Met with Victor this afternoon, and we went over a number of issues, mostly about perception, and how his initial lie has snow-balled with other things to create what I kept calling the "layer cake" that he's facing at present.
We started by having him explain to me what he hoped to achieve with our meeting. Always helps if you know what the other guy is hoping will happen.
He said he simply wanted to explain why he ran for alderman, and wanted to understand my issues with him. The entire conversation was as cordial and pleasant as any I have had with anyone. No heated words were exchanged, nor did tempers flare. It was just like talking with a neighbor or a co-worker.
I started by mentioning the flier issue, but quickly moved on, agreeing that I needed to say it as the basis for the remainder of the conversation. I then mentioned the promised editorial, and the lack thereof to-date. Noted that this makes it appear that the editorial promise is another lie, even if he hasn't meant it to be.
I mentioned his campaign promises to be a watchdog for the taxpayers, and his voting record on spending thus far.He explained the issue with the consultant, and after hearing his response, reminded him that he should have asked a few questions of city staff before voting as he did. Told him he needed to make sure he asks all the right questions.
Explained that, because of the bankruptcy stuff posted here, as well as his current position as alderman, that folks perceive that he's "bought and paid for". He acknowledged, throughout the discussion, that he understands that perception is important, and that he needs to work very hard to change that perception.
Told him that he should use the website more. He indicated that no other alderman has a website ... I challenged him to be the first, and lead the way for the others to follow. He is taking that under advisement.
Gave him my take on the smoking ban vote, and told him that he needs to pick and choose "which hill he wants to die on" ... in other words ... does he want to risk his reputation and relationships with the mayor and the council over issues that are dead-and-buried.
Reminded him that while he certainly needs to get opinions, he needs to make sure that the people offering those opinions are folks who live and work here. Have a core group you trust, but be sure and try to get a sense from the ward about what they think.
Kept pressing home the point that he has a perception out there that he's not everything he says he is, and only he can change that by taking a hit and letting people know his stance on key issues, even if it means eating some crow in the process.
He did promise that, in the next two weeks, he will be appearing on WLBK, and will be writing at least a letter to the editor (he admitted that his relationship with the Chronicle was, well, strained), explaining his stance on some issues that have been raised here.
He wants to start ward meetings to keep people informed and involved in ward issues. He indicated that he would use his website more as an informational and announcement site, so that everyone can access the information without having to call him.
He appreciated the fact that I have posted here under my own name, and did offer up an apology if anyone in his support circle has been offensive or rude.
He has indicated that he will be e-mailing the owners of this blog to request an opportunity to post a message of his own to all of us, and I indicated that I thought that might not be a bad idea ... as long as he is willing to accept the fact that he might get shredded in the comments section.
For my part, I have promised that my posts will, from now on, focus on his voting record, and holding him accountable for his actions from today forward. Whatever happened in the past is in the past, but that past is always going to be there in formulating my opinion on whether he is being honest with us on future issues.
I did get the sense that he hadn't realized how badly our perception of him has been skewed by all of the "layer cake" issues that he's handled, and that he now realizes that he must outline, for us, what he really stands for, in order for him to try and break that perception and get down to business.
As a side note, I did bring up the yard sign "issue" ... he told me that they got the signs in Elgin, and that he would be happy to get me the records to prove costs.
As I was not meeting with him to get that type of information, I did not press him to provide it. I reserve the right to ask for it later, but wanted to stay focused on the conversation at hand.
All in all, I really think he didn't realize just how angry people are, and just how badly the perception of who he is, and what he stands for, were blown up as a result of the whole flier issue and its aftermath.
I think he has a game plan in mind to try and right the ship. And although I gave him what I thought was sound advice on how to rectify the situation, and how to attack his job as alderman, I made it clear that my ideas were his to do with as he wished, and that it was not my intention to be, or become, his adviser or political adviser.
Just passing along some thoughts and ideas for him to think about.
Let's hope that he will indeed do that, and solicit the input from everyone in the ward ... supporters, non-supporters, and those on the fence alike.
Brien
We started by having him explain to me what he hoped to achieve with our meeting. Always helps if you know what the other guy is hoping will happen.
