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
Excellent article. Apparently Peru needs to cut back and send only 1 or 2 people instead of all that went. But nobody is in charge to set limits so they all go and spend lots of tax dollars.
Please, it's a party to most of them in my opinion. Wonder how many husbands/ wives/girlfriends/boyfriends went? If any went who paid their expenses? Probably was even more of a party if none went. Just being truthful.
We have each persons expenses. Now, who all went besides those listed with expenditures? Any body go that's on committees? Parks/Recreation? ESDA......?
It appears that some cities care about how they spend taxpayer dollars and others as we all know would rather have a good time on it. I have never ever heard one official who attended give some information about what they learned and how the city benefits from the elected and appointed officials attending. The exemption has been Ald. Perez. From watching the last video it appears they are learning nothing about public representation.
just as a interest in regards to the recent IML conference. Were there any sessions on securing motor pools properly and tracking stolen city dump trucks? Peru city officials would never put up with a cap of $1,000/person when one of its representatives spend over $2,000. Who eventually approved this persons expense account?
Well as we all know most of the members go each year and then the city council which consists of most of those members vote to approve that expense. How much better can it get?
What is so revealing about Peru is that there are no rules whatsoever. They let anybody go and they reimburse for anything. Nobody in charge. No checks and balances. Anything goes. The article reports on cities that understand that everybody doesn't need to go to this event. It is a priviledge that elected officials are "entitled" to, as Peru officials seem to believe. There should be rules and limits that demonstrate to the public that somebody is watching out for our interests and not just having a nice weekend in the city on the taxpayers just because been a Peru tradition for decades. This is another example that nobody is really in charge in this city.
Listening carefully to the last city council video that is now online proves your point that no one is in charge. Thee attorney agrees that the city did wrong on the Meadowlawn sinkhole, the mayor is interested and has some knowledge but it is about the IMEA meetings in Springfield but can see no wrong in the persistent closed sessions in the abuse of the Committee of a Whole meetings right here in Peru. No one is in charge and no one seems interested in pulling things together or does not know how to do it. I have heard of no one with a petition to ask for a City Manager and that only means things will continue as usual. Does that mean that there are not enough registered voters in this city that even care what happens? Or do people only get into Peru politics for their own self interest?
I know some of the conversation from the last meeting is very difficult to hear but pay special attention to the subject alderman Perez brings up with regards to the "committee as a whole" meetings and concerns he received from constituents. In my opinion the mayor never really answers him nor offers a solution so citizens who are interested don't come to a meeting and end up sitting in an empty room by themselves. In other words, will the committee as a whole meeting ever be anything other than a "CLOSED SESSION" meeting? Alderman Radke, that's the reason no one attends in case you haven't figured that out. In reality there is no meeting for citizens to attend because they are not allowed behind closed doors.
If the IML attendees are worried about not getting the free dinners from Chamlin's and TEST, they can drive to Chicago just for that and then go home or pay for their own hotel. There needs to be a cap on spending and a reduction to one or two people attending. I know Ferrari always takes his whole family and makes it a mini vacation, free hotel room for the family!
8:47, exactly! Radke sure made himself sound dumb with the comment that only one person was there that night. Obviously he hasn't figured it out that nobody attends because it's a waste of time. Somebody should tell him.
I gotta laugh at Waldorf for turning in his expense of $48 for business cards. Buy them yourself or better yet, print them yourself!
I also find it insulting to Alderman Perez that on the agenda for their committee meetings, Radke is listed first before Perez. They were both elected at the same time originally, so Radke has no seniority, therefore to be politically correct, the listing should be in alphabetical order, meaning Perez should come before Radke.
Here are my thoughts. After reading the article, I see that it is not common to send the majority of the City Council to this conference. It is also not normal for representatives from nearby communities to stay overnight. That being said, the City Council is a legislative body. It is not intended for the council to play a part in the day to day management of the City. I am going to take it for granted that they are actually trying to learn something. However, it is probably better to employ competent managers to run the city. Unless there are extreme circumstances, a corporate board of directors does not involve itself in the management of the company - they only provide high level policy and goals. Our council needs to operate this way and we need to hire the appropriate people to manage the city and send them to the conference. I'm sorry - but no matter how many conferences someone goes to, barbers, truck drivers, insurance salesmen, and golf coach / Laundromat operators can't possibly run an engineering department or make engineering decisions. All they can do is add legislative oversight and political direction. That, in a nutshell, is the problem with the current administration. If the council is happy with the managers they have chosen, they should send them to the conference. The clerk and budget director should also attend appropriate sessions. The council, in my opinion, should stay home or pay their own way. Notice I did not mention the Mayor. Frankly, I don't think we have one of those. We have a guy that chairs meetings - mostly in secret.
Recently the annual inquires from citizenship and non answered inquires from attending attendees of the IML Convention have been a local topic. The question of who approves or rejects the expense accounts of the attendees who attend and the answer was that it is approved by a vote of the city council. All of this has led to the following: Is it legal for the members of a government body to approve their own expense account?
10:48 AM I am waiting on the information from the city on the Waldorf cards. The only time I have seen the Perez name on a disbursement was the same time that I saw Waldorf and the rest of the aldermens bill for attending the IML. Last year the Perez bill was the lowest and this year I believe it was a part of the average. Before you jump to conclusions get your facts and it is evident you didn't. The city does not pay for aldermens business cards and that is what I am waiting for among other disbursement explanations.
18 comments:
Excellent article. Apparently Peru needs to cut back and send only 1 or 2 people instead of all that went. But nobody is in charge to set limits so they all go and spend lots of tax dollars.
