Each alderman receives $4900 per year and they are eligible to take the IMRF pension which I was not aware of and will be getting information on today.
The opposition to the referendum makes no sense to me. It has been downright ugly and personal in contrast to the way the promoters have conducted themselves. I am continually deleting comments that are mostly personal attacks not always on me but on those who are working on the at large petition. It has exposed a very ugly under belly to this city
Those who no longer sit on the council, what is their problem?. Never in a million years will I believe they are looking out for the city of Peru because they are no longer in office and although I believe their influence may very well be affecting the decisions made by some of the aldermen, I hope it is not the entire group of individuals in office at this time.
Money and influence that equal power are usually the corrupting forces. So it is now down to who and for what reason and how far does it extend out from city hall. The signed advertisement on March 8 in the N.T. was an insult to the citizens of this city, what do the signers stand to lose if the referendum passes?
This election on Tuesday has become more important than any of us realized and it will also reflect back upon the entire population of this city, like it or not. This idea of reducing the council and electing at large should be welcomed as a positive in this city by the electorate. Consider it a fresh start and hope for the future.
The latest council mtg video is available for viewing, be sure to watch. Too bad we can't video the mtgs taking place across the street from city hall.
62 comments:
I would beg the aldermen to respect the process of the referendum . Signatures were collected and properly filed .
Please compare with other elected city officials, townships prior to letting us know how overpaid they are. I doubt that will be a arguement for a reduction of the city council.
Actually, I believe the laws against secretly videotaping in Illinois do not apply if it is a meeting in violation of the OMA, since by law your are ALLOWED to record meetings of government officials.
Any lawyers wish to weigh in on that? It is a very special case.
At one time I thought an Illinois case allowed videotaping of the commission of a crime in progress when done exclusively for the purpose of providing future testimony and aiding law enforcement?
9:58 AM
The Township should be voted out of existence. $4900 is not bad for anywhere from 2 hrs to perhaps another 2 to 4 on committee per month. The aldermen are the face of Peru.
The bottom line is that there is an "establishment" group in Peru made up of current elected officials, past elected officials, CSO members, and a combination of "busy-body retirees" or just "regular busy-bodies" who hang out at the Deli and pass judgement on everything Peru and what they consider their little Kingdom. If you don't belong to their Coffee Clutch or their fraternal group, you are deemed unfit to participate in Peru government. In short, you are an outsider. That is why they attack Travis Nelson and Steve Weberski who are two individuals obviously not inclined to kiss ass at the Deli or anywhere else. In their world you fall in line or you are labeled a troublemaker. They have no concept of the importance of differing opinions and being able to accept opposing views when it comes to leadership in government. They will always view any dissenters as unworthy. They are Elitists and Peru's Guardians of the Status Quo.
Their numbers will continue to decline as they age and fade away. All the while the numbers of those beyond the reach of their influence continues to increase. They are losing control fast. They know it and they don't like it. They can slow the demise of Status Quo Peru but they can't stop it.
There is no way aldermen should be allowed to tap into any retirement system whatsoever. If any of them are participating in a retirement plan, that means the city would be paying into the plan on behalf of the elected official. This money would be above and beyond the reported $4,900. If any elected official is participating they should be exposed and voted out asap. Lois, please let us know if any sitting aldermen are costing us extra money for a phony-baloney pension, as well as any former elected officials.
Steve Weberski is the Township Clerk and paid $26,000 a year. Please don't pretend he is not part of the establishment party system that many of us adhore. He was a insider that was the Harl Campaign manager and paid very well with the position of Township Clerk. The same government entity that should be abolished.
I don't usually discuss township issues on this blog but if you want to know salaries or anything else, contact the Peru Twp. office and you can also foia info from them.
Is it illegal to hold a coffee house meeting with aa bunch of over the hill former political hacks?
I am sure that they would enjoy some of those newly named experts to stop by and enjoy the rather strong coffee. Maybe they could give some of the former long standing public servants some of that advice. And who knows maybe they will sign up for some community event. Maybe they will even thank those former office holders for public service.
11:53
you never talk about the township only to bash it - what do you know about it that is factual?
Lois, how do the aldermen receive IMRF legally? If they do, does the city still pay in for them and when does it stop. They are not city employees. Do they work 640 hours a year to be able to collect? I really want to know how they do this. Are they insured by the city? Please answer.
