunteer besides being a alderman and fireman. I believe all city officials are paid as well as volunteeer firemen both of which are deserving. I do know that he hasn't ever collected a pay that he was not there to earn it in person. He as many others have a personal code of ethics that dose not believe that such carrying on should have been allowed by a representative and employee of the city. If all that is doled out for punishment to anyone proven guilty is a slap on the wrist there has to be the promise made in 2009 of CHANGE. The CHANGE may start of a referrendum for a city manager. A city manager would be more efficent in city management and in the cost of the existing structure of three city administrators, Mayor, City Clerk, Budget Director.
I do know that the total payroll of the three positions you have mentioned is over $116,000/year. Mayor $32,000 (that we know of) Treasurer/Budget Director $24,000 City Clerk $60,000+ I would think that $120,000 would attract several very qualified inviduals for city manager in Peru. We are by no means a high cost of living area and are close enough to those that are so one can easily enjoy those that are. With our yearly revenue in Peru and the complications of managing the city why don't we have a city manager already?At approximately the same cost we could hire someone who is trained to run a city and could save Peru a multifold of his wages.Presenty as I have stated we already spend $120,000 for 3 administrative positions Plus another $55,000 for promotional services such Robert Vickrey, a Spring Lobbyist, Illinois Valley Chamber of Commerce and Mike Schmitts internet. What others can you think of?
18 comments:
Thank You Sean, in less than five months you have accomplished more for Peru than anyone else is expected to do in 2 full terms. Sadly most follow the 80-20 theory and don't accomplish much in 2 terms.
Your starting salary , $87K/yr, is alot of money but you came to town with your wheels on the ground ready to take off proving you were worth it. Sean we all know that you are more than capable to perform your profession at the airport but you would not be allowed to do so because the airport from day 1 has been a huge money pit for a particular family and every time they believe they need more something will happen at the airport to open the bank.
It didn't help you that this family practices the same profession as yourself and does not allow fair competition nor does it practice competition fairly. Most believe that a engineer from this firm will be appointed to your present position before you leave town.
Back about three years ago a very good alderman asked for the councils backing to go out and price hardware for a timeclock. Mayor Harl responded with "Aldermean Potthoff where did this idea come from? The troops are not going to like this".
What he called troops should have termed as my brotherhood.
Sean to your credit you know what a manger is our present Mayor believes that you can be both, one of the boys and also a manager. For further proof does anyone think he would be under investigation if he did? Only a true bonehead would pay a man for unnecessary work that he does not have to appear for but is being paid premiun time for! WOW, jessie you don't need a gun to rob the city.
Sean, word on the street is that Harl came into your office threating you and he told you that this investigation is all your fault and you will pay for it. Also he is supposed to have told you that he is going to have this all come back to you. If the word on the street is factual Harl has sealed his envelop with the guilty ballot no matter who his coach and attorney are. Incidently Harl has left a long line of supporters behind approximately five years ago for a group of political switch blades and the members of this line will never forgive or forget him. These supporters now KNOW Scotty and will never turn their backs to him. He evidently has also earned this mistrust.
Sean I could go on with more but I don't want to taint my comment andyour reputation. Many from Peru appreciate your effort and realize that there are reasons for you to leave and hope that you leave us, the Joe the Plumbers, with a good feeling. We have a good feeling for you and will come forward to cover your back as needed. Sean, Merry Christmas and best of luck in 2014. You have not only proven that you are a top notch engineer, skilled with computers ,very updated in programs and technology, but above all a human being with the attributes of honesty, good jugement and a ability to take a interest in informing the citizen of what you are making a effort to accomplish with how much money it
will take to get there and what the financial reward will amount to. Sean some day will you inform the citizenship of Peru whatyou mean by the dump truck has been "misplaced". I have a idea but I believe misplaced is a short word meaning most know where it is but on account of it last usage at the power plant it would be best to collect insurance and never have it enter the state again to encounter the EPA. I believe this has been accomplished without your knowledge or your approval, but in time the evident becomes evident.
Word on the street also is the city employees did not respect Sean or treat him well. They finally had somebody telling them what to do, and apparently, they don't like being told what to do.
