PeoriaStory

Marriott, Romney and kickbacks -- and Peoria...

PEORIA -- The continuing saga of the Marriott Hotel project in downtown Peoria  that relies on taxpayer dollars just got stranger, with this newly released story of how millionaire GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney is connected with Marriott, a corporation accused of taking kickbacks from its hotel partners.

Here's the beginning of the story:

"Mitt Romney, who makes his hands-on business experience a talking point in his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination, was a member of the board of directors and audit committee of a global company when it paid millions of dollars to settle charges of extracting kickbacks that cheated clients.

The company is Marriott International and the accusers were hotel owners who had hired Marriott to manage their properties under the Marriott name...

As a board member, Romney held oversight responsibilities at a time when Marriott was repeatedly accused of obtaining secret rebates that enriched Marriott at the expense of hotel owners who had hired Marriott to run the hotels on their behalf. A series of owners also accused Marriott of falsifying financial statements to conceal the arrangements—charges that Marriott had denied, and yet still paid $24 million to settle."

Don't you just love the way big business works today! Or should we use the term 'vulture capitalism.' 

Here's the latest Peoria Journal Star story about the continuing controversy on this Peoria project.

  -- Elaine Hopkins

No on-the-record public comments because...

PEORIA -- At last the Peoria District 150 School Board has found a way to shut up the public, and shut it out.  And it worked, at the Jan. 23 School Board meeting.

The meeting was to be a so-called 'committee of the whole,' which initially was described as a meeting where no voting would take place, only discussion. 

And the public comments would be moved to the end of the meeting, and limited to two minutes.

The idea about not voting didn't last long, as inevitably issues come up which must be voted on. But the board has stuck to limiting the hated public comments to the end, forcing people to sit through the usual dog and pony propaganda show of reports, awards, etc. that take up most of the meetings.

And -- better yet, it scheduled these meetings at 6 p.m.  If you're late, you cannot sign up to speak, at the end of the meeting.

That's what happened at the Jan. 23 meeting.  The usual speakers were unaware the meeting began early, got there too late to sign up (how is that rule democratic!) so voila -- no public comments.

Activist Terry Knapp arrived late.  Too late to sign up.  But he gave his statement to my recorder in the hall, and is recorded below. He said the board is irresponsible to be giving away two schools to the Quest Charter School Board, so it can use them for collateral for a $500,000 loan from the Peoria County Board.

It's one thing to rent the schools to Quest for $1 a year, but quite another to give them away, he said, and I agree.

The board has millionaires on it -- let them sign for the loans, he said.

Taking a page from Mitt Romney, I'll bet -- $10 -- (not $10,000) that loan is never repaid to the taxpayers.

Should the board have heard this message?  Yes.  Did it?  No.

 -- Elaine Hopkins 

Here's what Knapp would have told the board.

D150 Jan 23

 

Here's PJS reporter Pam Adams's story on the meeting.

 

Vote 'yes' on electric choice referendums

UPDATE 2/28/12:  Here's a link to the Citizen Utility Board's take on electric choice.CUB

 

PEORIA -- Environmental activists urged the audience to vote 'yes' on the upcoming electric choice referendums, at a Jan. 21 forum sponsored by the Greater Peoria League of Women Voters. 

Though the dollar savings may be small -- $10 a month is typical in other Illinois communities, -- the payoff is funneling money into sustainable power generation using wind and solar, which needs more research into storage of the power these options can generate.

The referendum will be on the March 20 primary ballot in many central Illinois communities.

It will ask for voter approval to allow a governmental body to bid out residential electrical service to an alternative supplier. But any resident can ‘opt-out -- that is, choose not to participate.

Many of the governmental bodies, including Peoria, will be relying on a consultant, Good Energy, to educate the public on the issues and negotiate a contract with a supplier if the referendum passes, said Chris Setti, who is managing the project for the city of Peoria. "If we don't like the deal...we (the city) can opt out," he said.

As for the public, experiences elsewhere show that less than 10 percent of the residential users will opt out, he said.

Good Energy gets a commission from the supplier, he said, and may be required to disclose its compensation.

After the rules are developed for the process, there will be public hearings and the Illinois Commerce Commission also must approve the rules, he said. The bidding process then will take place, an open process. 

After a supplier is chosen, rate payers will be given the option to opt out.  Peoria with 39,000 households likely will be part of a larger group of 200,000 households, the Central and Southern Illinois Buying Group, but could also negotiate on its own, he said.

So -- the referendum will give legal authority to the local government to negotiate, but "you're not locked into it," he said.

Tracy Fox and Kiersten Sheets of the Global Warming Solutions Group, presented the environmental arguments for the referendum's passage. "We believe it's a bold policy to make green energy accessible and affordable," Fox said.

