Monthly Archives: October 2014

If You Think It’s Time for Change in Freeport, Consider Running for the Freeport City Council!

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The City of Freeport will hold an election to nominate candidates for the offices of Alderman in Wards 1 through 7 and the Alderman At-Large on the following dates:

Consolidated Primary will be held on February 24, 2015 (Nominating petitions must be filed November 17 – 24)

Consolidated Election will be held on April 7, 2015

The terms of office for Alderman in 2015 shall be:

First Ward – 4 year term – Present alderman – Thomas Klemm who is totally in effective. Once he stated something to the effect that he was lucky that his ward did not have any problems so he could devote himself to the rest of the city. Where does this man live? On the good ship Lollypop.

Second Ward – 2 year term – Present alderman – Shawn Boldt

Third Ward – 4 year term – Ronnie Bush, the present alderman, does a good job of representing his Ward. Forget the rest of the City.

Fourth Ward – 2 year term – Jennie DeVine, the present alderman, is a nice person whose biggest contribution on the Council was to wish her constituents “Happy Birthday.” Not too bad – that’s more than most of the aldermen have done for their constituents!

Fifth Ward – 4 year term – Present alderman – Dennis Endress (picture above at last council meeting) – In the same category as Thomas Klemm. The difference is that Mr. Endress knows his limitations, and keeps quiet.

Sixth Ward – 2 year term – Sally Brashaw was appointed to represent this ward by Mayor George Gaulrapp at the end of his term. Enough said. If you think George Gaulrapp was a good mayor, then you should like Sally Brashaw.

Seventh Ward – 4 year term – Present alderman – Mike Koester – His problem is his background. He views everything from the viewpoint of someone who has worked for the government and who has forgotten who pays the bills. Fiscal responsibility is not a word in his vocabulary.

Alderman-At-Large – 4 year term – Andrew Crutchfield – This alderman is no longer effective, and has faded in the last two years after he ran for mayor and lost. He should be replaced by someone who can constructively deal with the problems facing Freeport.

Freeport City Meeting Tonight – Perhaps Tom Klemm Will Miss the Meeting, and We Will Not Have to Listen to Him Blabber About Nothing While The City and His Own First Ward Continue to Deteriorate!

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The Freeport City Council will be meeting Monday, October 20, 2014 at 6:00 pm in the City Council Chambers at 524 West Stephenson Street, 3rd Floor. If you have Comcast Cable, go to channel 17 to watch live.

Some items on the meeting agenda:

Proclamation honoring Judy Barney for her service as a Library Trustee for 17 years!

Public hearing on vacating remaining portion of Fairview Road west of Anne’s Landscape Supply and north of West Galena Ave.

2nd reading of ordinances on tax breaks for Pearl Valley Farms (egg farm).

For the complete agenda go to http://www.ci.freeport.il.us/citygovernment/Agendas/A20141020a.pdf

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Closes His Eyes to Ebola Crisis!

IMG_3519.JPGThomas Frieden, CDC Director, has known for months that Ebola was killing thousands in Africa. He continually appeared on American television shows saying that Ebola would not be a problem in the United States. Surprise! Like everything else in the Obama administration, nothing is a problem until it is a crisis. How many Americans must die around the world until President Obama decides we have a problem? The answer is simple – lots of Americans. On its website the CDC states in regard to the Ebola crisis:

“CDC urges all US residents to avoid nonessential travel to Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Liberia because of unprecedented outbreaks of Ebola in those countries.”

What about keeping individuals out of this country with Ebola? What about a travel ban from countries with a high number of Ebola cases? From Ebola to ISIS (Islamic State in Iraq and Syria), there is no leadership. On October 3, I asked – How much more damage can Obama do in the next two years? The answer is more obvious every day.

Shawn Boldt to Lead Freeport City Council in the Pledge of Allegiance – It’s Too Bad This Council Has No Leadership On The Real Issues Facing This City!

IMG_3492.JPGThe Freeport City Council will be meeting Monday, October 6, 2014 at 6:00 pm in the City Council Chambers at 524 West Stephenson Street, 3rd Floor. If you have Comcast Cable, go to channel 17 to watch live.

Some highlights of the meeting:

Introduction of new police officers.

5th reading of ordinance amending garbage collection ordinance. It allows a multi-family dwelling owner of four or more units to form its own contractual relationship with a garbage hauler of their choosing.

Several ordinances dealing with Meadows TIF Redevelopment Project Area.

2nd reading of ordinance expanding Enterprise Zone to assist Dubuque, Iowa company to expand in East Dubuque. Hopefully, someone from Freeport can commute to East Dubuque for a job!

1st reading of ordinance on amending Enterprise Zone for Pearl Valley Farms (egg farm).

Resolution on redevelopment agreement dealing with property at corner of West and South Street (Jo Ann Fabrics area)

Resolution to create Transit Advisory Council consisting of seven member appointed by the Mayor. Great – another advisory council!

For the complete agenda go to http://www.ci.freeport.il.us/citygovernment/Agendas/A20141006.pdf

Obama Plans On Sending 3,000 American Soldiers to Africa to Fight Ebola While He Does Nothing to Secure Our Borders!

IMG_3486.JPGEnough is enough. Mexican soldiers are crossing the U.S. border and Mexican helicopters are firing on U.S. Border patrol agents. (see GooddayIlllinois.com on June 27, 2014) What does Obama do? Nothing! An American Marine rots in a Mexican jail. What does Obama do? Nothing! Americans are beheaded by radical Muslims. What does Obama do? Nothing! An American Ambassador is murdered in Libya. What does Obama do? Nothing! You have to start wondering where this President’s loyalties really lie. Now we have a person from Africa who is in Texas with Ebola. This person obviously knew he had been exposed to Ebola. See http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/liberian-officials-prosecute-ebola-victim-lying What did he do? He came to American to get medical treatment! What has Obama done to protect our borders and citizens? Nothing! If Americans start dying with Ebola, what will Obama do? Nothing! He will probably say Americans are not special and they should die just like the Africans. It is sad that we have a President who cares more about other countries than he does about America. Oh well, how much more damage can Obama do in the next two years?

Why Must The Taxpayers of the City of Freeport Have to Fight to Get Their Homes and Small Businesses Assessed Fairly?

IMG_3485.JPGMost properties in the City of Freeport are over assessed. This means that your real estate taxes are too high. Property values since 2008 have been falling, and assessments do not accurately reflect this fact. If you don’t like your assessment, you must file a complaint with the Stephenson County Board of Review. Why can’t the Freeport Assessor treat all property owners fairly by basing all assessments on current market values? The answer is simple – government bureaucrats at the city and county level have a vested interest in maintaining high assessments in order to produce more tax revenue. Many properties in Freeport are assessed at 20% to 30% over market value. This could cost a taxpayer hundreds and even thousands of dollars each year.

If someone robs a bank, it is called stealing since you are not entitled to money which depositors have entrusted to the bank. When government unfairly taxes its citizens and misuses taxpayer money, it is justified since the bureaucrats rationalize that it is used for a good purpose – the salaries of government workers! In truth it is just plain wrong and no different than stealing.