He said he simply wanted to explain why he ran for alderman, and wanted to understand my issues with him. The entire conversation was as cordial and pleasant as any I have had with anyone. No heated words were exchanged, nor did tempers flare. It was just like talking with a neighbor or a co-worker.
I started by mentioning the flier issue, but quickly moved on, agreeing that I needed to say it as the basis for the remainder of the conversation. I then mentioned the promised editorial, and the lack thereof to-date. Noted that this makes it appear that the editorial promise is another lie, even if he hasn't meant it to be.
I mentioned his campaign promises to be a watchdog for the taxpayers, and his voting record on spending thus far.He explained the issue with the consultant, and after hearing his response, reminded him that he should have asked a few questions of city staff before voting as he did. Told him he needed to make sure he asks all the right questions.
Explained that, because of the bankruptcy stuff posted here, as well as his current position as alderman, that folks perceive that he's "bought and paid for". He acknowledged, throughout the discussion, that he understands that perception is important, and that he needs to work very hard to change that perception.
Told him that he should use the website more. He indicated that no other alderman has a website ... I challenged him to be the first, and lead the way for the others to follow. He is taking that under advisement.
Gave him my take on the smoking ban vote, and told him that he needs to pick and choose "which hill he wants to die on" ... in other words ... does he want to risk his reputation and relationships with the mayor and the council over issues that are dead-and-buried.
Reminded him that while he certainly needs to get opinions, he needs to make sure that the people offering those opinions are folks who live and work here. Have a core group you trust, but be sure and try to get a sense from the ward about what they think.
Kept pressing home the point that he has a perception out there that he's not everything he says he is, and only he can change that by taking a hit and letting people know his stance on key issues, even if it means eating some crow in the process.
He did promise that, in the next two weeks, he will be appearing on WLBK, and will be writing at least a letter to the editor (he admitted that his relationship with the Chronicle was, well, strained), explaining his stance on some issues that have been raised here.
He wants to start ward meetings to keep people informed and involved in ward issues. He indicated that he would use his website more as an informational and announcement site, so that everyone can access the information without having to call him.
He appreciated the fact that I have posted here under my own name, and did offer up an apology if anyone in his support circle has been offensive or rude.
He has indicated that he will be e-mailing the owners of this blog to request an opportunity to post a message of his own to all of us, and I indicated that I thought that might not be a bad idea ... as long as he is willing to accept the fact that he might get shredded in the comments section.
For my part, I have promised that my posts will, from now on, focus on his voting record, and holding him accountable for his actions from today forward. Whatever happened in the past is in the past, but that past is always going to be there in formulating my opinion on whether he is being honest with us on future issues.
I did get the sense that he hadn't realized how badly our perception of him has been skewed by all of the "layer cake" issues that he's handled, and that he now realizes that he must outline, for us, what he really stands for, in order for him to try and break that perception and get down to business.
As a side note, I did bring up the yard sign "issue" ... he told me that they got the signs in Elgin, and that he would be happy to get me the records to prove costs.
As I was not meeting with him to get that type of information, I did not press him to provide it. I reserve the right to ask for it later, but wanted to stay focused on the conversation at hand.
All in all, I really think he didn't realize just how angry people are, and just how badly the perception of who he is, and what he stands for, were blown up as a result of the whole flier issue and its aftermath.
I think he has a game plan in mind to try and right the ship. And although I gave him what I thought was sound advice on how to rectify the situation, and how to attack his job as alderman, I made it clear that my ideas were his to do with as he wished, and that it was not my intention to be, or become, his adviser or political adviser.
Just passing along some thoughts and ideas for him to think about.
Let's hope that he will indeed do that, and solicit the input from everyone in the ward ... supporters, non-supporters, and those on the fence alike.
Brien
43 comments:
Summary. Victor Wogen in the next two weeks will:
1) Speak from WLBK
2) Write an editorial statement for the Chronicle
3) Provide sign receipts for Brien to look at
Beyond the next two weeks, Wogen will:
4) Make use of his website to keep 3rd Warders informed
5) Have ward meetings
OK, that seems straightforward enough. Thanks, Brien.