She called for more transparency in the 'governance issues,' e.g. the bidding rules, but said, "energy aggregation and block purchasing is the way to participate in the green energy economy."  Individuals can't do that for themselves. "This is the most realistic way to participate," she said. 

The bids need to involve green energy, perhaps produced in Illinois, and also could provide discounts to the elderly, she said. The bidding rules need to be carefully drawn, otherwise Good Energy will control the process.

"We want to see the largest possible green energy buy, Oak Park has 100 percent green power,"  Fox said, and pays 5.8 cents per killowatt hour.  Peoria, using Ameren/Cilco pays 6.2 cents.   That's not much savings, but Oak Park is not using coal and nuclear, she said.

Sheets said the renewable energy purchase increases the supply and demand chain, and therefore renewable sources will respond. "So we get a cleaner environment." The increased cost of green energy can be offset by bulk purchasing.

Illinois hopes to get 20 percent of its energy from renewables by 2025, she said.  "I would like us to do that as well."

The impact on Ameren/Cilco was discussed, with Setti saying it should not be impacted. Ameren is two companies, one producing power, the other delivering power and handling billing. That will continue, he said, and bills will be paid to Ameren even though the power itself comes from elsewhere.

Energy, namely the electrons flowing over the wires, is a commodity now, like grain and oil. Local power plants will still be selling power to the lines, Fox said.  Ameren also could bid to be the supplier.

Local Ameren power plants will not be in jeopardy, because they will still be selling power, she said.

But Peoria County Board member Brad Harding expressed concern about the Ameren Edwards power plant which is upgrading its pollution control equipment. The power plant pays taxes and employs local people, he said.

He also expressed concern about Good Energy, saying "we have not been able to get Good Energy to give us information" on its compensation. "Transparency is important." 

He expressed concern that "another layer of government" is being created.The county will have to add a staff person to handle this, he said.

"We don't have enough answers on whether this is saving money, and (whether) this money stays local," he said.  

Setti said the city should not have additional costs from the procedure, and might realize some revenue from it, as other cities have done.

An audience member who said he was a Kewanee official said "we kept Ameren and got a better rate.  To pass (the referendum) would be a smart thing to do.  You're not stuck with it once you pass it."

An audience member from Peoria Heights said deregulation in Illinois has caused "a mess."  The burden of finding cheaper, greener sources of energy should be on Ameren, not individuals, he said, to applause.

He was in a pilot program that saved about $30 a year but suddenly vanished, he said. "We had no idea," what was happening,  and noticed "fees," he said. "How are you going to figure it out" whether to opt out, he asked. "Who will help us decide whether participating in this coop is beneficial?"

Setti said individual households now have two options, Ameren or to negotiate with a supplier on their own. "This (referendum) gives a third option."   There will be information on savings as the process takes place, he said. "There will be ways to figure it out."

Fox questioned why the Citizens Utility Board did not send a representative to the forum, though it was invited to do so. "They don't seem to care about rates at Ameren. Call them," and complain, she said.

Terry Kohlbuss of the TriCounty Regional Planning Commission said 20 communities have passsed the referendum already and signed contracts. The average savings is $10 a month, and municipalities get $10 per household per year, "as new streams of revenue."

Fox said she has searched the Web but not found any horror stories there. "There are plenty of safety nets."

 -- Elaine Hopkins

 

Electric Choice Forum

PEORIA -- From a news release:

League of Women Voters Sponsors Electric Choice Forum on Jan. 21  

 

PEORIA – The League of Women Voters of Greater Peoria will hear speakers on the electric choice referendum, which will be on the March 20 primary ballot in many central Illinois communities.

 

These referendums will ask for voter approval to allow a governmental body to bid out residential electrical service to an alternative supplier. But any resident can ‘opt-out -- that is, choose not to participate.

 

Peoria has an agreement with a consultant, Good Energy, to educate the public about the referendum.  City officials feel that residents will save money – but is the devil in the details?

 

Two speakers have agreed to appear, environmentalist Tracy Fox of Global Warming Solutions and Chris Setti of the city of Peoria. Other experts also may speak.

 

The event begins at 9:15 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 21 at Peoria Public Library North, 3001 W. Grand Parkway, Peoria (behind Menards off Allen Road). It is free and open to the public. -30-

Four Illinois corporations pay more to lobby than they pay in taxes

Peoria -- Here's an interesting news release, with the information that Boeing, Navistar Intl. (formerly International Harvester), and two others are among the large number of corporations that pay more to lobby the government than they pay in taxes.

All four Ilinois miscreants are headquartered in Chicago.  Caterpillar, Inc. is NOT on the list, thankfully.

The report, linked to below, is a good one, with suggestions on how to stop this craziness.  And it doesn't take an  amendment to the US Constitution.

