Anonymous said...
Yes, we have heard the Long-ing for term limits. They are nothing more than an agenda pushed by election losers and their supporters. Here in Peru this very own blog administrator will cry for term limits, yet in her own ward the people were so outraged with what she calls a lack of representation, and an alderman that she claims has a "stranglehold" on his seat, that this pent up populist outrage resulted in - no one running for office! The fact is, people are satisfied with happenings in Peru. The same people keep winning because they are doing a good job. Much better than your average Illinois Valley city. My guess is come April only one new alderman will be elected. And knowing who is going to lose, it will be the most devastating election night the blog has ever seen.
The above post came in this evening and I thought it might make an interesting topic of conversation. Peru is a small city and I would hope that most people have heard a little about the events of the last 5 years when Mayor Harl was elected and how it took only 2 years for all those who supported him, to become disillusioned and started to think that Peru certainly could do better. It seemed like everything was on a downhill slide. There have been ups and downs but never what was expected from someone who led many to believe that an open and transparent government would now happen.
The person who wrote this post evidently doesn't like my belief in term limits. They know where I live and saw that I had signs for Rauner, Schimpf and Long. Jerry Long asked if he could put a sign in my yard and I said yes and if Frank Mautino has asked, I would have said yes. I was in no way involved with this election but simply made sure to vote and I did.
What happens in Peru will be the decision of those who vote in the majority and who they choose to vote for or not will be their decision and yes if they do what this person indicates it won't be good for the city but the people will have made their choice. On the bright side when something important to the people is to be voted upon, the people will turn out to vote like they just did a few days ago and according to Joanne Corretto the LaSalle County Clerk, LaSalle County had 53% voter turnout because the people had an interest in the contests on the ballot.. The blog will continue to offer the opportunity for opinions to be blogged whether I like them or not (within reason) and the residents will make their own decisions in the Spring.
11 comments:
The Illinois Municipal Elections should be moved to November to coincide with the elections for state and federal offices. The April election helps the incumbents due to historically low voter turnout. It is also an unnecessary expense.
well just heard La Salle county board is raising taxes. Thanks local board members. Everyone of the La salle Peru board members should come on site and explain why they voted yes. This is crazy. As a Peru resident I am appalled. Peru provides LaSalle county almost 40% of general fund sales tax money and almost 40% of the public safety tax money to operate the county jail. Peru also has the highest assessed valuation in La salle county almost quarter billion which means the county gets more property tax money from Peru than any city in the county possibly Ottawa twice as big might be a bit over but per capita not close. Our representatives on the board should start speaking up for us or they need to be voted out o office. BTW Peru has the lowest tax rate in the county of all the cities of L,p,O, Mendota, Ottawa Streator and Marseilles. For example Peru only received 500,000 in tax money from Peru homes and businesses Peru ;ibray another 500. Lasalle cot 4.9 million 5 times more tax rate just Lasalle than Peru. Oglesby Mendota Ottawa the rest the same. So county board members from Peru please tell us why? Thanks for letting me vent Lois
7:55 - be careful, most of this is due to EAV going down. So the net effect in dollars would be about the same.
We don't have a public safety sales tax - that was defeated at the ballot box.
The Ottawa times article did not give enough details - but - "The biggest change was an $898,208 increase in the insurance budget from $5,015,407 to $5,913,615 to cover increases in employee health insurance." The blame for this increase can be pinned on the Unions, County Board Chairman Hicks, and the Democrats on the County Board. People need to vote smarter in these elections. It is time for the Republican members of the board to start proving that they are Republicans by demanding cuts in spending.
7:55 For your information I don't think the county board has as of yet voted to approve their budget.
Regarding the comment Lois poted above. To that individual I want to inform you of reality.
You claim that Peru voters/citizens are happy or satisfied with their elected officials because some incumbents go unchallenged in elections or because others are elected time and time again. You need to realize that Peru voters/citizens are not "happy". They are in fact "APATHETIC". Webster's defines "apathy" as, Lack of interest, lack of emotion, indifferent. That is what you wrongly perceive as "happiness". Peru voters do not pay close attention to what their elected officials are up to. Note I say "Close" attention. Sure they read the newspaper or hear a snippet on the radio, or hear a comment or two at the coffee shop. That is no substitute for making an effort to determine the quality of your elected officials. Peru voters recognize the family name of an elected official whose decendents have been power-brokers in Peru for five or six decades or more, so they vote for him. Many of the commentors on this blog pay great attention to the details and behavior of current elected officials in Peru. They have educated opinions because they go to meetings and they ask questions and they hold elected officials accountable. Simply put, if you pay attention you can form an eduacated opinion of your representatives. The vast majority of Peru voter/citizens have no clue how poorly represented they are. You can try to define "apathy" as "happiness" but it's just not the same thing. Sheep, like Peru voters may actually appear "happy" when going to slaughter. However, it is clear they are quite apathetic in their ignorance of what awaits them. Peru voters, like sheep to slaughter, have consistently received exactly what they deserve when they don't pay attention.
928 you have no clue. it does not matter if eav goes up or down. The cities tell the tax folks how much cash they want and from that the tax rate is set based on the EAV. Peru says 500 for city and 500 for library. LaSalle says 4.9 million now get it from our property owners. The amount you pay is based on the lower a town wants the better and the higher the EAV the better. So we want a city that has more businesses and homes with and a city that only ask for small amounts like Peru.
953 you may be correct. Todays Ottawa times is not clear if just presented and vote coming or vote already taken. I hope you are correct so our Peru reps can stand up articulate a case and get a majority to vote no.
1:15 - Why does this have to turn into an argument any time somebody posts a contrary piece of information? Why do people have to attack and degrade others. Does it give you some sort of perverse pleasure to jump all over a person? Would you do that face to face? I suspect not, otherwise you would be minus a few teeth.
Anyway - I was simply pointing out that the Dollars a property owner pays in taxes is based on the value of the property. Yes, I understand that the taxing body requests its tax rate based on #1 - the amount of money they need and #2 - the rate necessary to get that money.
Very well said 2:25! Thank you!
I was just reading about the county tax "increase". They did not change it for four years. Now they are increasing the rate while the base drops, which means your taxes will not even go up as much as their increase, depending on the value of your home.
Our total tax rate in Peru is fantastic. My home is worth a little more in Peru due to the amenities and our schools, as any realtor will tell you. It is well worth it.
So 7:55 I think our local county board members have represented us pretty well. The cost of doing business does not go down for any business particularly when people expect the same level of services.
High taxes? sorry we do NOT have high taxes in Peru. I have a sibling in the suburbs whose house is maybe worth $275k and they are paying well over $10,000 a year in property taxes. That is not the case here.
10:27 who are the big family names everyone is voting for? My extended family and friends are very tuned in to what is going on, thank you very much. But unlike you we don't think everything is a crisis. Peru has its share of apathetic voters like everywhere else, but stop saying people you don't like are getting voted in because everyone but you is an idiot. Sorry to tell you, but some of us are pretty well informed.
They said new alderman...who would be the winners...1st ward and 3rd ward no opposition...2nd ward Rodney and 4th ward? Are all the petitions out ?
Anon 4:42 PM You have stated comparative figures for our area and the suburbs but nowhere have you compared conditions and average wages of each community. Let's hear the rest of the story!
To 4:42 pm, I never said everyone except me is an idiot. I suggested that only those who continually vote for substandard elected officials in Peru is an idiot.
People like you.
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