Special Election Visit from Carnac the Magnificent

"They will add on the amount from the Police Pension tax line, just because it has 'Peoria Hts' next to it on the tax bill."

Rip open the hermetically sealed envelope.

"How will the Peoples Party hierarchy and Poison Pen try to make a lie out of the Village tax rate going down over the last few years?"


I'm going to have to contact Carnac the Magnificent more often over the next week and a half. I should have predicted this one, myself. You see, the Peoples Party hierarchy and Poison Pen don't want to hear the fact that the Village tax rate has gone down the last few years. Why? Because part of their scheme in the upcoming election is to make it look like the Heights is falling apart, and that we're going to have to raise taxes, blah blah blah.

So, in order to circumvent the facts (something that the Peoples Party hierarchy and Poison Pen are quite adept at), they decide they will add an unrelated tax line from the property tax bills, in order to try and make it look like I'm lying about the fact that Village tax rates HAVE gone down.

Which tax line is that? The Police Pension line, of course. It is a completely separate tax line from the Village tax line. The Police Pension amount is set by the Illinois State Insurance Commission. It's out of our hands. The Commission sends the amount assigned to the County, which in turns puts the amounts on the tax bills. I'm surprised that the Peoples Party hierarchy and Poison Pen didn't add on the tax lines for District 325, the Airport Authority, and ICC, along with that. I'm sure if they thought they could POSSIBLY get away with it, they would have.

Here is the fact: the Village tax rate, the amount that goes into funding what the Heights DOES, like street repairs, employee payroll, snow plowing, etc., HAS GONE DOWN over the last few years. From .16983 to .13415.

It's a fact that the Peoples Party hierarchy and Poison Pen don't like, but it will remain a fact. If you want to verify it by viewing my tax bills for 2006 and 2009, let me know. Call me at 688-6869, or e-mail me at marcus57@aol.com, and I will get copies to you. BEFORE the election, if you contact me before Tuesday the 5th.

Looks like I'd better put Carnac on my speed dial, because I'm pretty certain his skills will be needed when the likely Peoples Party newspaper comes out this coming Friday.

The Importance of Voting on April 5th

A local election in Peoria Heights can actually hinge on one vote. ONE vote. That fact in of itself should spur the casual voter to take part in the local Trustee election, come April 5. But, it normally doesn't.

Why is voting for three Trustees in the Heights so important? Because, obviously, the Trustees do the voting that decides what is to be done (and not done) in the Village.

Do you like what has been happening in Peoria Heights over the past several years? The only way to guarantee that it will continue is to show up at the polls, and vote for the Trustee candidates who say they want to do so.

If you don't like what has been happening in the Heights over the past several years, the only way to do your part in ending it is to show up at the polls, and vote for those candidates who want to change what's been going on here as of late.

It's all really that simple.

I've not been able to get a full handle on what the Peoples Party candidates are wanting to do, if elected. Mostly I hear that the Peoples Party simply wants to undo everything we've done. Candidates Dave Parkinson and Charlie Gauf did not show up at the Meet the Candidates Night. Peoples Party candidate Bryan Lammers was there, professed his being an independent, and seemed to step back from the mantle of the Peoples Party. All of the trustee candidates (Independent and Peoples Party) seemed to be more aligned than not so. I don't understand why Parkinson and Gauf chose not to be at the forum.

I guess we'll know more when the Peoples Party literature comes out for the April 5 election. I don't expect to see any of it until the Friday before the election. I do know that the Independents running for Trustee, for the most part, want to continue on the path we have taken since 2005 - strengthening and repairing the infrastructure; increasing or maintaining our local services; and trying to attract families and new business to the Village.

In the end, no matter who you back or for what reason, it is imperative that you show up to vote on April 5. It takes just minutes of your day; there's rarely much of a line at the voting booth; and you truly have a real impact on the voting decisions.

Meet the Candidates Night - March 16 7:00-8:30

A Meet the Candidates Night will be at Village Hall in Peoria Heights, March 16, from 7:00 to 8:30 pm. The candidates will include ICC Trustee candidates, as well as Dist. 325 School Board candidates, and candidates for Village Trustee.

I believe we will have the forum filmed, as well, but I can't guarantee how many times it will be shown on Channel 22. Best bet is to attend the forum, so that it might help make up your mind as to who to vote for.

Hope to see you there.