Those Illinois corporations should not get one more dime in tax money until they reform their ways. Here the news release: 

Thirty Fortune 500 Companies Paid More to Lobby Congress than they Did in Federal Income Taxes

Four of the thirty are headquartered in Illinois

Chicago – With the second anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision in the Citizens United case approaching – which opened the floodgates to corporate spending on elections – Illinois PIRG and Citizens for Tax Justice reveal thirty corporations that spent more to lobby Congress than they did in taxes.

 

The analysis, Representation without Taxation: Fortune 500 Companies that Spend Big on Lobbying and Avoid Taxes takes a close look at one area where corporate power and influence is on full display: corporate tax policy. By exploiting loopholes and special provisions in the tax code, 280 consistently profitable Fortune 500 companies paid about half the statutory corporate tax rate while spending $2 billion to lobby Congress on tax policy and other issues from 2008-2010.

 

“The fact that so many corporations can spend more money lobbying than they pay in taxes makes a mockery of our tax code and our democracy,” said Kevin O’Connor, campaign coordinator with Illinois PIRG.

 

The “Dirty Thirty” are particularly aggressive tax avoiders that spent more on federal lobbying than income taxes between 2008 and 2010. Twenty-nine of these corporations actually received a net tax rebate during the three year period of the study, and four of them are headquartered right here in Illinois.

 

Boeing, Integrys Energy Group, Baxter International, Navistar International and the rest of the companies in the ‘Dirty Thirty’ all told made $163.7 billion in profits while paying zero dollars in federal income taxes and collected a total of $10.6 billion in various tax rebates. Meanwhile, they collectively spent $475.7 million in lobbying expenses for the three year period.

 

“If we are to believe that corporations are people, shouldn’t they pay taxes just like the rest of us?” asked Rey Lopez-Calderon, Executive Director of Common Cause Illinois. “It’s a sad day in America when our government gives corporations carte blanche to purchase our elections and elected officials while shielding them from any sort of ‘personal’ responsibility.”

 

“When corporations don’t pay, the rest of us are forced to shoulder the extra burden through higher taxes, fewer services, or a larger share of the debt,” said O’Connor. “With our country facing tough budget choices, and funding for public priorities like Pell Grants and public transportation on the chopping block, it is all the more outrageous that corporations are able to shirk their tax burden by gaming the system.”

The report also takes a deeper look at one of the most egregious ways corporations skirt taxes – by shifting profits legitimately earned in America to offshore tax havens, where they are subject to little, if any taxes. At least 22 of the thirty companies studied had subsidiaries in tax haven countries.

 

The full report can be found here: https://www.illinoispirg.org/home/reports/report-archives/more-reports/more-reports/representation-without-taxation-fortune-500-companies-that-spend-big-on-lobbying-and-avoid-taxes

 

 

#  # #

 

The Illinois Public Interest Research Group (Illinois PIRG) is a non-profit, citizen funded watchdog and advocacy organization

 

 

 

Rock of Ages a satire on rockers and their music

PEORIA -- The musical Rock of Ages is a high energy, slickly done but loud satire on rock music and the people involved with it. A kind of low rent Rent without the real issues and emotions of that fine play. 

The musical rocked into the Peoria Civic Center on Jan. 17 and plays again on Jan. 18. It features scantily clad, sexy females and rocker-guys, backed by on-stage rock musicians. Everyone sings and dances well, though this is not an Actors Equity cast. 

The set and special effects are brilliantly done, with artifacts from the past including a TWA travel bag, a giant mobile telephone, vintage t-shirts and a boom box. The play is set in the 1980s.

But no cliche is left unmentioned in the characters and plot, making this a very odd play -- a satire that also loves its subject.

The almost sell-out crowd was mostly 40 and 50-somethings, very happy to re-live their youthful days when rock was young and hip. Those older members of the audience were not as enthusiastic, and may have been baffled by unfamiliar rock music from the past.

This is not Sondheim or Andrew Lloyd Weber, or even Wicked.

It's amusing, OK for an evening's entertainment, but not nearly so good as many other plays in the Broadway series recently. 

The weakness is the book, obviously crafted around the classic rock songs -- that once seemed fresh but now seem repetitious -- that the producers were able to get permission to use.  It's pretty good, but not great.  And loud. 

Here's the well done PJS preview story on the show.  It plays in St. Louis, Mo. on Feb. 3-5.

 -- Elaine Hopkins

 

 

Schock in Koch pocket, has opponents

PEORIA -- Cong. Aaron Schock, R-Peoria, has a 100 percent rating from Americans for Prosperity, the Koch Brothers-financed lobbying group that promotes anti-progressive legislation.

Here's a new analysis from Robert Greenwald and the Huffington Post which disusses the implications of the Koch Brothers group and its stands on issues.  Greenwald states: 

"Americans for Prosperity, the Tea Party group funded by the Kochs, based its grades on opposition to affordable health care, clean air, alternative energy and net neutrality. Scores were also boosted if the elected official signed the tea party group's anti-revenue pledge."

