Peoria Illinoisan

Without trying to overstate the case, 2007 truly seemed to be the year the blog became more than a novelty in Peoria. Not only were bloggers in the news, they were making news and breaking the news. Moreso than ever it became apparent that news media and politicians alike were reading the blogs. Even Journal [...]

I received an email from Gloria Cassel Fitzgerald responding to my “Election Questions, 2nd Request” email (which included a deadline) stating: “Sorry, I had not seen this email and would very much have answered it.” I responded that in the interest of fairness I would not edit my original posts after publication, but [...]

As promised, in the posts below are the answers to the 9 questions I asked each of the candidates running for Peoria at-large council seats. I wasn’t quite sure what type of responses I would receive- not to mention how many responses, since I imagine that most elected officials probably feel that bloggers are [...]

What is your position on the Keller Branch?
Brad Carter: First, I am surprised that the issue for this election has turned out to be the Kellar Branch.
I have the unpopular opinion that the city should sell the Kellar Branch to Pioneer (who have now upped their offer). I came to this conclusion based on [...]

What is your position on the proposed Civic Center hotel?
Brad Carter: To answer the specific question, I am against the hotel and the proposed TIF. Government should never be in direct competition with private business except where public safety is involved. The proposed hotel will further hurt existing businesses that the Civic Center [...]

What is your position on the Glen Oak School controversy?
Brad Carter: The school needs to stay where it is at. First, this is the will of the residents in Glen Oak School boundary. Second, how many more empty buildings do we need in our neighborhoods? An empty school building is a blight [...]

How do you feel about Peoria’s bullet voting system?
Brad Carter: I think it is unfair and does the opposite of what it was intended to do. A person with the least amount of voters can get the most votes. I propose each voter can have up to five votes, but can only vote [...]

What is Peoria’s greatest asset?
Brad Carter: The Fire Department. Repeatedly, the Fire Department has been asked to do more with less, and they have. We have one of the best trained Fire Departments in the state right here in Peoria. The city must now find the funds to fully staff the Fire [...]

What is Peoria’s greatest drawback or obstacle that it faces?
Brad Carter: The obvious answer is people leaving the city for the surrounding communities. The reason for this is high crime and poor schools. On crime: The City Council must tear the budget apart and define its needs (police, fire, basic services) and wants [...]

What is your favorite Peoria landmark, building or feature?
Brad Carter: The Grand Army of the Republic Hall. This building was built as a place for the Civil War veterans to meet. As a kid growing up, I always wanted to fire the mortars (not cannons) that sit out front. I also like [...]

What is your favorite band or musician?
Brad Carter: Blues musician Keb’ Mo’.
Donald Cummings: Josh Groban and Luther Vandross are my favorite musicians.
Dan Irving: John Denver, He left us too soon
George Jacob: I enjoy all types of music. Classical, rock, blues…name it. We have some wonderful home grown musicians here in town. [...]

Open ended- anything you’d like to say?
Brad Carter: I am willing to discuss these or any other issues in depth with anyone interested. You can contact me through my website. I am the candidate without the big signs. My campaign is one of word of mouth, and I need help getting my [...]

I’ve been reading different profiles of the 14 men and women running for the at-large seats, but I was curious as to how everyone stood on specific issues that were not so broad as “Crime”, “Neighborhoods”, etc, so I emailed all of them a small list of questions with the promise that I would publish [...]