"I made it clear that my ideas were his to do with as he wished, and that it was not my intention to be, or become, his adviser or political adviser."
With all the bungling, not too many people would want responsibility for that.
Correction, Yinn ...
Victor offered to provide receipts ... I did not ask for them, because that was not my reason for meeting with him.
I do reserve the right to ask in the future, but that was not part of the promise made to me of what he will do in the next two weeks.
Brien
Well, that is interesting about the receipts. How did Wogen know that people asked to see receipts?
Because I specifically mentioned what his supporters were saying here ... how they were making claims that didn't jive with prices we found locally.
Told him that the biggest questions we had were: Where did you get the signs, and what price did you pay? Told him that people wanted to verify this information. And, keeping with the theme, I always reminded him about how his answers would always be looked at with skepticism because of the whole lie about the flier.
He quickly said, "I can get you those receipts if you want", and I didn't press the issue. I could have, probably should have. But because the signs issue came up more as an example of the things his supporters were saying/doing that didn't help the situation, I didn't pursue any receipts because that wasn't what I was trying to get at.
Brien
And, please, let me be clear here ... especially to the Wogen supporters/family/friends ...
Our meeting didn't clear everything off the table. It allowed me to express, as best I could, the mindset of most of us who are upset, and ways in which Victor could begin to remedy the situation.
I made it clear that the "layer cake" I kept referring to would be something that takes a lot to overcome. And that some of us would probably never, ever forgive, forget, or move on. That's just a fact he needed to understand.
He made statements to me that he now knows are "on the record" here with all of us. I told him that I had let you all know about the meeting, and that I had promised to report back fairly. I believe I have done that.
I just want folks to know that if two weeks go by with nothing done of the things he said he would do within two weeks, then that's simply going to ruin whatever chance he had of getting me to believe him ever again about anything.
And I would hope that his supporters reading along would be just as angry at him as I will be if he doesn't follow through. This won't be something they can pass off as me (or us) picking on Victor ... this will be something they have to really take a hard look at and ask the question of why they would continue to support him.
Again, that's only if he doesn't follow through. The two-week deadline is midnight, Friday, October 5, 2007. I can wait until then, reserve judgement until then, and play nice until then.
Brien
Sorry, Brien. Read it wrong. Wishful thinking, I guess. :D
I notice WFM have stopped posting.
Yinn-
We're still here. Not going any place. WFM
Hi Brien,
That sounds very fair to us. We know that meeting did not clear off everything from the table. We just like to thank you for taking time out to meet with Victor. We hope that he follows through with his promises he personally made to you.
Over the weekend, I had to give some thought to the question: "What happens if Victor doesn't, for whatever reason, follow through on his promises to me?"
Obviously, whatever answer I give to that question runs the risk of turning up the heat with his supporters, who might assume that by publishing what the next step is, I am already giving up.
But, in order to be not caught unawares, playing the what-if game certainly is necessary. I'm not the only person here who should be thinking that far ahead.
Wogen supporters and family ... have you thought about what you will do in the event that this happens? How will you answer the very angry people who will be posting here?
For my part, here are the steps I feel I would have to take. Not doing so would mean that there are no consequences for such an action.
Again, let me be clear. This is not a "warning shot". It is merely a heads-up so that Wogen supporters and family know what the next step is ... just in case.
I would e-mail the mayor and the other council members, letting them know what has happened. I would also write a letter to the editor, outlining the situation so that voters across the city understand the situation, and can act accordingly.
I know of no other way to handle the situation, should it come to it. People would need to know this information, because it would speak to the very character of the city council, itself. Others in the Third Ward, including Wogen supporters who do not know what has been going on here, need to know exactly what their alderman has done.
Again ... nothing has been done by me, nor will it be ... unless I absolutely have to. But I wouldn't have much of a choice at that point. And staying silent would do more overall harm than good.
I'm giving the full two weeks, until October 5. Until then, I sit, and wait, and hope that everything I just wrote is nothing more than words that are never used.
Brien
Thank you Brien for meeting with him and posting the information for everyone! I think your account of the meeting was fair. I have sat down with Victor in the past, and both he and his wife are very nice people and easy to converse with!