2:10 PM
I sent a foia in this morning on this subject.
Yes, aldermen have been getting a pension thru IMRF. I was the last one eligible, and the rules were changed, something about working 1,000 hours before being eligible for a pension. So if I have it correctly, I was the last eligible alderman to get an IMRF pension, and so all the current aldermen except Becky Mueller and Mike Sapienza are eligible to participate in IMRF.
It is not illegal, but if current officials are meeting in a manner outside the OMA rules, it should not be allowed. The consistent lack of quality debate and disagreement, along with consistent block voting leads many to believe the long standing opinion that per us leadesr decide things in private.
Who cares how much they make, how many workshops they attend. My only care is how they help or hurt the city.
Those former members of the City Council may have signed their names because they actually believe that 8 council members is better than 6. Just like those who wrote the open forms, paid for the signs believe that 6 council members are better then 8 Or something like that.
Joe Witczak doesn't even come to meetings he barely can keep his shop clean his is doing the dirty work for Baker
I also want to know why Bartly was commenting on a referendum unless his is protecting something too
It boggles my mind that trading in one alderman for two who have to run CITY WIDE elections is going to improve MY representation. People have asked repeatedly how this is going to help our city and the only answer is because you think you are going to remove the incumbents.
The correct way to do that is at the election. It did not work out for the people who ran the last time. They lost. It has been asked who is financially supporting this and those questions are never answered. I am yet to find ONE person who trusts what is behind the move to six aldermen.
Have those of you behind this ever asked yourself what will happen if this actually passes and then your people lose again? I don't think it will pass, but if it does and Steve and whoever else you are trying to get into office actually win, then what? What if the people you don't want win? I'm pretty sure that is what would happen.
I'm not tied in with anyone anywhere. I just vote and stay very informed and there is no way I would vote for an issue where people are degraded and called "stupid" or have their "head in the sand" or "drink the kool aid" because a small group of people with a clear agenda that has failed before change the rules of the game to try to win another way.
Go ahead. Let me have it. Let the blogger insults begin. But I would encourage people to think about ALL of the ramifications before voting on something like this.
I and about everyone I have talked to will be voting NO.
I have to laugh when people complain about city wide, my first thought is how wide is Peru, I can drive thru, east to west or the other way around, in about 5 minutes at slow speed. This is not Chicago, Bloomington, Peoria or even Naperville, this is Peru. Many people drive through and around this city daily. Driving through on Route 6, we have one stop and go light.
If you depend upon the media, there is one newspaper.
Whether this goes to 6 or loses, there are aldermen who will lose the next election because they have been shown to not be effective aldermen, yes the people will take care of that too.
You are one of those people who like to complain about those who lose elections but I say to those who have run for office in Peru and lost, congratulations to you and thanks for running. It takes courage to run against well funded candidates and/or
well known people in office and name recognition. We need more people willing to step forth and try.
Mayor Baker himself has lost 3 elections. Remember he also ran for state senator and lost.
You evidently are simply one of those Peru people who think the world will end if a new idea surfaces in Peru that has not been put forth by the people who have run this city for far too long and that includes politicians and contractors involved with city business. If you are peddling influence, your world might change with new people who are actually representing the people who live here.
I personally have always looked beyond what is now and thought about what could be if we have the courage to try and I and my family and neighbors will be voting yes.
9;10 No one is insulting you by disagreeing with you. If you think Peru is so large that effective representation of your issues is dependent on having two individuals living near you, then you are just being illogical. It is not an insult.
You are not arguing for anything! You make no sense. The only thing you say is you want no change, not why the change is bad in anyway.
The opposition continues to say it is a bad idea because...
1) It is from malcontents
2) It is sponsored by losers of elections
They have no other argument. None.
But they are REALLY worked up about it, putting ads in the paper, leveraging the local bought and paid for media, attacking individuals.
The response is WAY over what one would expect. And that leads me to believe that something else is going on... that there is a real threat to expose certain things if the wrong people get in and see what is going on.
Many in the opposition state that you can always go to any alderman with your problem, so At Large Alderman do not make sense.
