PeoriaStory

18th Congressional Democrats forum

MACOMB --The two Democratic candidates for Congress in the 18th Congressional District finally appeared together, at a Feb. 29 candidates forum sponsored by the McDonough County League of Women Voters. This was likely their only joint appearance, since all the primary excitement is directed toward the 17th Congressional District Democrats.

But these two candidates present an interesting contrast. The winner in the March 20 primary will face incumbent Aaron Schock, R-Peoria.

A recording is posted below.

Steve Waterworth, 64, is a local official in Mason County, serves on a variety of boards and commissions, is a retired Air Force Reserve master sargeant, and grew up on a farm.  He's also a life long, FDR Democrat. 

Steve Waterworth

Matthew Woodmancy, 28, of Pekin is well spoken but carries heavy baggage:  he's on probation for offenses in McLean County including a felony, and owes nearly $50,000 in fines and court costs there. 

Matthew Woodmancy

This baggage was not mentioned at the forum, but Woodmancy referred to it. "I've made mistakes.  I'm back on track.  I believe everyone deserves a second chance.  I've wondered if I'm stupid or brave to take on this challenge.  I'm brave," he said.

The two Democrats answered a series of questions and agreed on most of them. One difference:  Woodmancy believes in term limits for members of Congress. Waterworth does not. "Term limits gives power to lobbyists," he said, who already write too many laws for Congress now, and would take advantage of new members of Congress.

Both support the Obama Affordable Health Care Act, want to expand high speed rail and improve Amtrak, would not sign any 'no tax' or other pledges if elected, and oppose the Paul Ryan fiscal plan that Schock voted for.

Waterworth, with years of living and experience, is able to present vivid stories about how he came to his knowledge of the issues, many involving his family's struggles during the Great Depression of the 1930 and his military experiences.  

Woodmancy told of caring for his mother with cancer, and said he had to drop out of college to run for Congress -- apparently not a great idea, as he has no money to finance the run.

Waterworth, with his farm and military background, and his years of experience has character to serve in Congress with distinction.  Woodmancy may be well intentioned, but even without his baggage lacks the experience to hold down the job.

 -- Elaine Hopkins

 Here's the recording.

Cong forum 18th Dist

Here's the story from the Macomb daily newspaper.

 

 

 

Show Boat in Chicago: Terrific

CHICAGO -- If you're in Chicago, don't miss the vintage musical/opera Show Boat at the Lyric Opera.  It runs until March 17, intermittently with other productions.

It's pricey but worth the money.  You might try picking up a ticket outside the theater, for a discount. But the Lyric Opera is a huge, gorgeous venue, so take binoculars to feast your eyes on the spectacular costumes and sets.

Show Boat, dubbed Jerome Kerns's masterpiece, was written and performed in the 1920s, and it remains alive today, a kind of current/back to the future, story.

The songs are familiar, embedded in the pop music cannon, and the themes -- interracial marriage and issues, and show biz striving, remain alive.

The huge cast is half black, half white, half Broadway performers, half opera performers.  All are wonderful. 

This show set the stage and themes for subsequent musical theater -- and as a founder it remains one of the best. Like "Ole Man River,"  it keeps flowing through our minds. 

 -- Elaine Hopkins

Ridiculous meeting, unhappy audience

PEORIA -- The Peoria District 150 School Board hit a new low on Feb. 27 as a public meeting went very, very bad. No parking, no directions, no microphones, dull, dull presentations.  But then, fireworks! 

The meeting, another infamous committee of the whole,  was at the Hines School gym.  When I arrived, the front parking lot was full. Packed. There was no where to park. An empty back parking lot was blocked by vehicles, apparently on purpose. 

I drove back to Knoxville, then wound my way through a subdivision to park on a suburban street next to the school.  Luckily there was an opening in the fence surrounding the school grounds.

I entered the building, and a person gave me bad directions to the gym.  There were no signs, no one else to point the way. I finally found it.  It was packed with people, perhaps 250 people, sitting on bleechers or hard metal folding chairs. Ouch!

And there they sat for two hours, unable to hear what was going on because there were, amazingly, no microphones!  And no effort was made to find any. What an insult to the taxpayers!