I have now volunteered twice with Victor's camp and have yet to be recruited for any projects. I am still waiting to hear what he has coming up. Hopefully this will get him moving.
I am hoping very much that this meeting you had with him will light a fire under him to get him moving on some of the 8 projects he has told me he has lined up! I very much want to see him succeed in the majority of the projects that he would like to see done within the third ward, because it will only help to better our community.
I am pledging the use of the Neighbors Helping Neighbors website and group to help him get the word out about projects, issues, etc. It is a tool he can use to get input and feedback on local issues as well as potentially find volunteers when needed. I will do my best to post any of the editorials on that site, simply to spread the word.
I will certianly be listening for him on WLBK and watching the chronicle for information. And I would certainly be in attendance of any meetings that he plans for the ward. And I'm sure I can get many of my neighbors to do the same!
Thanks Brien for opening some new lines of communication for everyone! It is appreciated!
It can't be stressed enough that Wogen broke another campaign promise. He voted for throwing more taxpayer money at the downtown.
Help for businesses is nice, but this town has welfare for businesses.
And no, don't even think about yelling at me for not calling Wogen because he said he would do one thing but he did another. We should all expect that his word is not worth very much.
Victor will do all those things he has promised to you, Brien. Please have faith.
Hi Sarah
Victor has not forgotten about you.
He appreciates the fact that you would like to volunteer. Please remember that most of his projects need approval by the city before he can actually start doing anything. He just can't walk up to someone's house and start painting-
Victor has to have approval first and foremost. Plus, he also tries to go to the city first to ask them for assistance w/supplies etc... That can take awhile to process.
Well, well. So the city has to approve EVERYTHING. So how was Kapitan supposed to get anything done if the city had to approve everything he did when people like Johnson hated him?
By the way, since when did Wogen become GI of the City of DeKalb?
Show me the city code/ordinance which states all that, please.
Thank you.
Oh wait, nothing anyone asks for here gets answered.
I'm not so sure that you need permission from the city to paint someone's house, or help them put up new shutters.
I mean, if the homeowner wants people to help, even if it's a group put together by an alderman, that's their business.
If you folks wanted to paint my garage door, for example, or the trim on my windows, I doubt the city would care any more than if I was doing the job myself.
I could see it if we were talking about projects that need a building permit ... the owner has to get that. But after that, they're welcome to use whatever help they choose.
Certainly, there are some projects that volunteers probably can't do ... like plumbing, electrical, sewer. But then again, who would want inexperienced volunteers monkeying with that stuff, anyway?
So, I'll admit that some projects do need the city's permission ... but painting a house, window frames, garage doors? Nah ... anyone can do that, anytime they want.
See, there you go, turning our statements into something that's not true. We never said the City had to approve EVERYTHING. If you could read, we had clearly stated that he needs approval for MOST of his projects.
Victor tries to help out the home owner and/or landlord by getting assistance to help pay for paint, necessary supplies etc... Some people cannot afford to buy their own paint. Victor only wants to help them out as much as he can.
"Please remember that most of his projects need approval by the city before he can actually start doing anything. He just can't walk up to someone's house and start painting-Victor has to have approval first and foremost."
How could you read this any other way but that Victor needs approval from the city to paint?
"If you could read, we had clearly stated that he needs approval for MOST of his projects."
What is Victor working on that he needs approval from the city, then? What are MOST of his projects?
I don't think there are any. I think you are making this up.
Yeah, those painting projects are probably for KJ's and other downtown businesses as part of the city's welfare program for run down buildings downtown. Yeah, those would need the city's approval!
Make a list, Wogen supporters. How many people here have to ask for proof? You've not provided proof of anything.
There is a city program for homeowners to help them fix up their houses, using taxpayers' dollars. What about real charity, people?
Hey, where do we apply for the free paint!?
You people are so incredibly cruel at times. (not all of you are this way)
No matter what we say, you come up w/some out of the blue crude remarks. We are not against any of you at all. We wish you could see that.
