“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

Thursday, September 14, 2017

Does Peru Really Care?


Here it is a beautiful Monday on a warm and sunny Fall day and what is that sound I keep hearing especially when I open my windows.  Not the birds singing or splashing in the bird bath and kids coming home from school, not even a car with a noisy muffler, it is the "beep beep of a large construction truck backing up on 6th St. The trucker think that makes a difference in how I feel about the "crap" they are dumping into almost my back yard.

Peru has been blessed with 3 plots of wooded ravines and at one time former Mayor Baker published a pamphlet that had pictures of the one on 7th St. between Monks and Chambers.  He pictured walking trails and horseback riding paths and generally a very lovely and peaceful park. Well we know that never happened but the thought was at least there. People move to the country to get out of town to be near wooded areas and the city has it right in its midst. This is the kind of place that should be preserved for future generations but how well is Peru doing its preservation.

Not very well, it appears since I keep hearing the "beep beep".  What is being dumped, is it anything beside concrete slabs and dirt.  Is it clean fill, clean soil? I don't know and the city doesn't know and evidently does not care.  All that matters is that it is on private property and that is the only qualifier.  Do the truckers go through the city approval process  and agree to be legally responsible if anything happens to the sanitary sewers? Or some other environmental problem? I talked to the Dept. of Public Works, the PPD and the City Clerk. Do my aldermen know, if they are aware of their ward, yes they do.

Peru officials, do you care?  Remember you are allowing this in a residential area? Does that matter?  Should this area be rezoned to industrial to accomodate the heavy truck traffic on these streets? Are the dumpers telling other associates "I know where you can get rid of this load and it won't cost you a dime"?

24 comments:

Peru Town Forum said...

As one truck driver said to me "Do you realize how much it would cost me to locate a place to haul and dump it elsewhere"

So this location is now officially the dumping ground on the cheap.

Anonymous said...

THIS IS NOTHING LIKE THE PICKLEBALL SITUATION AND FOR YOUR INFORMATION, 11:40 Sept 14th, THE PICKLEBALL IS OLD NEWS. DROP IT. GROW UP. THEY (THE PICKLEBALL PEOPLE) GOT WHAT THEY WANTED AND EVERYONE SHOULD BE HAPPY. LET IS GO. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. APPARENTLY YOU ARE A FAN OF THE GAME AND FOR SOME REASON YOU ARE STILL NOT A HAPPY CAMPER. PICKLEBALL IS OLD NEWS.

Anonymous said...

The landfill from Peoria st. is being dumped on property down the street from Stevens garage in Oglesby. I wonder what the commection is to that?

Anonymous said...

I definitely think the city should pay more attention to what happens on private property. One thing I think should be met with strict fines is hoarders. Some people have so much junk their entire house becomes a fire hazard. You wouldn't believe how some people live. It's really disgusting. They say it is a disease and that these people can't control it, but it ruins property values and brings down the entire neighborhood. I agree, you have to wonder if the city really cares.

Anonymous said...

Guess I touched a nerve with the pickleball! And all the constant complaining on this blog is exactly what what they did. Complain complain complain... and a few people got their way!! You telling me its not the same???? Keep up the good work, you make me laugh every day!!!

Peru Town Forum said...

You understand that being a elected city official means you have the backbone to hear complaints, listen to them and make intelligent responses to them, at the very least.
Then you consider all sides of the complaint and politely get back to the individual and explain your decision.

Anonymous said...

Backbone, hear, listen, intelligence, consider, politely, respond, explain, decision
Lois how can include each of these in two sentences when most of Peru's government body cannot do so in 4 years of office. Is Peru sliding backwards so fast because Harl (Bernabei) has and is practicing party and family politics. For a "Rapid Recovery Program" Peru should buy each of the following a one way bus ticket to - Harl-Troy Grove, Bernabei-Spring Valley, King-Somewhere looking over Chak Tau Ridge Arkansas, Vickrey-a local bank in Mendota he inherited also throw in a stool, a corner and dunces hat along with the $25,000/year for going to council meeting with a state map of Illinois and a slightly used set of darts. In conclusion "The Phantom" from Springfield, Illinois who no one is quite sure at $24,000/year if he really exists since only a few have ever claimed to actually see him and he is promoting a town in which he has seldom seen, and never sends a progress report. What else is new? We have all heard the jokes about Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and is Peru next? How many boxes of Cracker Jacks can you get for all this hired muscle?

Anonymous said...

Can anyone tell us who the new hiree is for the position of "building inspector"? I cannot understand why our council is always so reluctant to actually give us a real name. They usually refer to them as "the selected candidate" and we don't find out who they are until they are actually on the day to day job. Haven't heard this one's name as of yet.

Anonymous said...

Maybe because they are working another job and want to respect privacy? His name is on the website now.

Peru Town Forum said...

5:43 PM

Thank you for the information, I checked and it is there. I think it might be illegal for a municipal government to have secret employees. Might be a problem if the Public Works department head continues to have that among his jobs also as currently listed on the city web site and so does the new employee. Hope the city can get that straightened out. Maybe a Department head and an Asst. Inspector as it was under Mayor Baker.