There is a great deal of evidence that in Peru, that is not true, and that other aldermen getting involved tend to rile feathers. But even if that is NOT true, and all aldermen are very easy to get in touch with and responsive when your TWO local aldermen are not... what happens if you DONT like the response from those other aldermen you contact.
Why the opposition says, just vote em out.
Ah... But thats the problem... You CANT. You can go talk to them, but they really don't have to give you the time of day.
Having At Large Aldermen means they are ACCOUNTABLE to you. You truly do have three because you CAN vote them out if they stink.
So if you have someone who takes good care of your local ward problems, but lets City bids go out that cost the city an extra amount equivalent to an entire POOL, I would suggest maybe you need to get some aldermen in who care about the city as a whole and not your garbage cans or leaf pick up.
To 9:10 am, Thank you for making the argument for those of us on the YES side of the referendum debate. Your entire argument is about personalities instead of the factors of the actual issue at hand. You ask what will happen if this passes and you don't even stop to ponder the possibilities. So, I will tell you what happens if it passes. If it passes there will be Six contested seats for aldermen. There will be fierce competition for every seat and competition is a great thing. Here's what else happens. Each and every voter in Peru will have three votes to cast for three aldermen as opposed to one as it would usually be. I like that idea.
In short the referendum promotes competition, increases representation via one ward and two at-large aldermen, and provides more power at the polls for each voter to influence who gets elected as Peru aldermen. Plus, if you are happy with the sitting aldermen then you are free to vote for three of them.
Your argument is you don't know what will happen so you don't like it. Also, because you don't like one or more of the possible challengers who may or may not run for the six open seats, you would just as soon avoid giving them a chance to unseat sombody you apparently do like. That means you are simply opposed to competition. Now tell me who has a more realistic and fair minded view of the referendum, me or you?
The actual problem is that Aldermen are involved in the day to day operations of the city. This is wrong. They provide policy guidance, act as a check on the financials, and make laws. That is it.
We also have a generational problem. For the most part, the council attracts older people looking for something to do or trying to supplement their income. Usually, these people are stuck in the past.
Lastly, the current generation of "leaders" grew up in the 60's and 70's. They come from a generation of entitlement that believes government is the solution to all problems.
Correction to my 10:18 PM comment, there are actually 2 stop and go lights on Rte 6, one at West St., by the police station and then one at 4th and Peoria.Usually we travel on the side streets and down Peoria, so I completely forgot about the one next to the police station.
I had a terrible dream about this referendum the other nite.
If this passes and we end up with all new aldermen next time, we have no one with experience left on the council.
I think that the city forefathers had a good idea by only allowing half the council to be voted on at any one election.
Who is going to have experience with grants, finance, union negotiations, ect.
These elected officials do alot more than just listen to the residents of Peru and their petty problems.
Could be a long 4 years if this happens. And there is a group that pass this off as a good thing.
I am now an even more emphatic
NO VOTE.
Bob
Off subject- so if a person owns a home worth $100,000 dollars their taxes would cost $37.09 for a new pool? A $200,000 home would be $74.18 a year. Who wouldn't vote for a new pool? Having a outdoor swimming facility is a selling advantage for buyers if they had children. Vote yes
Bob, I hope you really don't believe that aldermen know about....grants, finance, union negotiations, ect.
Grants are written by specialists in the field, finance belongs to the Treasurer and union Negotiations is done by a special committee and a specific union atty.
Our Aldermen do none of the above. They vote on the items to approve them but all that is arranged ahead of time.
I hope you really don't believe what you wrote as it just verifies what I believe that some people are so stuck in their views they don't understand the process and I hope you are not the BOB, I am thinking about.
Even in a small town like Peru, government is "Big Business." Think about it: count all the people that work directly for the City and County. Then count all the people that work for the schools. Add in the people that work for the state and federal governments. Now, add the indirect government employees that rely on government spending - hospital workers, road construction workers, etc.
Around here - everyone wants a piece of the government pie. Even successful private sector people want in on the action, like Bobby V and Jimmy S.
What I am trying to say is that most of the people involved in Peru's current government are there to funnel money somewhere. They are not there for good government or community service, they are there to make sure money is spent.
A yes vote means the city will be run with no-nothings and possibly a mistake mayor. So chaos here we come.