I just hope that the council tells the PW employees that they better respect and listen to the next person that's hired or they will be reprimanded.
Harl should resign now. He won't speak to anybody, so why is he needed? Why does he even go to city hall?
To 8:05 pm, You make many good points. But I want to point out what I believe to be the biggest failure by our elected officials which likely caused Mr. Mikos to want to cleanse himself of Peru politics as fast as possible.
Mayor Harl is first to blame of course for his total lack of leadership and integrity. But equally responsible for the departure of the SPW/City Engineer is the duo of Waldorf and Lukosus on the illustrious Public Worst Committee. Those two "do-nothing aldermen" failed to provide the necessary support to Sean Mikos to enable him to fulfill his duties as a City Engineer. Chamlin would never allow a "city engineer" to cut into their billable hours and Waldorf and Lukosus did "nothing" in support of Sean Mikos to provide the engineering services he was hired to do. The Public Worst Committee, as well as the rest of the Peru council abandoned Mr. Mikos immediately after hiring him. Nothing changed. Waldorf and Lukosus just continued "feeding the beast" that is Chamlin & Associates, and they were never going to allow Sean to cut into that gravy train. While Harl is also responsible for the disgrace of this resignation, Waldorf and Lukosus are the primary cause for not having the "stones" to stand up to Chamlin. The Public
Worst Committee cut Sean Mikos off at the knees, and kept the status quo intact. Shame on them all for this embarrassing display of cronyism and corruption.
Who can blame Sean Mikos for wanting to put the filth of Peru politics in his rear-view mirror as fast as humanly possible.
Good Luck Sean. You made the right decision. The Peru city council let you and the citizens of Peru down again.
Sean, have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year with your family. As 8:05 stated, the Joe Plumbers of Peru thank you for your short time here, but you made the right decision. Take your education and knowledge where you will be appreciated. Thank you once again for your honesty and integrity, your parents should be proud of the son they raised.
7:24 AM
I will always remember the comment made by Ald. Potthoff to Sean when a discussion of the road inside the airport was brought up. He asked a question which Sean was expected to answer in the way that the alderman wanted. It was "Is that outside your area of expertise?" Can you even imagine what would have happened if Sean had said no it is not. He was reined in from the very beginning by the council and the mayor to keep Chamlin happy. People have often said that Chamlin really runs the city and maybe they are right.
Think back to the last election when a fourth candidate by the name of Giordano popped up and played spoiler in the election enabling Harl to squeek by. He has not been heard from since the election and we all remember that his father was at one time an associate of Chamlin Engineering.
8:05 PM EXCELLENT COMMENT!!!!
If Sean cannot be convinced that their is a citizenship that is going to make a concentrated effort to lift the black cloud which has covered Peru disappear and to stay with us we are going to lose a excellent young man. One that will be hard to replace.
Sadly it appears that we have already lost him. As for certain elected officials we will never lose them, people such as this don't go away, they just keep returning, returning and returning(very similar to rodents).
Sean knowing your abilities were challenged from start to finish by being handed a dual mission as SPW/P.E. a mission that the last SPW (who has nowhere near your qualifications and made more money for doing nothing but misusing the occupation, in fact he had no qualifications) only had to serve as SPW. Possibly he did do one thing along with his Commander in Chief and that is under investigation for a tipsy payroll.
As for your problems with the city employees, city employees who have joined the same union as his honor, you are to be commended but you were in a hopeless position without the dishonest Reverends sanctions. I will tell you that your first confronter should have been given a end of job slip for insubordination, and so should the second, and on and on until the public works department only had you in charge and the group of employees who were smart enough to know it and would follow orders as they were hired to do. In rememberance those time clocks better be kept as part of the city payroll as lesson Number 1 that the city is in control of all its departments and its officials want to follow all legalities such as limiting questionable poor and improper business practices which are being investigated today.
Also if your next position involves organized represenTAtion study all employee handbooks and contracts.