UPDATE 2/28/12:  A source said today that Supt. Grenita Lathan was offered a microphone and soundboard and refused them, even though she knew a big crowd would be at the meeting!

Anywhere else but Peoria would have seen a riot.  But this crowd sat quietly.  I survived by listening to my iPod.  (Thank you Steve Jobs!  Thank you Chinese workers. You saved my sanity.)

Finally after two presentations that no one could hear, apparently propaganda for the board on advance placement courses and counselors, two hours into the meeting, the so-called action items began.

The Peoria Promise board and apparently Peoria mayor Jim Ardis had also been stranded in that audience, but finally got their few minutes to affirm the partnership with the school district.  Peoria Promise pays for scholarships to Illinois Central College for high school grads.  Nice program. 

Then the public comments began.  They are recorded below.  There's a delay in the recording because board president Linda Butler announced the comments, then couldn't find the list.

The comments at this type of meeting are limited to two minutes, so people were cut off, after waiting all that time to speak.

What an insult to the public!

Activist Terry Knapp was first, saying he planned to contact the Peoria County  State's Attorney about the way the board at its Feb. 14 meeting (see below) had voted to sell two schools to ultimately go to the Quest charter school. 

It's illegal for an Illinois school district to sell a school to a charter school, so to circumvent the law, they voted to sell to the Peoria County Board which will sell to the Quest school board, an unelected board. 

The schools were sold without bidding. Is that illegal? Knapp said they were sold below their true value, and he would have bought them for more.

Then he said state Rep. Jehan Gordon, D-Peoria, two days after the Feb. 14 board meeting, introduced a bill in the General Assembly to allow school districts to sell buildings to charter schools.

That's interesting! We'll look forward to her comments on this on this.  Also to be scrutinized: her campaign contributions to see which Quest board members contributed.

Next, a teacher and a parent from Glen Oak School pleaded with the board not to replace three school administrators. Apparently the administrators are being reassigned or let go. 

Supt Grenita Lathan has reportedly terrorized the principals and administrators by shifting them around, letting them go without warning or cause.  They need a union. If the parents had any guts they would do a sit in.

This was the group that filled the gym, and waited for two hours on awful seating, unable to hear what was going on.  Of course they likely will be ignored.

The real meeting lasted less than a half hour.

The board has moved public comments to the end of the meeting, apparently to discourage people from speaking. Fat chance!

The public comments areposted here.

D150 Feb. 27

UPDATE 2: 2/28/12 -- See the PJS story for good information on the firing of principals and their staffs.

 

 -- Elaine Hopkins

Want high speed rail? Improved Amtrak? Attend this...

PEORIA -- The Illinois Department of Transportation is hosting an open house at the Peoria Public Library, downtown location, 107 NE Monroe, from 4-7 p.m. on Monday, February 27.

IDOT wants to gain public input for the creation of a statewide rail plan. This plan is intended to guide the development of future passenger and freight rail in Illinois. 

Meetings elsewhere have had low attendance, likely because of scant publicity.  Peoria should do better!

 -- Elaine Hopkins

 

Feb 29 direct action

PEORIA --  Here are ways to participate in the Feb. 29 national call to action to Shut Down the Corporations.

Occupy Peoria is having a rally and teach-In on the topic of ALEC and Ameren.

Target: Ameren/Peabody
Location: 300 Liberty Street (corner of Liberty and Adams St., Peoria)
Time: February 29 at 11:00am


From the news release: "Why is there call for a national day of action to Shut Down the Corporations?

Through the corporate-funded American Legislative Exchange Council, global corporations and state politicians vote behind closed doors to try to rewrite state laws that govern your rights. These so-called "model bills" reach into almost every area of American life and often directly benefit huge corporations. In ALEC's own words, corporations have "a VOICE and a VOTE" on specific changes to the law that are then proposed in your state. Do You?

We have chosen Ameren as our target because they are the largest contributor to ALEC in our area.

ALEC is writing and rewriting laws and policies that affect all humans, animals, and the environment.

Ameren/Peabody Energy gave $5,835,000 in 2009, $6,591,000 in 2010 and $3,727,000 in 2011 to ALEC in order to change laws in favor of them.