Victor was given a list of the top priorities in the 3rd ward. Most of these people do not have the necessary funds to get their projects started. (No, they are not businesses, they are all homes)
We do not know why you constantly choose to make sarcastic remarks to all of our posts. (especially Diana & Sylvia lately)
We are only trying to do the right thing & we are being sincere with all of you. We do not have to tell you anything at all. We are well aware of the fact that most of you will not go to Victor to personally talk w/him, so we thought we could help everyone out by opening the lines of communication to try & talk w/each of you as mature adults.
For some reason, some of you refuse to talk to us in a proper manner. We do fully understand that you are very upset with Victor. All of you have that right, but why do you have to take your anger out on us? We are not Victor.
Once again, we will tell you that we are being 100% sincere.
I almost forgot...
To the person that asked about the free paint above...
You are welcome to call up Victor if you need any assistance.
I wouldn't take assistance from Wogen for anything! That was a joke! I won't make deals with the devil either.
The reason why a lot of people won't call him is because:
A. He has no credibility
B. Whatever he says on the phone wouldn't be in writing, so if anything he doesn't like happens, he can just claim that he got misquoted, like what he said about the "Daily Chronicle."
By the way, Wogen is just an alderman in DeKalb. There seems to be a Wogen supporter who has an over-inflated idea of him.
To the person that mentioned the words "free paint". We never said anything was "free"- We said he could possibly help a person by getting assistance w/their supplies, paint.
Well, the first week has gone by with no "movement" on the issues discussed last Friday.
Again, I'll wait until next Friday, but this is starting to concern me ... a letter to the editor or editorial should have been easy to have published.
And, according to Victor, he's a neighbor of TD Ryan at WLBK, and could arrange an on-air session anytime he needs to.
Seven days left ...
Hey, Brian ... six days left.
Hope you haven't got any money out on the outcome.
Again. Which of Victor's projects require city approval?
I wasn't posting the number of days as a form of a countdown, although I do understand why folks might assume that.
I have to say that I am now starting to get concerned.
The Sunday Chronicle, which has the largest readership of the weekly issues, would have been the perfect place for the editorial or letter to the editor (whichever he could have gotten the Chronicle to agree to publish).
We're now through Monday. Which now leaves three days to submit anything that might be published by Friday (the deadline). No one has informed me that they know that WLBK has even scheduled him to appear on the station. No one I know who listens to WLBK has told me he's been on the air yet.
I'm not sure what to think at this point. With every passing day that nothing is happening (and you'd think, given the "personal promise" I received, that there would be some desire to resolve this quickly), I begin to wonder if we'll ever see what we need to see from Victor.
I'm not interested in his supporters' promises. Heck, the one person who posted said that they "hope" he will follow through. You HOPE??? You mean, even *you're* not certain that anything will happen?
I have the letter to the Chronicle written and ready to send. I have the e-mail to the mayor and City Council written and ready to send. If people think I'm going to let this "go" if Friday comes and goes with no action ... they are sadly mistaken.
And *this* time ... consider that last paragraph an official "warning shot", if that's what it takes to bring about action.
Again, I wait as patiently as possible ... but no action in the first ten days is NOT a good sign.
Brien,
You know that Victor does have a job to do as well. His job comes first before any of this. He has been very busy these past two wks.
We just want to let you know that it has all been taken care of.
He will most likely be on the radio on Thurs (please do not quote us on this)
Thank you.
" Anonymous said...
Brien,
You know that Victor does have a job to do as well. His job comes first before any of this. He has been very busy these past two wks."
The Wogen Family Enablers should stop making excuses for him. This was a bad one--what he and Brien talked about should have been done MONTHS ago. If he couldn't handle having two jobs, then why did he run??
Brien-
Victor will be on WLBK tomorrow, (Wed. Oct. 3rd) at 9:30a.m.
WFM
I will apologize in advance, because a work commitment has me out of the office all day tomorrow and thus unable to be listening in to WLBK at 9:30.
I'd love to hear what he has to say, but I don't think the boss would appreciate my showing up for the retreat with an earpiece in, listening to the radio while she is running the meeting.
I hope someone is listening, and will report on what was said.
Brien-
Victor has also emailed his editorial to the Chronicle. For some reason, he has not been contacted about it yet. We just hope they will print it.