If these alderman are so great what do they have to fear!! They will be reelected if they are the superstars that some think, is this Russia? Scare attics and all
12:35
That is exaclty what I am worried about, the CHAOS, as these newbies try to figure out what really happens at city hall.
Then add in that the only alderperson that the "YES" group wants to be voted back into office is Captain CHAOS (Hot Rod PREZ).
If there is a GOD, please help these poor misguided "YES" voters.
I guess if they wont move to Spring Valley, I may have to move.
GOOD LUCK PERU, you may need it if this gets approved.
Bob
9:10
thanks for the most intelligence shown on this blog!
12:03
not all of us have money to waste - if I have an extra $40 - $79 i am spending it the way I want to - certainly not a swimming pool!
Bob
The more you try to scare everyone, the more dysfunctional our current system seems to be! If Aldermen are actually running the city, then the true terror of the in crowd is that this may be the first step to having a City Manager, someone who professionally runs a city while adermen function as oversight and direction... So the city won't fall apart because or whenever new politicians are elected.
The fact is if you have any elected position requiring years of experience and expertise in any nuts and bolts function of government, you can never change any of em! And that is wrong! They are to choose the right people, then let them do their Job.
But sometimes, they do their job too well, and begin to expose raw patronage. That causes a problem, and THAT is the real fear , isn't it Bob?
Bob - that is not the job of the Aldermen. We need to hire a competent city manager and he needs to be sure the departments are run by competent city employees and department heads. Most of our problems happen when we get elected officials involved in contract negotiations and purchasing.
this is a real question not meant to be on one side or the other. If the at-large thing is approved, all the aldermen will be up for election in 2015, correct? How will subsequent elections be handled after that? Will they all get a 4 year term? Or will some of them get a 2 year term? Or do we elect an entire new council every 4 years?
myself and everyone i know and persuaded will be voting no .
Dear Bob
Ya vol. All dis free thinking Chaos undt Democracy. We must banish Dem undt let de Führer and his Yes men run de var!
Heil Harl
3:18. It's sad that you aren't a family orientated person who values family being as we all will pass one day. Leaving our family with what we worked for all our lives. And a homes value with a higher market value due to the amenities a city has would enable a higher estate. I don't have kids that are of the age to use an outdoor pool now, but in the future I hope to have grandchildren that I could take to an outdoor pool. My kids don't even live in the area, they moved out of peru because they was nothing to offer job wise with their higher education. I support a new pool because I care about children, and
Love to see them having fun. I'll skip going out for dinner and cocktails only twice a year for my cost of a tax increase for a pool. And I don't have a lot of money, but do care.
Vote NO! on the pool proposition. If you must do something, take half the money that the tax would collect and give free YMCA memberships to every Peru citizen.
4:13 Well we know the anti grammar, low IQ and anti sentence structure faction is firmly in the No camp.
Keep up your progressive influence.
Myself and everyone plus more than that plus also them are voting Yes! Lol.
IMRF is optional for elected officials. Currently Alderman Potthoff, Waldorf, and Ferrari are enrolled. Former Alderman O’Beirne, Mikyska, Wren, Mayszak, and Baker were enrolled. All current or former alderman are tier one with the exception of Alderman Mayszak; she is tier two. This means eight years for vesting in tier one and ten years for vesting in tier two. Vested participants would be eligible for pension and life insurance benefits.
This IMRF sounds like too good a deal for most of Peru's aldermen. A pension and life insurance policy for a limited part time job in which the only qualifications are that you have to be full enough of hot air so that you can blow up a balloon and smart enough to get out of the way of a train coming at you.
To all aldermen who are wondering I am voting YES next Tuesday and so are all my family and all my friends and most others who are not my friends. In fact everyone I talk to is voting YES. Maybe if you ever by some unfortunate error get elected again acknowledge and listen to your constituents. Don't grade yourself on the TEST score.
Who is writing ads for the No group they need to go back to grammar class!!
This pension thing is very unsettling. These phony aldermen should NEVER, EVER be allowed to scam a pension or insurance benefit. No wonder they all want to protect their asses against the referendum. This is outrageous and must be stopped. When I think of phony-baloney aldermen like O'Beirne sucking a pension from the taxpayers it sickens me. What a bunch of damn leeches.