Anonymous said...

Secret employees, huh? You truly are crazy. You should call up Michael Mohr maybe he will make Peru conspiracy his next documentary!

Anonymous said...

6:five8
The position is filled by a fire chief and by a new, nameless employee at the same time. The position is paid for by city taxes in fact both positions are paid for with city taxes. You question 8:50 and make a accusation that she is truly crazy.
If truly is a description to be used here it applies to you. Truly ignorant of civics and law. If you are or were a lawyer I must inform you that you are truly irresponsible of your trade. Don't you believe it is time to take pride in your comments and show intelligence and class in what you label others. Are you from another town than Peru with a single hope of stirring the pot? Your efforts are not getting a ching ching on the cash register therefore tonight you go home with no pay and a note in your envelope telling you not to return.

Anonymous said...

Currently on the city website we have 2 individuals listed in 2 different locations as "building inspectors". Is this accurate and do we still have a code enforcement officer? If so, who might that be? Just looking for some clarification.

Anonymous said...

Circle the wagons! Please call in a forensic accounting firm. I thought that I was commenting to a Peru blog not Dixon, Illinois. Can't get much worse than a population which has been informed of serious government errors and does not believe it is worth following up on.
People do not realize how many ghosts are being paid in the United States because of the ingenuity and dishonesty of those who are never caught until they perform the stupidest mistake which raises a red flag and all of a sudden everybody is aware that $43,000,000 is missing, or that a huge opening has been created to increase a unauthorized pay raise without increasing the actual time load or labor load. Surely it is not necessary to create such a hypothetical situation because we know this will never happen. Next someone will be going off the deep end and saying the FBI is on its way to the next door neighbor of Little Reno.

Anonymous said...

2:54 Where have you been. This is all old news and not worth you losing sleep. I don't know much about Little Reno, it might be worth the investigation. The pay raise issue was reviewed and noted that there was nothing criminal. Bad choices by the Mayor was the verdict.

If there are ghost payroll issues, money being taken then please send the thoughts and evidence.

Anonymous said...

CAN SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME WHEN THE CITY COUNCIL RENEWED MCNARNEY'S CONTRACT THAT EXPIRED IN JUNE OF LAST YEAR? I have checked the minutes of all the council meetings since then and cannot find a vote taken any where yet I do find his name and $2000 monthly payment listed on current disbursements.

Anonymous said...

Since things take forever to go through it was probably approved prior to it expiring

Anonymous said...

12:22
If you do not consider compensating someone that you have told he does not have to appear for work a ghost what do you refer to him as? Nothing criminal but bad choices instead? Whose turn is it to change the baby's diaper I smell s__ __t!
Bad choices was the verdict. Whoa I no longer believe that the baby has a need of having his diaper changed. Are you serious? Think of the number of
people involved and the supposed expertise. This entire inquiry appears as
nothing more than a political parties ploy.

























Anonymous said...

8:03 Sept. 29th
False scenario. The last set of minutes approving Mcnarney's contract was June of 2016 and it was a 1 year contract. According to my calculations he has thus far received 4 months pay without a contract.

Anonymous said...

11:56

The details were in the Newstribune, investigated by the FBI, State's Attorney took no action and a Judge reviewed and reported. The verdict was not criminal. You can make your own judgment, but it won't count.

Peru Town Forum said...


To get an example of the type of activity the Lobbyist gets paid for, you can read the June 27, 2016 blog post where you see my Foia'd information for the 2015 - 2016 years activity of the Lobbyist McAnarney. Scroll down the page until you see the years listed toward the bottom of the page and go from there.

Anonymous said...

I am a Peruvian and have looked this blog on and off for several years. More of a form of entertainment then looking for facts. I have come to the conclusion that there is a group of folks that will be negative against the city officials no matter what the facts are. This is very sad to me as it only reflects negatively on our city. Understand I am not a cheerleader or on the inner circle that some of these folk’s claim exist. Politics is one thing but the group of anti-Peru officials really needs to step back and evaluate your positions. You are not wrong on everything but unfortunately being over the top on every single issue takes away from any credibility you might have. Probably what disappoints me more than anything is the personal attacks against these people. Disagreeing with someone or being opposed politically is one thing but the making such personal and viscous attacks is troubling. The moderator in my opinion should consider not allowing the personal attacks. After all these people have families and to allow anonymous personal attacks hurt all.

Peru Town Forum said...

2:42 pm

I want you to realize you need not feel sorry for the elected officials who are the ones you seem to feel bad for..
Many of the negative comments may be coming from those who have been personally affected by first actions taken by someone who governs the city.

I could give you a long list but do know that personal vindication from within has been long standing and mostly without reason, just personal. I jokingly say I live on 'Pete Klaeser Drive" Wonder if anyone out there would know about that past happening.

Anonymous said...

Pete Klaeser, had a downtown jewelry store and was Peru City Clerk after Fran Flaherty and before Pat Gately. IN the history of city road improving the city had the blacktop stopped at the start of Peters property as a red flag that he was not the Mayors favorite person.