April 29, 2011
Actually, I hate to write about quandaries. In the case of Gary Sandberg the only quandary is that he has chosen the wrong city council to pose a quandary for his condolers.
Lets compare City of Peoria Councilman Gary Sandberg’s quandary with some other city and how they would handle or have handled a quandary like Gary Sandberg quandary in their domain.
First and foremost let’s look at the Illinois State Statutes that would seemingly seem simple enough to read and be understood by the average Joe.
That assumption seems simple enough to attain but again we are dealing with politicians, politico’s and selected editorial opinions. That assumption begs a lot more scrutiny than the constituents care to share on this topic.
Written below is a Illinois State Statute that certainly is easy reading and at first blush seems to be in line with the condemnation by PJS of Gary Sandberg’s ability to serve on the Peoria City Council, or as the PJS could easy point out, to even serve on the Canton City Council.
But whoa….! “Not so fast my friend.”
“Thee” Illinois State Statute.
No person shall be eligible to the office of mayor, city clerk, city treasurer of ALDERMAN:
If he is in arrears in the payment of any tax or indebtedness due to the city;
Look at this Illinois State Statute:
65ILCS 5/3.1-10-25
If you remain delinquent on your real estate taxes at the time you were seeking reelection as a candidate you would be prohibited under the law from filing, etc.
Now, and I say now now just for attention….
My favorite all time journalist, E. Hopkins does tweak our interest when she implies what is good for the goose is good for the gander in referring to Weaver who comes off the sidelines, wearing a white suit and a Big S on his blazer, apologetic about the cleat marks and about not paying a sum equal to about 4 times what Sandberg owes to the municipality of Peoria. Who would you embrace? Weaver? Or would it be Sandburg and his pigeon on his shoulder with his hair looking like it was combed with ladyfinger fire crackers?
Ok, as E. Hopkins says, pay up and get on with it, but here is where the PJS fails miserably.
The PJS does choose to use from their huge store room of adjectives subjectively when describing the Darth Vader of the horse shoe. But is the PJS staff fair and not prejudice in the scandalous way they choose or not choose to write a story? As a quick example, mull over in your mind what would have happened editorially if the person who owed the City of Peoria $ 50,000.00 for five years name was Chuck Beaver instead of Chuck Weaver…Hell, they wouldn’t let him into Mexico let alone Weaver’s Ridge.
“Not so fast, my friend.”
Rewind: Several months ago the PJS choose to sit on a story that is at least “3 times” as egregious of what the epitaph of “Sandberg, Gary, Quite Contrary” epitaph could read even though we find those wishes premature.
Enter Canton City Council.
- Alderman Gerald Ellis: Taxes sold 7 out of the 10 years he lived in Canton.
Appointed to city council by Mayor Kevin Meade while he still owed real estate taxes.
Was elected to the Canton City Council when he still owed taxes prior to being appointed and when he was prohibited to run for office.
Voted for his step-son when the step son was appointed Zoning Officer and then apologized for not realizing his conflict of interest error.
Just recently the City of Canton initiated a conflict of interest waiver to enable him to work on Deco tax payers’ funded city downtown façade program.
- Alderman Eric Schenck: Failed to pay his real estate taxes on time for 3 consecutive years. Served on Canton City Council while he still owed taxes.
- Alderman David Pickel: Failed to pay his real estate taxes on time 3 times and was late 3 consecutive times.
Alderman Pickel was in arrears of his loan payment to the city approx. 3 months prior to being appointed to the city council by Mayor Kevin Meade.
Alderman Pickel had been in arrears on his loan payment at least 29 times from one to four months.
Not so fast my friends……
All three are still alderman and are in the process of initiating a nighn, na na neen, a nuh, nuh, nine (9) million dollar bond to cover the City of Canton’s debt partially for misappropriating funds ($680,000) from a TIF fund and I would assume a $ 900,000 loan from Canton’s benefactor, Bill Cook’s Company. No one has come forth to explain what the loan was for and how that event could actually take place without a public hearing for the bond? There are many of us who can attest to the fact that the bond isn’t for the 3 alderman’s back real estate taxes, but we can attest to the fact that there is/was/could be money set aside in that nine million dollar for approx. $ 100,000.00 worth of pulchritude bushes and the meandering Little Giant Oak trees, that the layout, depicts on exactly one city block smugly secluded off of the Canton City Square where the ex-mayor of Canton has a shearing business along with approx. 3 other business’s depending on the day or week.
What was the News Media response to the above facts. Paraphrased. “It was an amateur attempt at drawing attention to the 3 Aldermen as stunt and a plot to embarrass those them.” For Christ sakes, what does it take to draw attention to elected tax/loan scoffs? A Pigeon? A home in Weaver Ridge?
Anyway, thanks to the three aldermen’s help it was a little like D A Points first major Golf Championship at Pebble Beach only a lot easier. Mission was accomplished.
With that said, it looks like the Canton City Council has room on the horse shoe for both G. Sandberg and C. Beaver Weaver and may the “condolers” bring along Kevin Lyons and Randy Ray.