They lobby against the clean air and water acts, they lobby in favor of new rate hikes and fees, and they meet behind closed doors with politicians to write laws that give them the right to poison our rivers and water supplies by means of coal and fracking. 

Ameren is also asking for a bailout to the tune of $115 million dollars...

Tell Ameren that your not going to take it anymore. Tell them to remove themselves from ALEC immediately and invest in clean technologies.

Help take the money out of politics...Meet us on Liberty Street!

We are the 99%"

1. Here is the main website for the F29 Shutdown the Corporations:

http://www.shutdownthecorporations.org/ 

2. Here's Occupy Peoria's facebook page for the event:

http://www.facebook.com/events/298424143555963/ 

3.Here's another website called ALECexposed:

http://alecexposed.org/wiki/ALEC_Exposed 

4. And here's SourceWatch with information on Ameren/Peabody and ALEC:

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Ameren 

And: National exhibit and speaker highlighting the human cost of war coming to Bradley University campus

 

The Peoria area will host several events starting on Wednesday, Feb. 29, 2012, demonstrating the human cost of war and honoring fallen U.S. military personnel and Iraqi civilians. All of the events are co-sponsored by the American Friends Service Committee, the Bloomington-Normal Coalition for Peace and Justice, the Bradley Action Committee, Clear Creek Friends Meeting, Iraq Veterans Against the War, NOW, Occupy Peoria, Peoria Area Peace Network, and Veterans for Peace.

 

Eyes Wide Open: The Cost of War to Illinois:

 

Eyes Wide Open is an exhibit displaying more than 240 pairs of boots and civilian shoes, with each pair representing a fallen serviceman or servicewoman from Illinois or an Iraqi civilian casualty. The exhibit is part of a national traveling program begun by the American Friends Service Committee, an international social justice organization. The exhibit first opened in Chicago in 2004.

 

What:    Eyes Wide Open exhibit, illustrating the human cost of the Iraq War

Where: Olin Quad, Bradley University

When:  Exhibit opens at noon, Wednesday, Feb. 29, 2012

On display 9 a.m.-9 p.m. daily, weather permitting

Closes Sunday, Mar. 4, at 5 p.m.

 

Candlelight vigil for the fallen of the Iraq War:

 

Where: Olin Quad, Bradley University

When:  Wednesday, Feb. 29, 2012, 7 p.m. (Rain date – Thursday, March 1, 2012, 7 p.m.)

 

Screening of “Soldiers of Conscience”, with remarks by Iraq War veteran Camilo Mejia:

 

There will also be a screening of the film "Soldiers of Conscience", and Iraq War veteran Camilo Mejia will speak afterwards. Mr. Mejia is a conscientious objector and national chair of Iraq Veterans Against the War.

 

What:    “Soldiers of Conscience” screening, and speaker Camilo Mejia

Where: Neumiller Auditorium, Bradley University

When:  Saturday, Mar. 3, 2012, 2 p.m.-4 p.m.

 

Please note: This film is not recommended for anyone younger than age 13 due to images of  graphic violence.

 

Interviews with Mr. Mejia can be arranged on Saturday or Sunday.

 

Copies of Mr. Mejia's book, "Road from ar Ramadi:  The Private Rebellion of Staff Sargent Mejia: An Iraq War Memoir" can be pre-ordered from Corey Mattson of the Bloomington-Normal Coalition for Peace and Justice: [email protected].

 

All events are free and open to the public.

 

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Tazewell County candidate forums, debates

Here are several upcoming candidate forums and debates in Tazewell County, IL.

Boynton Township County Board Candidates Debate
February 27th at 7:00
Boynton Township Hall

Washington Chamber of Commerce Local Candidate Debate
March 1st at 6:00
Five Points Community Center, Washington
10th Judicial Race, Tazewell County Coroner, Tazewell County Board District Three Candidates

Mackinaw County Board Candidates Debate
March 7th at 7:00
Dee-Mack High School, Mackinaw
Ken Harris of the Pekin Daily Times is the Mo! derator

Morton 9/12 Tea Party Meet the Republican County Board Candidates
March 8th at 6:30
Morton Freedom Hall
Tazewell County Board District One and District Three Candidates

League of Women Voters of Greater Peoria Candidate Forum
March 10th at 9:15AM
Five Points Community Center, Washington
Tazewell County Coroner, Tazewell County Board District Three Candidates, Republican judges.


