http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/ Discussion Forum for Riverside Illinois en Sun, 12 Feb 2012 11:07:19 +0000 http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/topic/last-candidate-forum-thurs-mar-19-7pm-town-hall/page/2#post-8183 Fri, 20 Mar 2009 09:06:57 +0000 spatny 8183@http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/ <p>I'm glad to see you survived, Catherine. I as afraid you might get bitten down where you were sitting. Frankly, I found it distressing to have to say the same meaningless phrase over and over, and never complete a proper sentence. One kep adding "OK?" to every phrase which can be grating when repeated over and over, while another never, evidently, learned that sentences have a subject, predicate, modifiers and punctuation at the end. But at least no one kept saying "like," </p> <p>You are dead on that the RP does not run on the Caucus record. I remember Trustee Smith railing at those of us who opposed the VC and new CBD Zoning and suggesting that the first floor could be residential. He may well get that wish when it goes Sec. 8. The lawyer from the GOP, Jay Reyes, let the cat out of the bag when he effectively said that only an act of altruism, that is some not-for-profit or the government - could rescue the Arcade, because the numbers just won't work for buying the property, putting in what it will cost to restore it faithfully, and then rent it profitably to tenants that can themselves have successful and profitable businesses like restaurants, hairdressers, shoe repair, dry cleaning, etc. - which is what we had. </p> <p>I think a possibly viable solution - short of somebody buying it as a legacy and giving it to the Village - is for the Village to take it off the bank with some creative public/private partnership deal so that it can immediately be funded as a shove-ready project via one of the Stimulus programs. We could have done that if we hadn't tied up our money in providing subsidized parking as a result of the planning commission and the Board subsidizing the VC. I really wish that instead of hearing so much about Bill Ayers we could have delved further into the record on development here and who spent what, who voted for what, but as Trustee Shields once told me - "That's old wine." Well sometimes old wine is good wine, and I think if people knew what the record was and who did what, they wouldn't want to vote for a candidate that was up to his eyeballs in these decisions, as late as a few months ago was still thumping for spending another $30-40,000 more with Camiros for another "study", and then says, "Well the consultants are behind us." Not for guys that want to build something, they're not. Protect us please from more of the same that think Zoning is not the protection of the many from the few, but rather the way to get what you want to build.</p> <p>The RP candidates don't seem to like the idea of going into the budget, top down, to see what we are really getting for our money. But the point above, that even if Macy's went into the VC and the CBD ran 24 hours a day, it doesn't have the potential to do more than add a small increment to our revenue. The problem lies in the refusal to look at each and every expense and see what can be streamlined and accomplished for less, and then following through. Whoever recalled last night that the Board first created the urgency for the tax referendum by sliding the million bucks to the Cap Improvements account and then levied real, honest-to-goodness Chicken Little threats at the voters that "We will have no option but to destroy this or that if you don't give us more money", and then did the opposite, made a telling point. Many could and did say that there has been talk for many years and little accomplished in the CBD. I say something else. I say it is worse now than before, with that awful yellow monster looming out from its developer's grave, and not even any place to plant vines, or beanstalks, as they would need to go that extra mile. But they have also endangered the very real loss of the Arcade - a unique and cherished focal point of this town from its inception. That alone should signal a clarion call for change... as much as we can get. </p> http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/topic/last-candidate-forum-thurs-mar-19-7pm-town-hall#post-8179 Thu, 19 Mar 2009 23:32:12 +0000 Catherine 8179@http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/ <p>I did not find the Ayers discussion so odd.</p> <p>Yes, the discussion was very telling. I wish the cable folks had been there so people at home could have enjoyed and learned from it, because it was mostly enjoyable. Perhaps there wasn't enough time to give them notice.