Riverside Info Topic: What is the position of the schools?

Riverside Info Topic: What is the position of the schools? http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/ Discussion Forum for Riverside Illinois en Sun, 12 Feb 2012 01:42:38 +0000 Catherine on "What is the position of the schools?" http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/topic/what-is-the-position-of-the-schools/page/2#post-5171 Fri, 18 May 2007 17:45:01 +0000 Catherine 5171@http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/ Sundstrom, what is rude is to keep repeating the outrageous LIE that people who are against the TIF do not vote for school funding. It is not the first time you have done it, nor is it a canard lost on your fellow travelers. It is arrogant in the extreme to claim you know what is going on inside the voting booth. I have lived here a long time. Yes there have been elections I did not know about. But I have voted for school funding referenda, even when I don't vote for trustee or any other candidates who cannot be bothered to make themselves known to me. I will NOT vote for any further school requests for funding if they do not look after their own interests with regard to the TIF. I hope no one else will permit themselves to be emotionally blackmailed in this way. If they want to get into bed with the Caesarists who are still trying to push this thing through, and allow without protest tax monies to be diverted from them, then they will lay in that proverbial bed they have made for themselves and, irresponsibly, the students. MikeT on "What is the position of the schools?" http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/topic/what-is-the-position-of-the-schools/page/2#post-5170 Fri, 18 May 2007 13:32:33 +0000 MikeT 5170@http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/ <blockquote>Good schools are good for my kids </blockquote> A solid number of the TIF NO votes agreed with that statement on 4-17. EricSundstrom on "What is the position of the schools?" http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/topic/what-is-the-position-of-the-schools/page/2#post-5169 Fri, 18 May 2007 12:35:07 +0000 EricSundstrom 5169@http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/ It has nothing to do with giving credit due to anyone .I've outlined what school districs 96 and 208's game plan was for the last three referenda. Had they not done what they did, the referenda would have been voted down because there was LOTS of opposition. Had they not attempted to promote their side of the issue out who would have done it for them? Look at past election results for other school districts referenda and you'll see that many get voted down. Its not an attitude. Its what actually happened because I was there. I don't know whats best for any one ,except for myslf and my children which is why I actively support school referenda. Good schools are good for my kids and boost the value of homes in the school district. EOM spatny on "What is the position of the schools?" http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/topic/what-is-the-position-of-the-schools/page/2#post-5168 Fri, 18 May 2007 12:33:28 +0000 spatny 5168@http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/ "Bureaucrats: they are dead at 30 and buried at 60. They are like custard pies; you can't nail them to a wall." Frank Lloyd Wright A prescient comment on those who think they know what is going on here? (from an anonymous donor) TJS on "What is the position of the schools?" http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/topic/what-is-the-position-of-the-schools#post-5167 Fri, 18 May 2007 11:55:25 +0000 TJS 5167@http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/ Eric, I am amazed how little credit you, and the Village Board, give to the people of Riverside. We are a well educated community. We are residents that thoughtfully study local issues and come to our own conclusions. You are beginning to sound like the Village Board, that you know what is best for us, that we aren't smart enough to understand complicated issues like the TIF and school referenda. I resent that attitude. MikeT on "What is the position of the schools?" http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/topic/what-is-the-position-of-the-schools#post-5166 Fri, 18 May 2007 11:41:28 +0000 MikeT 5166@http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/ I am not speaking for Eric, but I suspect that there is a line of thinking that says that anti-TIF is anti-change or anti-development (in Riverside). These sensibilities are sometime associated with seniors on a *fixed* income, where *change* might not be welcome. My opinion on the referendum results: anti-TIF is correlated with at least ... *anti irrationality (doing something without a clear, distinct, and agreed upon plan) *anti risk to schools So the demographic that was and is anti TIF cuts across more than the seniors always against change. As one of the people who have been in Eric's office working the phones for the school referenda, I believe it also includes the pro school segment of Riverside. So I hope that the schools understand this. They really have to know who the goose is and who the golden egg is. Hint, school administrations: the goose is not whoever is the current Riverside Village President. EricSundstrom on "What is the position of the schools?" http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/topic/what-is-the-position-of-the-schools#post-5165 Fri, 18 May 2007 11:22:59 +0000 EricSundstrom 5165@http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/ There was serious opposition to the RB referenda. I was at the public meetings held discussing the need for the rerenda and person after person got up to speak opposing the referenda stating it wasn't necessary or it was frivolous in nature, or the school was fine as it was etc.. These speakers were predominatly older people. It took a very serious