Andrew Rinehart and John Redlingshafer Meet and Greet
 Tazewell County Board Candidates Andrew Rinehart and John Redlingshafer will be hosting a Meet and Greet at The Blend in Washington on February 28th from 7:00 to 9:00am. This will be a great opportunity to meet two great candidates for the Tazewell County Board.

They have invited all of the Candidates on the 2012 Primary Ballot to join them as well. The Blend is located at 1130 Peoria Street in Washington; right next door to Russell's Cycle and Fitness Center.

Democratic dinner: lively...

PEORIA -- After the chicken dinner came the firebreathing speeches, at the Feb. 20 Peoria County Democrats Presidents' Day Dinner. 

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois and featured speaker Wisconsin state Sen. Jon Erpenbach blasted the Republicans and urged the audience to stand strong for Democratic candidates this year.

The packed hall at the Itoo Club included many candidates for office. Durbin began by mentioning and praising two Democratic candidates for Congress, Steve Waterworth, a candidate in the 18th Congressional District, and Cheri Bustos, a candidate in the 17th Congressional District.  Both have opponents in the Democratic primary on March 20.

Both attended the dinner, though their opponents apparently were not there.

Durbin said, "what's at stake is the future of organized labor in the U.S."

He noted that GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney has referred to 'labor stooges', and said the real "three stooges are Newt, Mitt and Rick."

He praised Pres. Barack Obamma, and said he "did the right thing" in the auto bailout.

The new Peoria airport, Durbin said, was built with stimulus funds from the Obama administration. Then with a sly dig at Cong. Aaron Schock, R-Peoria, he said Schock voted against the simulus, then "was miffed he wan't invited to the groundbreaking."

Mentioning the banks, Durbin said, "we will fight against those who brought this economy down."

Returning to labor, Durbin said "the best days in modern history were when labor was strong. There should be no apologies as Democrats. I'm proud of labor."

He closed by giving a "shout out" to state Sen. Dave Koehler, D-Peoria, and said "we're going to be ready to fight at all levels."

A recording of Durbin's remarks is posted here.

Durbin Feb 20

Erpenbach, a leader of the Wisconsin legislators who fled the state last year to prevent Gov. Scott Walker from stripping public employees of their collective bargaining rights, said the "irresponsible" governor has "forced everybody to pick a side, even family members."

Public employees made Wisconsin great, he said, but within a month after he took office, Walker attacked them. "It could happen in Illinois.  They're trying to do it in Indiana, Ohio, all over."

"The power brokers" want to destroy the unions, then privatize the jobs, When collective bargaining is destroyed, then funding gets cut. "They claim we're broke. It's easy to get rid of public employees when they have no collective bargaining. Then the Koch Brothers come in and try to get the contracts," he said.

After the 2010 election, Republicans refused to compromise in a state with a history of compromise, Erpenback said. "Walker shattered that with (the threat) of Tea Party primaries if they didn't fall in line."

"In 2010 some people stayed home so we ended up with Scott Walker.  Within a year rights were being lost," including collective bargaining and voting rights, when a photo ID law was passed while DMV centers in rural areas were being shut down.  People who have always voted without a photo ID now would not be able to vote, he said. "Women's right are under attack," as well.

It's happening everywhere, he said. But "there are more of us than there are of them.  The majority agrees with Democrats."

"If I run into somebody who can't stand unions," I remind them that their 40-hour work week, vacation pay and health benefits come from union bargaining, he said. "Their wages are due to what unions have negotiated throughout the history of the U.S." 

A recording of Erpenbach's speech is posted here. 

Erpenback Feb 20

 -- Elaine Hopkins

 

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Springdale Savanna -- decision on Feb. 21

PEORIA -- The Springdale Cemetery Board of Directors meets at 4 p.m. on Tues., Feb. 21 at the cemetery on Prospect Road.

