Author Archives: Good Day Illinois

How Many Times Must the Voters of Stephenson County Say NO?

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 The answer is simple.   If there are not changes on the Freeport School Board, this question will be put on the ballot at every election until it is passed.    Vote NO and then vote for changes on the Freeport School Board.   Tell the candidates that Freeport cannot afford a higher sales tax or higher property taxes.  To make matters even worse, the City of Freeport led by Alderman Tom Klemm and Shawn Boldt would also like to see the City’s portion of the sales tax increased . More taxes are not the solution to every problem.  Taxing bodies must live within their means.  

Tax and Spend Shawn Boldt Must Go in 2ndWard – City Needs New Leadership on Council

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 Shawn Boldt’s solution to every problem facing Freeport is more spending coupled with more taxes.  Boldt is quoted in the Journal Standard saying he would like to see tax increases on services.  What does that mean?   A special tax for police services, fire services, street cleaning, and snow removal?   Boldt is part of the problem.   Boldt helped create the mess Freeport is in and now he wants to spend and tax the City’s way out.  We need new people like Peter McClanathan on the Council.  Peter was not part of the problem, but will be part of the solution.

Freeport Mayor To Give State of City Speech Monday, March 16 – The Real Question is Who Can Afford The Electricity to Watch the Speech?

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The Freeport City Council will meet at 6:00 pm on Monday, March 16 at 524 W. Stephenson Street, 3rd floor.  If you have Comcast Cable, go to channel 17 and you will see Mayor Gitz’s speech live.

 

While the Freeport School District and other taxing bodies are looking for ways to raise additional taxes from the citizens of Freeport, take a look at your ComEd bill for March.  Even adjusting for the fact that there are two months of supply charges on the bill, your bill is up over 25%.   Former Freeport Mayor Gaulrapp is now public relations manager at ComEd.  It’s nice to see how he transitioned from a government job to a utility regulated by the government.  I guess that is the American way.  When you work in the government, you certainly don’t want to offend those you are regulating or doing business with since some day you may want to work for them.   Think about how that affects your decision making when you are in government!  

 

 

For the complete agenda go to

http://www.ci.freeport.il.us/citygovernment/Agendas/A20150316a.pdf

 

What a Wonderful Way Way to Spend the Evening!  

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Don’t miss “Deathtrap” at Winneshiek Playhouse, starting on Friday, March 6, with additional performances on March 7, 12, 13, and 14 all at 7:30 pm at the nation’s oldest continuous amateur theatre located at 228 W. Clark, Freeport, Illinois.   The play is directed by Tom Meyers with talented local actors, Doug Munda, Adam Moderow, Dawn Degenhardt, Lynn Jones, and Shawn Killingbeck.   

 

Walter Kerr, the Sunday reviewer, for the New Times called the play which is about a once famous writer of stage thrillers trying to regain his glory days, “an absolute knockout of a suspense melodrama.”   The play ran four years on Broadway, so the audiences must have agreed.

 

For more information go to http://www.winneshiekplayers.org/

 

Freeport City Council to Consider Additional Annual Rental Registration Fees

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The Freeport City Council will meet at 6:00 pm on Monday, March 2 in its temporary quarters at 524 W. Stephenson Streeet, 3rd floor.  If you have Comcast Cable, go to channel 17 to watch live.

 

Some items of interest on the agenda:

 

Proclamation declaring March “Youth Art Month in the City of Freeport” and urging everyone to join in celebrating this event by attending Aspiring Artists Exhibition at the Freeport Art Museum at 121 N. Harlem Avenue,  on March 20 at 5:00 pm.

 

2nd Reading of Ordinance providing for annual rental property registration fees so that enforcement of the ordinance will be paid from the fees generated.   See ordinance at http://www.cityoffreeport.org/OrdRes/Proposed%20rpr%20fees.pdf

 

Mayor Gitz stated in the Journal Standard on March 1, 2015 when talking about Freeport landlords:

 

“They want you and I to pay for the impact their business has on all of us.  Basically, they want 

to socialize the cost and privatize the benefit.”

 

I do hope Mr. Gitz will keep this statement in mind and apply it to other areas of government when he seeks new revenues.  Every new TIF district and enterprize zone shifts the tax burden to other small businesses and homeowners.  Existing TIF funds are used to benefit districts and not the town at large.  If that is not socializing the cost – I don’t know what it is.   With that said landlords should be prepared for increasing fees in the future.  Have you ever heard of a government program that is run so efficiently that the cost goes down every year?    

 

For the complete agenda go to http://www.ci.freeport.il.us/citygovernment/Agendas/A20150302.pdf

 

When You Are in Florida, Golf at Cove Cay Where They Welcome Those Frigid Midwest Golfers!

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If you happen to be in Tampa – Clearwater Area of Florida and want to golf, go to Cove Cay Golf Club in Clearwater. The course is beautiful and challenging. If you see our good friends, Pat or Bill Shriver, the new owners, tell them that Malcolm and Heather sent you! The above is a view from the 9th green.

Go to the website for more information at http://www.covecaygolf.com/index.htm

Freeport School Board Says To Hell With The Voters of Freeport!

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The Freeport School Board has already disregarded the wishes of the voters of Freeport when it voted to place the 1% sales tax increase on the ballot after if was soundly rejected by the voters last year. Now this same board wants to hire a new superintendent prior to the April election. In fact they are having two receptions so the public can meet the candidates on February 19 and 23. What a joke! This same board hired the last superintendent. It just doesn’t deserve another chance. This Board has a record of policy and personnel failures. It has shown that it lacks judgment and cannot be trusted.

Go to the receptions and tell the candidates to go home until after the election!

On Presidents’ Day 2015 The Country Misses Ronald Reagan!

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IMG_3933Ronald Reagan never forgot his roots in rural Illinois when he was President. President Obama has spent six years as President apologizing for being an American. Ronald Reagan loved America and never apologized for being an American. Ronald Reagan never apologized for America’s Judeo-Christian values. President Obama, while radical Muslims are killing Americans, equates American Christians with radical Muslims. It is sad, but true. We now have a President who golfs after it is announced that radical Muslims have again slit the throat of an American. President Obama’s image may never be added to to Mt. Rushmore, but I am sure his picture will be displayed prominently in every mosque around the world!

Take Your Illinois Pension, Leave Illinois, and Head to Florida for a New Job!

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IMG_3927The recent article in The Journal Standard on a police officer retiring after 26 years on the Freeport Police Force is not in itself news. What is news is that this is happening all over the State of Illinois. Public sector employees retiring in their early 50’s with large pensions with guaranteed annual 3 per cent increases. These employees then leave the high tax state of Illinois, head to Florida and collect their Illinois pensions, and frequently start a new job in the public sector so they can qualify for another pension! The retiring officer stated that he would miss the people of Freeport. That may be true, but I doubt that he will miss the State of Illinois with its high real estate and other taxes. When the snow is flying in Freeport next January, he will just smile when he receives his pension check from Freeport and his new check from his Florida job. And to the citizens of Illinois, keep working and pay those high taxes so this officer and other retired Illinois public sector employees can enjoy the Florida sunshine.