I think we have a new governor, Bruce Rauner, but not sure Quinn has conceded quite yet. Unfortunately we re elected Durbin. Independent that I am I voted for some R's and a few D's. Really pleased to hear that La Salle County had a good turnout of voters and I hope we are getting the message to vote at election time. I was really short on info on the retaining of judges and have to admit I went right by that and don't know if I missed the information or it just was not very news worthy.
After the article about the election results which I found very interesting, I came across this quote....
"I have no answers,” a mystified Raikes said this morning. “I guess people think a man that believes a family should live on a lower wage, raise medicine prices for babies, be a bully to women, make fortune on crushing companies for bankruptcy, etc., etc. is what La Salle County needs.”
Is this the same person in charge of the rat?
Sure sets a bad tone for the unions!
Will Illinois now be able to move forward and become a part of the United States again.? I heard one analyst last night comment that Illinois considered a "dark blue" state, was like Argentina because we are so deep in debt while states surrounding are doing so much better economically.
Will there now be less cash being sent back to favorite cities? This could all be very interesting.
22 comments:
I am generally a republican and voted along part lines except for state rep. I really felt that our small part of Illinois is way better off with Mautino in office. He has a good chance of being speaker of the house in next couple of years and that would be great for all of us. For full disclosure I also reached out to him several years ago asking for help with a family issue and he was wonderful. He never asked if I was a d or an r and I am fairly sure he knew I was an r and had not voted for him in the past.
I find it fantastic that Mautiono was almost defeated- with virtually no money from the Republican Party for Long. Maybe next time the campaign will be more heated.
I also voted almost straight R except for Mr Mautino. How can6:19 be so uninformed? Did he listen to our former State Senator who was on the radio this morning and was also not forthcoming with facts? The Ottawa Times reported the state republican party dumped almost $90,000 into Long's campaign. They were his only major donor!!!! By contrast the state Dems only gave mautino around $30,000. Obviously the Dems thought Jerry was a Long-shot. It will be tremendous for the Illinois Valley when Frank is Speaker. The power will move from Madigan in Chicago to Mautino in Spring Valley. A win for Long would have ensured some other Dem, probabaly from Chicago, would become Speaker. Same old same old at that point. I won't be that stupid with my vote. I can't believe most of LaSalle County was that dumb.
7:22 PM
I hope our Governor-Elect will work on one of his promises, that is term limits. This is public service and should be limited and not a lifetime job. As for the Speakers job, it is not a good reason to vote for someone.
Lois, I have to disagree with you. A Frank Mautino vote will pay huge dividends whereas a vote for Long would amount to nothing for years to come. Nothing against Long but that's politics.
8:55 PM
And I don't like that kind of politics. I believe in term limits for all elected officials and I give my respect to those who can live up to that challenge. We don't allow a President any more than 2 years for good reason and the same goes for all other elected officials.
The party did not give Long any money until late in the election season. They figured that the district was not in play. But that opinion changed in late summer.
I must disagree with those that voted for Mautino because it will take years for a new representative too "bring home the bacon." If you believe this and call yourself a Republican, you really should reevaluate your value system and party affiliation. We need representatives in Springfield that will reduce state expenditures - even if it means "we" don't get $1.5 M for a new 911 center. This wholsale purchasing of votes - practiced by Quinn, Madigan, and Mautino must stop. Every dollar that the state spends must be scrutinized to be sure that taxpayers are getting the best value. As Madigan's right hand man on Finance, Mautino is directly culpable for the state's present economic condition. He is responsible for the underfunded pensions. He is responsible for the unpaid bills. He is responsible for the tax increases that are driving people out of this state. Mautino is bad for Illinois and worse for the Illinois Valley.
Rauner says he is committed to term limits in Springfield. I agree that term limits are needed at every level of government, especially local municipal term limits in Peru. That is something that we the people will have to make happen ourselves with a petition drive and a binding referendum. Peru's current elected officials will oppose that effort just like they did the "at-large" referendum. They have only their own self-interest in mind and will scratch and claw to stay in office. There is absolutely no reason for anybody at the municipal level to have a stranglehold on a seat for 16 to forty plus years. Two terms should be the limit for any office. Peru is a classic example of elected officials that come into office as independent thinkers but soon become "rubber stamp sheep" after being indoctrinated by the Peru establishment power base. The only way to break the hold of the estsablishment is to continually have new people coming in. New mayors, new aldermen, new treasurer, new clerk. Term limits coupled with Peru switching to Council Manager form of governemnt will effectively eliminate the cronyism and corruption currently dominating Peru politics. It is the only way to move our city forward in an honest and ethical manner.