Please, it's a party to most of them in my opinion. Wonder how many husbands/ wives/girlfriends/boyfriends went? If any went who paid their expenses? Probably was even more of a party if none went. Just being truthful.
We have each persons expenses. Now, who all went besides those listed with expenditures? Any body go that's on committees? Parks/Recreation? ESDA......?
It appears that some cities care about how they spend taxpayer dollars and others as we all know would rather have a good time on it. I have never ever heard one official who attended give some information about what they learned and how the city benefits from the elected and appointed officials attending. The exemption has been Ald. Perez. From watching the last video it appears they are learning nothing about public representation.
just as a interest in regards to the recent IML conference. Were there any sessions on securing motor pools properly and tracking stolen city dump trucks?
Peru city officials would never put up with a cap of $1,000/person when one of its representatives spend over $2,000. Who eventually approved this persons expense account?
10:42 PM
Well as we all know most of the members go each year and then the city council which consists of most of those members vote to approve that expense. How much better can it get?
What is so revealing about Peru is that there are no rules whatsoever. They let anybody go and they reimburse for anything. Nobody in charge. No checks and balances. Anything goes. The article reports on cities that understand that everybody doesn't need to go to this event. It is a priviledge that elected officials are "entitled" to, as Peru officials seem to believe. There should be rules and limits that demonstrate to the public that somebody is watching out for our interests and not just having a nice weekend in the city on the taxpayers just because been a Peru tradition for decades. This is another example that nobody is really in charge in this city.
7:22 AM
Listening carefully to the last city council video that is now online proves your point that no one is in charge. Thee attorney agrees that the city did wrong on the Meadowlawn sinkhole, the mayor is interested and has some knowledge but it is about the IMEA meetings in Springfield but can see no wrong in the persistent closed sessions in the abuse of the Committee of a Whole meetings right here in Peru. No one is in charge and no one seems interested in pulling things together or does not know how to do it. I have heard of no one with a petition to ask for a City Manager and that only means things will continue as usual. Does that mean that there are not enough registered voters in this city that even care what happens? Or do people only get into Peru politics for their own self interest?
I know some of the conversation from the last meeting is very difficult to hear but pay special attention to the subject alderman Perez brings up with regards to the "committee as a whole" meetings and concerns he received from constituents. In my opinion the mayor never really answers him nor offers a solution so citizens who are interested don't come to a meeting and end up sitting in an empty room by themselves. In other words, will the committee as a whole meeting ever be anything other than a "CLOSED SESSION" meeting? Alderman Radke, that's the reason no one attends in case you haven't figured that out. In reality there is no meeting for citizens to attend because they are not allowed behind closed doors.
If the IML attendees are worried about not getting the free dinners from Chamlin's and TEST, they can drive to Chicago just for that and then go home or pay for their own hotel. There needs to be a cap on spending and a reduction to one or two people attending. I know Ferrari always takes his whole family and makes it a mini vacation, free hotel room for the family!
What are the final totals on each conference attendees?
8:47, exactly! Radke sure made himself sound dumb with the comment that only one person was there that night. Obviously he hasn't figured it out that nobody attends because it's a waste of time. Somebody should tell him.
I gotta laugh at Waldorf for turning in his expense of $48 for business cards. Buy them yourself or better yet, print them yourself!
I also find it insulting to Alderman Perez that on the agenda for their committee meetings, Radke is listed first before Perez. They were both elected at the same time originally, so Radke has no seniority, therefore to be politically correct, the listing should be in alphabetical order, meaning Perez should come before Radke.
Here are my thoughts. After reading the article, I see that it is not common to send the majority of the City Council to this conference. It is also not normal for representatives from nearby communities to stay overnight. That being said, the City Council is a legislative body. It is not intended for the council to play a part in the day to day management of the City. I am going to take it for granted that they are actually trying to learn something. However, it is probably better to employ competent managers to run the city. Unless there are extreme circumstances, a corporate board of directors does not involve itself in the management of the company - they only provide high level policy and goals. Our council needs to operate this way and we need to hire the appropriate people to manage the city and send them to the conference. I'm sorry - but no matter how many conferences someone goes to, barbers, truck drivers, insurance salesmen, and golf coach / Laundromat operators can't possibly run an engineering department or make engineering decisions. All they can do is add legislative oversight and political direction.
That, in a nutshell, is the problem with the current administration.
If the council is happy with the managers they have chosen, they should send them to the conference. The clerk and budget director should also attend appropriate sessions. The council, in my opinion, should stay home or pay their own way.
Notice I did not mention the Mayor. Frankly, I don't think we have one of those. We have a guy that chairs meetings - mostly in secret.
Recently the annual inquires from citizenship and non answered inquires from attending attendees of the IML Convention have been a local topic.
The question of who approves or rejects the expense accounts of the attendees who attend and the answer was that it is approved by a vote of the city council.
All of this has led to the following: Is it legal for the members of a government body to approve their own expense account?
9:11, the short answer to your question is yes.
Ok, Waldorf spent $48 on cards. How much did Perez spend and how many free dinners did he get? Lets be fair when it comes to facts.
10:48 AM
I am waiting on the information from the city on the Waldorf cards. The only time I have seen the Perez name on a disbursement was the same time that I saw Waldorf and the rest of the aldermens bill for attending the IML. Last year the Perez bill was the lowest and this year I believe it was a part of the average. Before you jump to conclusions get your facts and it is evident you didn't. The city does not pay for aldermens business cards and that is what I am waiting for among other disbursement explanations.
Good point, Lois. As soon as you get a answer please put it in the blog. After Tuesday what is the next election?
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