effort on the part of parents and students to go out door to door, over the course of many weekends, to educate people about the need for the referenda. While this was going on the ubiquitous unsigned flyer appeared on peoples front doors opposing the refernda using hyperbole and fact streching. The people I observed and spoke to while canvassing ,that were against the refernda, were generally older and in many cases could ill afford additional taxes, which made me feel sad as the referenda I was promoting could hurt these people financially. My point though is that there is a core group of people in town, (Actually in most towns), that always vote and it is mainly comprised of older residents, retirees etc that have ample oportunity to vote.From eletion results it can be shown that the usual vote of most, NOT ALL, but most of this group is "no" when you mention the words taxes or increase. School districts have to counter this block of voters by educating registered voters and getting them to go to the polls when they would usually forego voting unless it was a national or state election year. So no I'd say a good majority of those who voted against the Tif have and will vote against school tax referenda. Thats not logic, thats a fact. TJS on "What is the position of the schools?" http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/topic/what-is-the-position-of-the-schools#post-5162 Fri, 18 May 2007 10:01:28 +0000 TJS 5162@http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/ Eric, your logic escapes me. Please explain how you came to the conclusion that if you voted against the TIF you vote against school referenda? The RB referendum proved that the voters of Riverside take seriously their voting responsibility. They looked and the facts presented by RB and agreed that the school needs improvement. We voted to provide the school with $64,000,000, a very positive endorsement of the school. The voters of Riverside again showed how seriously they take their voting responsibility by studying the TIF facts and rejecting it. Had the Village Board presented a plan as thorough as the RB Board presented, they could have swayed people to endorse the TIF. I would suggest that most people who voted for the RB referendum voted against the TIF. All the people I know and speak with voted for the RB referendum and voted against the TIF. EricSundstrom on "What is the position of the schools?" http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/topic/what-is-the-position-of-the-schools#post-5161 Fri, 18 May 2007 10:00:18 +0000 EricSundstrom 5161@http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/ I was heavily involved in the last three school referendum votes, and the schools had solid knowledge, (past election results), that in order to win the requested referendums the schools would have to over come 1100 to 1400 votes. That meant getting registered voters , mainly parents of school children, out to the polls when they might normally take a pass on an election. They ran a phone calling center out of my office and other business's in town. The opposition vote was generally considered to be the seniors in town that habitually vote against tax increases. Good for you catherine a vote for the schools is a wise decision. However, I do seem to remeber a early post of yours, I think, where you stated you missed some of the past elections due to not realizing they were going on. Or was that another member? My recall is not exact on this as it was early on in the forum. Finally the only person who is a joke is the one who is constanly rude to those who disagree with them. A forum is for discussion not mudslinging. spatny on "What is the position of the schools?" http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/topic/what-is-the-position-of-the-schools#post-5159 Fri, 18 May 2007 08:29:05 +0000 spatny 5159@http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/ Eric - how does that work? I mean - the vote was in favor of the high school referendum, but against, by a much larger vote, the TIF? This is clear - both votes are pro-Riverside. Maybe this is all becoming too much for you. We have had votes - and then the Board picks the results it favors, or if they are too strong against them, says, "You don't understand" and chooses to ignore the clearly expressed view of the voters? I know that's what Bush and Cheney and Gonzalez and the neocons think is democracy, but I just assumed Riverside's "civic leaders" - you know, those that run the Caucus and attend the Leadership Breakfast and all that wouldn't try and duplicate that. But then this town does vote for this people, and you do listen to Rush and Fox and that kind of pap, so i guess anything's possible. Now we have to take off the gloves. HEAR YE, O RESIDENTS OF RIVERSIDE! IF YOU DON'T STOP YOUR "LEADERS" FROM VOTING FOR MORE MONEY FOR THIS TIF - A PLAGUE OF LOCUSTS WILL DESCEND UPON YOU! The Wizard of Woodside has spoken. Interestingly, I talked to at least six persons in town yesterday who are quite active, two are even commission members, and they all assumed that the TIF was dead. When I told them that the Board was not only still pursuing it but about to authorize further spending in that regard they were simply flabbergasted. "But how can they do that?" was the general follow-up question. Good question. When one strated to equate the actions of this Board to all the activities of our still-in-office Attorney General Gonzalez I cautioned her not to make that comparison just because most of these people are either lawyers or part of the pro-development clique. I wonder if one of the four gets ill before the Monday vote if the others will come to visit him or her in hospital with a proxy ready to sign like Gonzalez did with Ashcroft. This Board probably loves it, and thinks it is a model for them. We need "peasants with pitcdhforks" to gather to show them that they are NOT going to get away with this.