Lois, I know you meant 2 terms not 2 years as I more than others mean something similar but make errors as I am thinking faster than my little brain functions.
As for term limits I would have to sit and make a list of all positives and negatives and than discuss the thinking of others whom I know who take a serious interest and create solid judgements, when a cold wintry day comes along I hope to encounter this project and also the thoughts of having a city manager. I am interested in the reasons that you support both.
Personally Lois I agree with you in not liking the form of politics that is created through longevity but we politically live under a environment in which you have to fight fire with fire and Frank Mautino has proven to equally listen and fairly represent everyone both Democrat and Republican. I know this from experience plus I would feel comfortable in having to depend upon him again.
In conclusion I would like to compliment Mr. Long on his outstanding campaign but it would take him many years to accumulate the background to achieve what Frank has done and will continue to do in the future. Until the system is changed I'll continue to bet on the horse that is closest to the finish line.
8:55 Huge dividends for who? What kind of dividends? Has his vote been paying us huge dividends throughout his career? Is the state in debt? Did he give himself a raise in spite of that? I think the people are finally making a statement. They want something different. Something better. They want a balanced budget, less wasteful spending, and less taking care of their parties, and more taking care of all the people in the state of Illinois. I think people are tired of the way government is governing from the top to the bottom. My opinion.
Voters were out to vote against "incumbents" this election on every level. Voters are influenced by any number of things that drive them to vote the way they do. This time it was vote em' all out mentality and it almost cost Mautino his seat. The majority of voters in LaSalle County showed just how little they really know or understand about politics by voting against Mautino. Any of you who voted for Jerry Long just voted against your own financial and political interest as citizens of LaSalle County and the other surroounding counties and you didn't even realize it. Most people, particularly Peru residents have proven they don't really think too hard about who they vote for or why. They are influenced by the crap they hear down at the coffee shop or the deli or worse yet at the barber shop. That is why Peru is so poorly represented by it's mayor, aldermen, clerk, and treasurer.
11:59 AM, medical marijuana is not for sale yet, are you partaking in another medication? The people did not vote against incumbents. They voted against Democrats. Mautino almost lost because the people finally figured out what he and the Democrats where doing to our state. Look a little more local - the people voted out Hicks from his county board seat. He is still the chairman only because that seat if voted for in the next election. The people refused to elect his kid to the treasures post - they don't trust Democrats with the check book.
I think at least half of the voters in the Illinois Valley have finally figured out that a couple of barrels of pork from Springfield don't make up for what is taken from them directly each and every pay day and what is taken from them indirectly through the worse business climate in the nation.
7:34 What your looking for is quality in your leadership. Look at it as a job. Those who have proven abilities and those who don't. As President you have abundance of candidates that are capable of running the country and you have a format of parties that continue the current or change direction. In local towns you may have only a few quality candidates that have the interest to run for office and are capable of making financial decisions important to your town. The subject of longevity in office is not that important. All towns should vote for the 4-8 most qualified candidates in each election of 4-6 years. The idea of placing candidates in wards or geographic areas in your small towns is problematic in the fact the many areas of town you may have 4-5 capable residents with a interest and other areas you have nobody capable, but they remain in office because no one else is interested. Term limits in small areas or library boards, school boards, townships, fire districts, etc. could be negative.
11:59, the election between Mautino and Long is not over yet. The absentee ballots have not been tabulated.
I'd really like to see a politician get elected and keep his or her campaign promises. I remember Harl saying he was going to get rid of the city attorney, go out for bids for water treatment and engineering. How many promises did he keep?
Love live unions they will never die And durbin was re elected
Becuase he is a great man and senator Simply put
I'm over 50 and if I could smoke pot legally(I don't smoke it now) I would. Maybe our taxes would decrease. And I bet a lot of people who would be honest about it would do the same as I would. If an annonymous survey was done people would be shocked how many professional, hard working citizens in the illinois valley who smoke it now.
2:09 and would you open up a dispensary next to your home? And would your home increase in value?
I think the dispensary should be on the corner of 4th and Peoria Streets. That was a drug store a long time ago.
This is 2:09. No I would not want one next to my home, next to a school, etc..... The only place I think would be acceptable would be on a piece of land on the outskirts of town. Like the strip club/porn store location in Ottawa, off I-80.
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.
8:10 PM
You are clueless. You know little about the history of the city and even less about the population and general demographics. I don't even wish to discuss with you what you know little about. You evidently are a lover of the "pork" here in Peru and have a great deal of knowledge on that topic.
7:34, who is OJ?
Post a Comment