Sherry has already posted that she was the last one eligible for a pension. Typical blog double talk. You hate that aldermen get pensions. So lets have a referendum to remove all those aldermen. You know, the same aldermen who voted to eliminate the pension benefit going forward. Yeah! We hate them for doing what we wanted!
10:19 PM
I don't believe the aldermen voted on this but it was more about hours worked and I will find out exactly what the issues were.
I can remember my mom telling me this story when I was a Child. When Elvis started What we now call Rock in Roll music, her mother and father thought it was the devils music and wouldn't let her listen to it. Her parents couldn't except this new music and wouldn't even attempt to see it in a positive way. There attitude was one sided. Fortunately Rock in Roll now is accepted by the majority of the people.
Now in Peru, we have the old establishment not in favor of making City Government better. They print untruthfully adds and write slanderous statements about Travis Nelson, and catergorize only the people who were born and raised in Peru are residents of Peru. They call only Certain opposition people losers when in fact they were loosers too and someday the current winners will enter into that category. They say Peru's 167 years of City Government has been heavenly pure with no blemishes. They ridicule any ones who opposes there stance. If the old establishment continues being one minded and doesn't encourage people to be active in politics the city is doomed to be stuck in the past with one minded status qou fools.
10:19 and Lois - The Peru aldermen did not initiate any pension change. The change to the IMRF came through legislation from Springfield relating to new employees and elected officials participating in the plan. Our aldermen have no choice but to approve those changes. Peru aldermen would have no clue how to handle anything like that and they certainly would never reduce their own benefits if they had a choice.
There is no way they should be allowed to tap into a pension for what little they actually contribute to the city. It is an outrage and should be stopped. Especially considering the fact that many of them are now or were before in it for a phony baloney pension benefit.
There should never have ever been a pension for that ridiculous job in this little town. That's Illinois, throw away money!!
6:02 PM
Believe me people are trying but some members of the board don't seem to have an interest in that. In order to understand how it does and does not work, a visit to one of those meetings might help you with that.
SPEAKING ABOUT IMRF. IS THERE SOMETHING GOING ON WITH A PERSONS PENSION BELONING TO A SPOUSE? Heard this at a public place. Issue happening now? And now hearing alderman get a pension. ?????????? Didn't a person named Rick Abbott make reference to this a while back? Can't remember particulars. Does anybody know what this is about?
So, through the previous years when an alderman passes away their spouse gets their pension???? Who can explain?
2:16 PM
I wrote to the city clerk for that information on Friday.
Lois can you post when the next fire pension meeting is and where . Should be posted just like a council meeting by law I believe . And be open to the public .
No positive but I believe there is a beneficiary for the IMRF pension.
oh lois why is it when someone writes something supporting travis nelson you print it; but when someone says anything not supporting travis you conveniently dont print it?
9:27 AM
Common sense gives you that answer.
And to the comment I deleted this morning, someone out there wants you to know that Ottawa has 4 commissioners who are not aldermen and asks would you want that because they receive $16,000 per year.
Or like Streator which has a Manager?City Government? (yes that is how it was written) And then went on to bash a local resident for coming to the 10 AM committee meetings.
It would be in the best interest for the taxpayers to know more about the truths of pensions and how they work when one passes. I did hear that there is some controversary happening now with a person's pension. Also, I can't believe that Alderpersons had and have a pension available to them/spouse. This city is more messed up then I thought.
@11:48 The city is very messed up. The City Council is one of the main reasons that it is so and tomorrow Vote Yes for one of the few chances you have had offered to you to straighten it out and move forward from there. Thanks to a small group of people who are depending on you, and you and you to vote Yes and to than help them move Peru forward. This is all of ours chance to be heard. Get er done!
Yes the City Commissioners of Ottawa of which there are 4 and who are responsible for one particular assignment over the entire town. I have from time to time attended Ottawa city meetings and have never witnessed a governmental official make a motion and when called upon to explain it not have the foggiest of what he just proposed as Alderman Waldorf did. Thank you, for the opportunity to vote YES tomorrow. How embarrassing to have Waldorf and Sapienza as representatives in one ward and Mueller and Ferrari in another with their famous backup of Luckosos in the 1st. It will be interesting to see if people hit a home run, Tuesday, March 18 and enable Peru to become the city it should have been for years. Lets try it by voting YES.
Post a Comment