So I was watching an old "Family Guy" the other night, and I was struck by the situational similarities of the plight of the citizens of Quahog and Rockford.

See, Quahog's mayor is Adam West and he's arrogant,self-centered,and really doesn't care about the citizens' needs. He spends the entire budget(and adds DEBT) on a solid gold statue of the Honey Smacks' mascot, Dig'Em in the city's center.(Rockford's 'Dig'Em statue'??? the MetroCentre?removing the downtown mall??? YOU DECIDE)

So there's a frame in the show showing taxpayers picketing around the statue with signs like 'Don't Cut Basic Services'...ironically real....so the mayor figures he needs to distract the people and proposes a bill to outlaw gay marriage(OK,so not gonna go THERE, )but in Rockford the distraction is Firefighter Pensions...(LarryBoy made contemptous remarks in last Council's 'Officers' Report' then the AdamWesthead admits nothing can be done with the CURRENT firefighters' and retirees' pensions....what a maroon....

LarryBoy says,"... “we can’t spend more than we take in. We’ve been doing that, unfortunately..." No foolin'
He spends so much time pointing fingers at the Fire Union, nobody bothers looking into his empire's 'inner sanctum'....
http://www.ci.rockford.il.us/uploadedFiles/government/Finance/FinancialInformation/CAFR/Rockford%202007%20CAFR%20FINAL.pdf

II. EXCESS OF ACTUAL EXPENDITURES OVER BUDGET
For the year ended December 31, 2007, the General Fund and Major Special Revenue funds had an excess of actual
expenditures and financing uses over budget at the legal level of budgetary control (department level) as follows:
MAJOR FUNDS:
General Fund
Mayor's office $ ( 49,191)
City Council ( 10,653)
Board of fire and police commission ( 3,660)
Board of election ( 98,235)
Police department ( 1,003,259)
Fire department ( 639,744)
Building department ( 13,999)
Public works - Street and sewer ( 1,547,622)
Community Development Fund ( 16,445)

http://www.ci.rockford.il.us/uploadedFiles/government/Finance/FinancialInformation/CAFR/Rockford%20CAFR%201208.pdf

(newer PDF,can't seem to copy, but)...Board of Elections was OVERBUDGET...$1,255,969!!!!
WTF????

http://www.ci.rockford.il.us/uploadedFiles/government/Finance/Divisions/CentralServices/Mayor.pdf
Here you see LarryBoy's office budget grew 30% in 2 YEARS!!! AND STILL WENT OVERBUDGET....sheeesh,buddy get a grip....


Oh, then the comments on that web story babble idiotically"...Do not use the motor gas tax money for anything other than what it is intended for. "....so I sez(WITH documentation...) "MFT is being used for stuff likeRIVERWALK, http://www.ci.rockford.il.us/uploadedFiles/government/PublicWorks/Reports/2009-2013%20CIP%20Book%20Final%20Version.pdf DOWNTOWN ONE-WAY PAIR FEASIBILITY STUDY (PH II), WEST STATE STREET - LAND ACQUISITION

LarryBoy sure got some pinhead followers...

It's been a given that the Rockford Register Star has a DEFINITE PRO-LarryBoy bias....

That being accepted, I just was floored by this recent fable they published...
http://www.rrstar.com/carousel/x1849220981/Depth-of-Rockford-jobs-cuts-varies-by-division

"...Some, such as the planning division under community development, have shrunk from 15 employees to 5.3...."

Now, as I commented on their site, it took me all of SEVEN MINUTES to find that was a plain simple LIE!!!!

Look HERE...http://www.ci.rockford.il.us/uploadedFiles/government/Finance/Divisions/CentralServices/CD%20Plan(5).pdf

"...The decline is a result of the creation of the new Construction and Development Services Division budget unit, of which five staff came out of the Planning Division. The balance of the staff changes occurred with the reallocation of staff, between divisions within the department...."

(Gee, I can remember when there were REPORTERS that checked FACTS and ISSUED CORRECTIONS when 'mistakes'(?) were brought to their attention....)

Matter of fact,this smoke and mirror bullcrap starts with the 2007-2009 arbitrary time line in this LarryBoy ADVERTISEMENT....
See, way I see it, need to compare BL(before LarryBoy) with AL(after Larryboy)...
And according to the most recent CAFR....http://www.ci.rockford.il.us/uploadedFiles/government/Finance/FinancialInformation/CAFR/Rockford%20CAFR%201208.pdf

one finds MOST departments within City Hall saw increased staffing AND new positions CREATED since LarryBoy's election(notable exceptions,Police Officers and Pubic Works)[the guys on the streets,not the office/administration/engineer-types that merely sit in offices and call contractors to adminstrate,engineer,etc.]

In REALITY, fire personnel HAS stayed consistent, BUT even with the two-year personnel 'cuts' touted by LarryBoy are STILL ABOVE 2005 levels!!!