Side note-
Anyone up for the Asst. City Clerk's job? I have heard that the previous Asst. City Clerk resigned today.
Assistant city clerk? No I hadn't heard. Wow, she was new, too.
Okay, one must give credit where credit is due. Regardless of what you felt about the WLBK appearance and the letter to the editor (I read the letter, my wife listened to the radio as I was unable to), he did follow through on his promises to explain his stance on some (but not all) issues we discussed on 9/21.
I must say, however, that I am dismayed that we fundamentally disagree on the downtown issue. As I have posted elsewhere (City Barbs, I think), the downtown is dead ... and it is never coming back.
Between the tax breaks offered the big box stores, and the millions of dollars to "re-vitalize" downtown, the city will never, in five lifetimes, recoup its investment through "increased sales tax revenues".
Here's why:
1) Volume. No matter what you do downtown, you're talking specialty shops and restaurants (which are notorious for failure in this town). They cannot match the big box stores for pure sales volume. You couldn't increase sales downtown by enough to validate or justify the millions that will eventually be spent.
2) Big boxes took the customers, and they're never coming back to downtown. The draw is Sycamore Road, not Lincoln Highway. You'll never get a major retailer downtown unless you demolish one full city block for their store, and another for their parking. That doesn't leave you much "downtown" to do much else with.
3) DeKalb is not Sycamore. Sycamore, for the 21 years I have lived here, always sold itself with the "Discover More In Sycamore" theme. They've been successful because they decided, long ago, who they are, and what they want to be. They've had at least a 21-year head start on DeKalb. This city doesn't know what it wants to be. Only now are they trying to figure it out ... AFTER all the biggest businesses have located nowhere near downtown. And now that they've supposedly figured out who they want to be ... they want to be like Sycamore. Too late. They've already cornered the market.
I am also disappointed that Mr. Wogen feels that, because others have already started this project, that somehow, it must be allowed to be completed ... even if it makes zero sense, and would be an utter waste of taxpayer dollars.
I would ask him on this issue, as I did on another issue ... "If the other aldermen jumped off a bridge, would that mean you had to, as well?" This project is the white elephant in the room. Almost everyone I know feels the same way ... but no one is listening to the people who will foot the bill ... the taxpayers.
They're listening to the businessmen ... who should be absolutely ashamed that they are asking the taxpayers to assume all the risks of this project, while they reap all the benefits.
You understood, going in, that starting and growing a business required that you take all the risks, but you reap all the rewards. Fair enough, that's how capitalism works.
But that means you also fix up your own buildings, sidewalks, windows, lighting, storefronts ... on YOUR dime. Unless, of course, you're willing to give me my share of your profits for providing you the money (through my tax dollars) to bail you out.
As folks can see, I think the downtown project is a lemon. Unfortunately, none of the aldermen, Mr. Wogen included, are willing to tell the Emperor that he's not wearing any clothes.
And so, millions of dollars of our money, that could be used to repair roads, bridges, sewers, or build worthwhile projects, will go to line the pockets of consultants, architects, constructon companies, and paving companies ... while the products they leave us with will have done nowhere near what we've been told they will do.
Somewhere, PT Barnum is having a laugh at us all.
Ahhh, Brien! I have agreed with everything you have said thus far, but I do disagree (respectfully) on the downtown issue! Downtown will never be a mecca of retail, I agree. But I think downtown can be revitalized. However, I agree with you when I say I don't believe it will take several million dollars to do it! I think the cosmetic issues could be easily taken care of the facade programs that are given by the city/state programs. If someone takes control and attempts to make all the business uniform (either by theme or color). I also believe that we have some great downtown business' and more are coming.
It is the business' themselves that will revitalize downtown, not the city. As "better" business come in (more affordable restaurants, retailers, etc. - personally, I would love to see and Ice cream parlor or something that would attract people to sit downtown) the city will have more traffic. As far as road traffic goes...there are many cities like Genoa/Traverse City, MI, who have done a great job making their busy streets safe and usable by putting in pedestrain crossings at each half block interval that naturally slow down traffic. I don't blame the city...I blame the Chamber of Commerce and ReNew DeKalb. Both of which I believe are a joke! I have owned a downtown business and the only way to recieve anything from either of these groups is to give them significant amounts of money. They provide NO useful services for downtown businesses and I believe if the city wants to truely revitalize the downtown area, then we need new people in charge of both of these organizations...Ok, I'm getting down off of my high horse now!
