Kind of an interesting week in LarryBoy's Empire....
FIRST...he paints the gloom and doom....
"Mayor Larry Morrissey hammered home his call for concessions in pay and operating costs from public safety unions Thursday as he painted a grim picture of Rockford’s finances during his “Mayor’s Business Luncheon.” "
But EVERYWHERE you turn,the "Savior of the City",(we've heard for the past decade) is the revitalization of downtown Rockford...
And who's the driving this effort??? None other than big-time LarryBoy contributors/influences the Provenzano's
yup,"...Joseph James Partners, a business entity established by brothers Peter and Matthew Provenzano to redevelop the building that houses the family’s logistics and procurement firm, failed to pay the note when it came due June 30, according to a lawsuit filed in Winnebago County Circuit Court last week....."(now I have it on VERY GOOD authority, ACTUAL establishing partners are JOSEPH(Morrissey)and JAMES(Provenzano) the patriarchs of these movin'/shakin'/land developin'/asset leveragin'/downtowncheerleadin' families)....
and see,they also own other downtown properties and they (ALONG WITH TAXPAYERS FOOTING TIF "DEVELOPMENT"FINANCING) are left with the proverbial "upside-down" mortgages typical in the real estate bubble-bursting aftermath.
Ya think THIS is tied up over the Provanzano loan-default????
"Mayor Larry Morrissey is working to put together a committee of aldermen and business leaders to study city finances, but he wasn’t ready to announce the committee members during tonight’s Rockford City Council meeting...The budget advisory group he is attempting to organize would offer advice to the city during the economic crisis...."
Do we NEED advice from THESE types of business leaders???

But see this buncha pinheads just cannot get it through their narrow minds that GOVERNMENT is NOT a business....taxes are paid under the assumption that government provides basic services to benefit the GREATER GOOD....all the well-intentioned fluff LarryBoy has introduced and continues to fund(riverwalk,hockey team,mall tearout,downtown loft-living, TIF after TIF after TIF) may be all well and good under other financial conditions,but THIS CRAP should be the first to go, not demanding public safety cuts as violent crime escalates,fires increase,etc.