</p> <p>One candidate kept saying it was 'easy to be against something', i.e. the TIF and tax increase. [The repetition of this mantra and the accompanying lack of substantive remarks showed just how easy it is, I suppose.] But I guess that also means 80% of the voters took the easy, lazy way out. Some folks are just not hearing what was said in these referenda. I have had enough of this quasi-aristocratic attitude.</p> <p>This same candidate claimed to be ethical, then called opponents liars for saying that cutting the budget was not cutting services. I found this very wrong. One thing I enjoyed about the last presidential election was that at least we had two fundamentally honorable men who recognized they were in philosophical opposition, and did not have to stoop to attributing low motives to their opponent. [This does not apply to many of their supporters.] Perhaps some people lack the imagination to realize that people of intelligence and good will can simply disagree about how the approach a problem. This rhetoric does not become a candidate for office, especially one who claims to have the President as a model.</p> <p>This same candidate said we have to look for revenues from the CBD, apparently not realizing that all stores occupied and doing well would still generate only 5% of our annual budget.</p> <p>Kevin spoke about the real estate transfer tax, and that is was fair that if the community increased the value of a home, the community should be repaid, and that this was a relief from property taxes. Well, this is another real estate tax, and it has a few problems. A property attorney said this would be disastrous for home sales and that, as ever, the time for this idea had passed. Many Riversiders move within Riverside, so this is not always a tax on people leaving town. Lastly, homes have lost value, not gained it, but the tax I believe is on sales price, not profit. For the many who bought at the top of the market, this tax is unfair. </p> <p>One candidate accused opponents of lying to get votes. Yet the RP persisted in the canard about business isolationism, though the position is merely that Riversiders' desires and needs should be met foremost, and their business is a necessary, not sufficient, condition of success. One of their candidates reads this forum so they obviously know this. Yet this got repeated over and over again. It was the RCA who had the idea of leveraging our historic assets to attract sales to out of towners.</p> <p>I think the RCA position is more in touch with our present reality. People are not going to vote for any tax increase until they are convinced there is no waste or fat in the budget. There will be no more appreciable revenue until then. What is a perhaps a lie is to sell the suggestion of more appreciable revenue until then. Or perhaps this is a complete misunderstanding of present reality. Which part of NO is not understood? I don't think the RP will ever convince the majority they have squeezed the fat from the budget. They are too oriented toward revenue (taxes) and preparing to cut services. It's easy for another candidate to say we are done with consultants; he was the occasion of a great deal of their spending. I'm sure he's happy to put that behind him.</p> <p>So, I found the RP going negative, and on strawmen. I liked the positive message and vision of leadership and reconciliation I heard from the RCA. Needless to say, I am in favor of fiscal responsibility at this time. I will say I responded last year to Ben Sells' call for a dollar a day of my own free will. At least I knew where it was going. </p> <p>I would wish to have 6 votes instead of 4. 3 of them I am not sorry to miss out on. But, 4 it is.</p> <p>It was good to hear the school board candidates as well. I think I have some of my picks. </p> http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/topic/last-candidate-forum-thurs-mar-19-7pm-town-hall#post-8178 Thu, 19 Mar 2009 23:23:26 +0000 idic5 8178@http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/ <p>It was a lively and pretty well attended event tonight. I'll plug the GOP meeting time - the third Thursday of each month at town hall.</p> <p>Two questions came up for me ...</p> <p>Robling asked an introductory question to all of the trustee candidates: how did you come to decide to run for Trustee? The RCA candidates noted where, when and how they came to decide to run. It was at Reynolds' home during one of their normal meetings to discuss how to effectively fight the TAX increase referendum. </p> <p><strong>WHO IS SOMEONE? WHO IS THE CAUCUS?</strong><br /> However, I noted a lack of similar specificity in the three RP candidates' answers. Ms Navarro said 'someone called me to ask me to run' ...while at Disneyland. Mr Lesniak said 'the caucus asked' him, and Mr Meizio also said, 'When someone asked me to run...'.