Brien and Sarah are actually both right about downtown. Brien is right that it will never be what the planners think it will be and Sarah is right that some paint and having some new people leading not bossing people around at ReNew DeKalb and the Chamber would help, without spending millions of dollars. Jennifer Groce at ReNew DeKalb comes across as arrogant and has a high opinion of herself with the created not earned title of Executive Director. People complained about her to both others in ReNew DeKalb and the City. With ReNew, it siphons off resources that normally could go to the Chamber. Business owners who want anything have to join both, which is redundant.
Personally, I'm a bit disturbed that it took Victor this long to submit the editorial. Victor was asked to do this back in May be Frances Loubre (in a face to face meeting not unlike the one with Brien). Why all of the sudden is he willing to put his beliefs in writing? What was so different about Brien's request? Does it have anything to do with Frances's involvement with the Interfaith Network?
I don't think he anticipated that his broken promise to Frances would be brought up again and again. He probably didn't want Brien to go public with a set of broken promises to another person, either. I don't think it had anything to do with Frances, though.
Oh, Brien, now I get you about recouping $$ but it is not just about sales tax. It's also about having a wonderful infrastructure that can attract other, sexier types of industry besides logistics. One of the long-term goals this ties into is expanding the industrial share of the property tax base.
Oops, I mean I don't think it had anything to do with Frances' affiliations.
anon 12:36, it has been in my mind to go back & tally up all the $$ ReNew DeKalb has gotten in the past year. Seems like they get another piece of pie every other meeting.
There is nothing about improvement the infrastructure in the downtown plan. It is making cosmetic changes to Locust and giving businesses money to make their buildings look better and for repairs. There's nothing in it to get the sewers fixed (ask how many people got raw sewage not rainwater in their basements this summer, twice). There's nothing in to do anything about the crime. There's supposed to be something in it to give families something to do but that has yet to be seen. TIF money could be spent on a whole bunch of other things that would make DeKalb better. There's nothing in it to improve the east side of DeKalb, which is the really ugly, run down part anyway. Why should taxpayers pay for the upkeep of their ageing buildings?
Look, for years and years many parts of the city have been neglected in favor of tearing up virgin farmland. What would you propose, more of the same?
We badly need to expand our industrial tax base, but we're not going to produce it when so many areas scream blight blight blight.
Revitalization begins downtown with city investment. Then it spreads out. It also works in conjunction with the Comprehensive and other plans, airport and school improvements and so on.
I have read the Comprehensive Plan, the East Corridor Plan, the South 4th and Pearl St. plans and an overview of the downtown plan. They are quite harmonious and represent a long-term, big picture view that's been lacking in the past. The only question is whether we're capable of maintaining the vision for the 20 years this will take.
Meanwhile I've heard it said, and am coming to believe, that revitalization may never happen because we are not desperate enough, that NIU always keeps us from quite hitting rock bottom.
Not hitting bottom is simply not good enough for me.
As for the sewers, they do indeed need a lot of work but you really have to look at the Sanitary District for that--perhaps that's why some in the city think the Sanitary District should be dissolved so those functions could become the city's responsibility? The city HAS been systematically discovering and correcting storm sewer-sanitary sewer crossovers that were permitted years ago and that contribute to the problem you describe.
Perhaps if Victor would've conducted his business with the City above board he wouldn't have felt obligated to vote for the wasted 3rd Ward TIF dollars that took private property off of the tax rolls and produced The Skating Rink.
Those 3rd Ward TIF dollars could have been used to create jobs among the hardest hit in this recession -- construction workers -- by getting hammers swinging and repairing properties in the 3rd and 4th wards.
Instead Victor supported the Walkway to Nowhere and it supported him... under the radar.
If he truly wants to right the ship he should resign. Immediately.
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