On the agenda:  the fate of the historic Springdale savanna. Some on the board want to mow it down.

Activists are asking concerned citizens to contact the board and members of the Peoria City Council, to save the savanna.  Here's a previous post on this site:

 

"This rare native remnant of tallgrass oak savanna and hill prairie has for over 20 years enjoyed the voluntary protection of the cemetery’s owners as a designated Illinois Natural Heritage Landmark registered with the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission and Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

Situated on the bluff of Historic Springdale Cemetery, this living piece of history representing the natural community that greeted early explorers to the Peoria area now faces the threat of permanent destruction."

And activist Joyce Harant writes today: "destroying this savanna would be so very short sited.  Springdale Cemetery directors and management should be safeguarding this legacy that has taken thousands of years of development.  In addition, there is a twenty year agreement with the Illinois State Department of Natural Resources to preserve this savanna.  Saving the savanna also has a practical aspect-- it prevents erosion of the bluff into the Illinois River and filters thousands of gallons of rain water, saving us all the need for more storm water and sewer capacity.  We need more savanna-like areas not fewer.  The cemetery has at least 50,000 burial sites available to sell, this is almost as many as the number of persons currently buried at Springdale. "

 

It's time to save the savanna. Hundreds of people have signed petitions to save it, and have contacted the board already.  Will they listen?

-- Elaine Hopkins

Update, 2/22/12: Here's what happened at the meeting, according to the PJS.

Candidate forum: the incumbents win

PEORIA -- The Feb. 18 candidate forum hosted by the Greater Peoria League of Women Voters showed the power of incumbency.  Those already in office know more, much more, than their opponents.

The event featured two of the three contested races in the March 20 primary.  The third, for a Republication nomination for judge, could not be held because one candidate could not attend.

The race for the Democratic nomination for Peoria County Board District 6 showed there is no contest. Incumbent Allen Mayer knew the issues.  His opponent Rick Waldron admitted several times he couldn't answer the questions.  His only reason for running, he said, is because he's lived a lifetime in Peoria.

Mayer, who is an attorney and a leader on the board,  discussed the issues in detail, in response to written questions from the audience.   

On the $500,000 county loan to Quest, the charter school, he said he worked to make sure there was no insider dealing in that loan, and that the same opportunities were available for all public schools. He voted for the loan, he said, despite misgivings about Quest and the "Turkish group" with "serious labor issues" in Chicago and Texas, running the school. 

The loan goes to the local committee that makes up the Quest board, and not that company, he said. At least the funds are to repair the buildings which otherwise would stand empty, he said. (For details on the Quest company, click on the Peoria School District 150 category, right, and scroll down to June 21 and below.)

Mayer said the County Board "has not balanced one budget by laying people off," and it replaced a board member on the Peoria City/County Landfill Committee who voted to allow treated hazardous waste in the municipal landfill.

He supports 'green energy' in the electrical aggregation program, which should save partipants up to $150 a year, he said.  A referendum is on March 20 ballot to approve this initiative, or not,  but anyone or the county can opt out if the plans don't work out. (See a post on this, below.)

There's no contest between Mayer and Waldron, who does not know enough to serve on this board. He might learn if elected, but why support him when Mayer is qualified and has done a good job.

There are two recordings of this part of the candidate forum, as batteries had to be changed  in mid forum.  The first section is here.

1cbd Feb 18

The second section is here.

2cbd Feb18

The forum for Democrats seeking the nomination for the 46th state Senate District included two veteran office holders, incumbent Dave Koehler and James Polk, who serves on the Ilinois Central College Board.

A third candidate, Marvin Bainter, did not respond to an invitation to attend, despite repeated attempts to reach him, League president Irene Pritzker said.

Asked about the temporary state income tax, approved last year by the General Assembly, Polk said he opposed it.

Koehler said he supported it, though it was a 'hard vote.'

"A lot of large corporations don't pay state income taxes because of loopholes," he said. "Where would you have cut $7 billion out of the budget?  We cut $2 billion."

The state should take out low interest bonds to pay off the state's backlog of bills, to save money in interest payments, he said. That takes approval of 3/5ths of the GA, and the Republicans won't vote for it, he said.