</p> <p>I wanted to know who 'someone' was, and why didn't they name that person or persons? The legend of the secret society of 'the caucus' continues in my mind. </p> <p><strong>Lesniak MOVED THE BALL BACKWARD, NOT FORWARD; RP is more of the same<br /> </strong><br /> The other item I winced at:</p> <p>Ms Navarro said that David Lesniak 'moved the ball forward' while heading the Planning commission. </p> <p>I wanted to ask, So was it progress to give the Village Center developer the sweetheart deal of only $5,000 parking allowance for spaces that were worth about $20,000 when our town was in such dire financial straits? And, looking at this building he encouraged and approved, a building that is patently out of place, and obviously ineffectual in small Riverside, I can safely say that this kind of mentality and this kind of record actually moved the ball backward.</p> <p>Mr Lesniak said there would be more of the same if his slate were elected. </p> http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/topic/last-candidate-forum-thurs-mar-19-7pm-town-hall#post-8177 Thu, 19 Mar 2009 22:52:21 +0000 spatny 8177@http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/ <p>Back from the GOP event and I have to say Chris did a great job and made it both lively and informative. It was also interesting to hear the school board candidates give their views. One thing was a real waste - the continued whining about the Bill Ayers speaking engagement. I think I might have been one of the very few persons in the room tonite that actually went to hear Ayers, yet it seemed that this was one of the things they were questioned on the most. They even asked the people running for Dist. 96 board what their stand would be. It seems this has become a qualifier for some people .... very strange. </p> http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/topic/last-candidate-forum-thurs-mar-19-7pm-town-hall#post-8176 Thu, 19 Mar 2009 18:37:49 +0000 spatny 8176@http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/ <p>I just meant that Chris ran for the school board and lost, and then was up with a web site that was claiming foul. I just listened to him last night at the RSC film showing, and have seen/heard him at many meetings over the years. The moderators for the last two debates were unpolitical people - at least as far as I could tell- so I wonder why the GOP picks such a high profile moderator. I would rather see a format where the candidates had numbers and the questions were drawn out of the hat. It's their forum and they can do what they want. I don't really know how any of the candidates vote - D or R or G or whatever - but I have the feeling that It may be more illustrative to see what questions are chosen for who than at the other events. We'll see. I submitted a couple questions and don't care who they address them to. </p> http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/topic/last-candidate-forum-thurs-mar-19-7pm-town-hall#post-8175 Thu, 19 Mar 2009 18:18:34 +0000 Catherine 8175@http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/ <p>I guess those extra 20% who voted for Obama forgot the rules. </p> http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/topic/last-candidate-forum-thurs-mar-19-7pm-town-hall#post-8174 Thu, 19 Mar 2009 17:34:51 +0000 Fred 8174@http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/ <p>Don, what is the problem? Riverside has always been a "register as a democrat, vote as a republican" town. Chris, if anything, has been an outspoken critic of the present administration including opposing both the TIF and the closing of the old railroad tunnel. Can you at least meet half way and concede that whatever conclusions are drawn from the proceedings are deserved by whatever candidate makes,or avoids making, the statements? </p> http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/topic/last-candidate-forum-thurs-mar-19-7pm-town-hall#post-8173 Thu, 19 Mar 2009 16:22:16 +0000 idic5 8173@http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/ <p>If Chris is the moderator, he is well known as a GOP person, which is presenting this forum. I have seen and heard him many a time on TV and radio shows representing the GOP point of view. Watch for him and note he is a Riversider. </p> http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/topic/last-candidate-forum-thurs-mar-19-7pm-town-hall#post-8172 Thu, 19 Mar 2009 15:10:34 +0000 spatny 8172@http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/ <p>I believe Chris Robling is the moderator. Is that what the GOP thinks passes for non-partisan? </p> http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/topic/last-candidate-forum-thurs-mar-19-7pm-town-hall#post-8171 Thu, 19 Mar 2009 12:00:09 +0000 Catherine 8171@http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/ <p>The candidates for School Districts 96 and 208 will be here as well. Someone from Triton may come. </p>