Schock, of the 18th Congressional District in Illinois, is seeking a third term in Congress.  He has opposition in the Republican primary, though the opponent's petitions are being scrutinized, and he likely isn't any more progressive than Schock.

Schock, the likely winner of the primary contest, also will have a Democratic opponent, the winner of the March 20 Democratic Party primary.  Steve Waterworth and Matt Woodmancy are seeking the nomination. 

Waterworth, of Mason County, is an established and stable local elected official, and ran twice before against Ray LaHood.

Woodmancy, of Pekin, is a 20-something guy with no previous political experience and a felony conviction.

 -- Elaine Hopkins

Are you now or have you ever been...in the CCC

PEORIA -- Here's an interesting news release:

 

Peoria Public Library Searching for Men Who Served

in  Depression- Era Civilian Conservation Corps

 

Peoria Public Library is collecting photos and names of area men who served with the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) so they can be honored at a program on Friday, March 9 at Peoria Public Library North Branch. In Illinois the CCC built parks in Illinois including Starved Rock State Park and Black Hawk State Historical Site along with other work.

Peoria Public Library will show images the public provides and reserve special seats for CCC members and their families.  Please call 309-497-2120 or email [email protected] to share your information or reserve a seat for a CCC member.

Author Bill Jamerson will perform a musical story-telling program about “Roosevelt’s Tree Army” that planted 3.5 billion tress nationwide, built parks, helped farmers and provided young men with income and future.

                “Dollar-A-Day Boys, A Musical Tribute to the Civilian Conservation Corps,” is Friday, March 9 at 4:30 p.m. at Peoria Public Library North Branch. His novel, Big Shoulders, follows the life of 17-year-old recruit from Detroit and his experiences. Jameson has also produced a PBS documentary, and recorded original songs about the CCC. His website http://billjamerson.com/history.asp offers a short video about the CCC. -30-

 

1/26/12. Here's an emailed comment from Ed Dentino:

The CCC era would certainly be an interesting topic.   It ended in 1942.   My thought is that people having done that work would be over 87 years old.   I can't recall having talked to anyone who did that work so the number left has to be fairly small.   Interesting idea though. -30-

Ax Wall Street: Here's How

PEORIA -- Here's a fascinating article on how to reform/reign in/ax Wall Street.

Here's another way:  How many places where we buy stuff send the profits straight to Wall Street or out of town, to Chicago, New York City, even China? 

Let me count the ways:  GateHouse media, owner of the Peoria Journal Star and many other downstate newspapers. (Rumored to be sending $1 million a month or more out of Peoria to Wall Street to pay off its debt.)

Banks, grocery stores and other national financial and retail chains. (Though the stores do pay sales taxes.)

What places where we do business reinvest the profits and proceeds back into the community?

Think deeply about this insight.  Peoria and most downstate towns, many of which are almost impoverished, need LOCAL enterprises where the profits are invested back into the community, and don't leave town. 

They don't need Bass Proshops.  That and similar enterprises should not receive local tax funds to set up business.

Though the OSF venture in Peoria's troubled East Bluff smacks of corporate welfare, at least OSF is basically a local enterprise. Isn't it? 

Even Peoria Disposal Co., the city of Peoria's waste contractor, is a local business, as is Caterpillar, Inc., though both have far flung enterprises enriching people elsewhere.

Credit unions are also local. 

And it's distressing to see governments buying things from out of state -- insurance, etc., when that money should at least stay in Illinois.

A website and lists of local and Illinois businesses, to make people aware of this distinction, would be helpful.

That would be a worthy project for the Chambers of Commerce everywhere, instead of lobbying for right wing causes.

 -- Elaine Hopkins

Not very interesting

PEORIA -- When the two premier watchdog activists on Peoria School District 150 are away, the public comments at the meeting of the School Board are short and dull.

That's what happened on Jan. 9, with Terry Knapp and Sharon Crews both not attending the meeting because of conflicts.

The only speaker was teacher union president Bob Darling, who offered praise to a principal for hosting a sports tournament, praise to the district for holding a staff appreciation event, and praise to the board for holding committee of the whole meetings.  Of the latter, he said the public comment period at the end of the meeting is OK, but should be five minutes instead of two minutes.

He announced a $10,000 grant to the district to develop teacher evaluations, and said that when teachers are evaluated as weak they should not be surprized, because the principal should have been working with them all year.

In her response Supt. Grenita Lathan agreed that teachers should not be surprized. 

So between the union leader and superintendent, all is harmony, apparently.  Hummm.

Darling was the only speaker.  His comments are posted here.

D150 Jan 9 12

 

 -- Elaine Hopkins