If what I am reading is true I am MAD, MAD, MAD. If the city employees, who earn a very desirable salary with great benefits, don't like being told what to do by their boss then LEAVE TOWN. You've gotten away with doing the least amount of work manageable for too many years already. There are many things that need to be done around town but because we had a lack of leadership many of those things have been neglected. How many citizens have reported workers riding around town, grass being cut 2 or 3 times a week, summer help hiding, etc.? Too often. Once again lack of leadership. Now we had a leader but the workers rebelled? Shame on those who did if it's indeed true. To those who continue to earn their keep thank you!
Those who rebelled should be fired on the spot, NO questions asked. There are plenty of good hard working people out there willing to take the time killers places.
If I was in charge, I would fire everyone and then make each one prove their competence and rehire only the ones that could do so.
8:59 EXCELLENT POST!!!
Let's hope the truth about what goes on comes out,
We the people have the right to know!
OK, I did attend the meeting and listen and watch the interactions between the electeds. Aldermen Perez did suggest that Mayor Harl take a leave of absence and the mayor replied that that was not going to happen. After the meeting it was Ald. Radtke, Lukosus and Waldorf who gathered around the mayor.
What they did not discuss tonight was the fact that they will not have a Superintendent of Public Works after Dec. 31. The questions is who will be appointed because after hiring a smart, well educated savvy civil engineer, a P.E as he was proudly called before he began his position. Well the aldermen and mostly the mayor found out that when you hire a Professional Engineer you better know how to treat him and how to interact with him giving him some freedom to do his job that he has been trained to do. Well he certainly didn't turn out to be what they wanted which I believe was a rerun of former SPW Bleck. Thank you Sean for being the stand up guy that we the residents respect.
A conversation I overheard between a resident and an aldermen this evening. The resident asked "DO you think they will keep the time clocks? The reply was that "they are probably gone already".
The mayor will remain in office even though he has no clue what is going on. The employees will continue to run the department and maybe even the dump truck might reappear in the new year. And this city will continue its downward descent into nothing. We need someone to run this city so it looks citizens might need to take up the mantle once again and take out a petitions to get a City Manager hired. Yes it will take money but that can be worked out. Look how easily we found the cash for a Full Time Fire Chief/Zoning Inspector.
Lois - if we simply hire a manager nothing with change. They will just hire some political hack. The form of government needs to change to Council Manager to prevent interference in the day to day operations of the city.
Concerning the SPW - Here is what I think will happen. Radtke has some experience in management at a local industrial plant. He will resign his position as Alderman and be hired as SPW. Harl will then select somebody to fill the vacancy on the council - solidifying his control of the council and the PW department.
Why couldn't a alderman also be SPW. Rodney was vounteer for the fire department and served on the aldermatic committee of Public Health and Safety and was thought of giving both the city and the fire department outstanding and fair representation. I have witnessed Alderman Perez in difficult situations many times and he has never failed to make a effort to represent all in a fair and extensive manner. Proof of this is the vast amount of time he has donated to city causes as a unpaid volunteer besides being a alderman and fireman. I believe all city officials are paid as well as volunteeer firemen both of which are deserving. I do know that he hasn't ever collected a pay that he was not there to earn it in person. He as many others have a personal code of ethics that dose not believe that such carrying on should have been allowed by a representative and employee of the city. If all that is doled out for punishment to anyone proven guilty is a slap on the wrist there has to be the promise made in 2009 of CHANGE. The CHANGE may start of a referrendum for a city manager. A city manager would be more efficent in city management and in the cost of the existing structure of three city administrators, Mayor, City Clerk, Budget Director.
I do know that the total payroll of the three positions you have mentioned is over $116,000/year.
Mayor $32,000 (that we know of)
Treasurer/Budget Director $24,000
City Clerk $60,000+
I would think that $120,000 would attract several very qualified inviduals for city manager in Peru. We are by no means a high cost of living area and are close enough to those that are so one can easily enjoy those that are.
With our yearly revenue in Peru and the complications of managing the city why don't we have a city manager already?At approximately the same cost we could hire someone who is trained to run a city and could save Peru a multifold of his wages.Presenty as I have stated we already spend $120,000 for 3 administrative positions Plus another $55,000 for promotional services such Robert Vickrey, a Spring Lobbyist, Illinois Valley Chamber of Commerce and Mike Schmitts internet. What others can you think of?
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