Polk ducked the question on state finances, saying "you have to prioritize" in government. He also dodged a question about what cuts should be made, saying "I was not around the table." 

Koehler said if $2 billion is cut from Medicaid, "who is going to be left on the curb?"  He had just recited these astonishing statistics, citing comments made recently by U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin:  1/3 of Illinois children are on Medicaid, 1/2 of all births in Illinois are paid for by Medicaid, and 60 percent of seniors use Medicaid, especially for nursing home coverage.

Koehler said he supports mass transit and added the US House's Transportation bill underfunds it. He supports a Peoria bus connection to a high speed train in Bloomington if a need can be shown.

Polk, who serves on the Peoria CityLink board and is a member of the High Speed Rail Committee, said the bus connection is important, he would like the rail line to come through Peoria.

Koehler said he would be open to discussing a tax on pensions above a certain level, say $100,000, but Illinois does not want to drive seniors out of the state.  Illinois needs a more pregressive income tax system, but a plan to put it on the ballot failed.

Polk said the state must fulfill its pension promises to retirees.

Koehler said the GA has reformed the pension system, and is still working on that and pension financing.

Koehler said he's not satifsied with proposals to set up a health care exchange, because they favor insurance ocmpanies. "We have to have an open competitive and fair system. The consumers have to be better protected."

Polk just commented that health care "is essential for all people."

Koehler concluded "I run on  my record. No one will agree 100 percent. I've done what I felt was right, not expedient. I'll continue that." 

Polk said his long invovement in government has allowed him to "serve the citiens," and to fight for them."I've talked truth to power and worked for the masses of people," he said.

Koehler and Polk are not that far apart in ideology, but Koehler's experience and record make him the preferred candidate in this race.

A recording of this section of the forum can be found here.

46Dist Feb 18

 -- Elaine Hopkins

Women's history, still alive

PEORIA -- Two free programs at the Peoria Public Library will celebrate Women's HIstory Month.

The program “Harriet Beecher Stowe” with Edith Barnard takes place on Saturday, March 3 from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. at Public Library North Branch in the McKenzie Room.  This branch is off Allen Road, behind Menards.

From the news release: "Harriet Beecher Stowe was a woman ahead of her times. Well known as the author of the best-selling book of the 19^th Century, “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” Stowe wrote more than 30 books over 50 years while raising seven children and running a household. 

Stowe was born in 1811 in Litchfield, Connecticut to a preacher who spoke out against the practice of slavery long before it was fashionable.  Stowe’s book “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” is credited with popularizing the abolitionist cause against slavery and is said to have contributed to the outbreak of the Civil War.             

Edith Barnard holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from the University of Illinois & a Master’s Degree in ‘Theatre/Ethnomusicology” from the State University of New York in Binghampton.  The Smithsonian sponsored Edith’s “Harriet Tour” for over 20 years. 

Ms. Barnard served as a Cultural Ambassador to Greece for the U.S. Government, won an award at the White House for her original musical “Courtly Appeal” and operated her own musical history theater in Bath, Maine for 15 years.  An author and music teacher, Ms. Barnard lives in the Peoria area."

The program “Three Illinois Women During the Civil War,” by Betty Carlson Kay, takes place on Saturday, March 24 at 1:00 p.m. at the North Branch McKenzie Room.

From the news release: "The Civil War comes to life during this first-person, costumed performance when author and teacher Betty Carlson Kay portrays three women who lived in Illinois and experienced the Civil War.

'Mother' Bickerdyke, one of the best-known and loved Civil War nurses hailed from Galesburg and used her skills to improvise and cut through red tape to provide nursing care during a time when it was in short supply. Mrs. Julia Grant of Galena, wife of General Ulysses S. Grant and future First Lady will describe the Victory Parade in Washington D.C. at war’s end. Jennie Hodgers of Belvidere, Illinois, who enlisted in the Union Army and fought as a man for three year will tell her story as well.

Betty Kay Carlson is the author of 12 books for children and recently retired after a 34-year teaching career.  This program is appropriate for all ages but will be enjoyed by students in Grades 4 through 8.

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