larryboy's empire

2011-09-12T12:27:00.000-07:00

So been working on a longer blog post about the LarryBoy'sEmpire's budget dog and phony show, but this week was some typical silliness deserving a notice...
Thought it conspicuous LarryBoy didn't show in the Labor Day Parade....I mean it's obvious he detests public service workers' unions but never stopped him from showing his smiley wave before...
But lo and behold, there he is at the 911 ceremony honoring his ARCHENEMIES...police and fire!!!

unreal

2011-08-12T16:25:00.000-07:00

Wow, LarryBoy's Empire just tumbling around in BizarroWorld....didja see the TIF tiff?
"...If the city doesn’t get enough money from taxes to pay back the bonds, it will have to find a way to make up the difference. Typically, when a TIF district isn’t producing enough revenue, city leaders have to borrow money from the general fund to pay its bills for the year...." WORRIED NOW???

It appears most the TIF Districts created by LarryBoy have been robbing the general fund for years..,.transfers in,out,de-tiffed,re-tiffed...it's the ULTIMATE SHELLGAME
http://www.rockfordil.gov/media/7535/CAFR1210.pdf

I have an idea! Let's blame the EMPLOYEES, LAW, CONTRACTS, and ARBITRATORS...BRILLIANT!!!!

2011-06-25T05:26:00.000-07:00

Didja see this story, with the picture of LarryBoy in front of the casino 'set'? It was at the Riverfront Museum Park.

Let's step back, remember his website,http://www.citizensformorrissey.com/issues-rockford-mayor.htm
and his "Leadership Position Paper"?
"...The current administration has failed to set clear priorities, and instead has been distracted by novelty
items like a gambling casino and a publicly funded convention center. ..."

So we got Rockford leaders celebrate official start of riverwalk (also at the Riverfront Museum Park.)
And today, In Saturday's paper: Study keeps whitewater park dreams alive.

So in these economic times HOW IN SAM HILL, IS A RIVERWALK and WHITEWATER PARK NOT "NOVELTIES???????????"

2011-06-22T08:06:00.000-07:00

So I'm not gonna go into how my computer crashed and I lost passwords (and blah, blah, blah).
Now I'm back and just gotta say, LarryBoy's Empire of Rockford resembles "BizarroWorld" more with each passing day.

Check THIS out....LarryBoy swaggered into office with all this talk of cutting-edge-modern-technology-better-government. I understand used to be every supervisor (guess they're "managers" now) was issued a Blackberry (don't know if this still is going on, budget cuts and all, dontcha know).

On that webpage, under ISSUES we find Time for the Future... (gee, gives me goosebumps!)

"We must improv communication opportunities with public
elected officials through use of technologies like e-mail and the City’s web site."

REALLY??? Maybe oughta think about, oh, that futurist program SPELLCHECK!!!

The
current administration has failed to set clear priorities, and instead has been distracted by novelty
items like a gambling casino

2011-04-20T17:57:00.000-07:00

Couple things this week...
"... Dave’s Hot Dog Stand, a summertime fixture. This summer, the stand and other street vendors will have the opportunity to return to the Main Street Festival Zone, which is Main from Elm to Mulberry streets...."

Got THAT? They kicked out this guy to tear out the pedestrian mall where he set up....
And MILLIONS OF TAX$$$$$$$$$ later....http://www.rockfordil.gov/public-works/projects/downtown-streetscape.aspx we let him move back though probably have to CLOSE the street to be safe for customers...

Have you driven that clusterf*&%k?
The way they go from the parking lane and then ballooned out corners...a regular BOTTLENECK....and moving 'traffic' thru downtown? WHAT A JOKE! there's no left turn signals or lanes so IF someone wants to turn left and you are 3-4 cars back, you might sit thru 3-4 green lights,waiting while traffic stretches behind block after block. Amnd just wait till they spend hundres of thousands to make Church St. 2-way...25 cars downtown will have the potential for absolute GRIDLOCK!~!

That'll 'revitalize downtown' huh?

2011-03-20T02:29:00.000-07:00

I've always gotten a real kick out of the daily paper touts "Sunshine Week" a hypothetical time to call for more openness in government dealings. They publish a few editorials, cartoons, and then it's gone till next year.

There's just so much about our city administration they choose to keep in the dark.
How about...did you get your new "at&t Real Yellow Pages" phonebook? The inside of the front cover-LarryBoy and LarryDaddy's grinning faces, advertising their ambulance-chasing law firm. Seems SO UNETHICAL that a full-time, elected public official shills for his private practice.
AND, to top it off, there, right next to The Mayor's head, the CITY LOGO taxpayers PAID for, the ubiquitous "Real, Original" crap!!!!!!

Just don't seem right.

2011-03-06T10:17:00.000-08:00

Haven't heard about that 'selling the water system' idea for a while, but that doesn't mean LarryBoy isn't scheming behind the scenes.
So here's an example of "Privatized Government" services...

"About 360 residents of Cherry Valley Township could see their water rates quadruple by the end of the year...."

2011-02-23T14:27:00.000-08:00

So been under the weather a bit so where to start?

Oh check THIS OUT....

"...The arbitrator’s ruling “finds that (police Chief Chet Epperson) and (city Legal Director Patrick Hayes) willfully violated the collective bargaining agreement,”..."

CrackerJack legal minds,huh? Then LarryBoy uses his "Officer's Report" to bash the arbitrator, just like when a fire arbitration ruled 64 MEANS 64...imagine that?

So couple things struck me....
for a LAWYER LarryBoy sure doesn't RESPECT THE LEGAL SYSTEM....I mean he loses and it's open season on courts, laws, and arbitrators.

Secondly, as a TAXPAYER, I'm FED UP with this administration wasting so much time and money TRYING TO BREAK CONTRACTS signed 'in good faith'...

2011-02-12T11:45:00.000-08:00

So this past week saw the kinda whiplash reactions LarryBoy's Empire has spawned...See,THIS http://www.rrstar.com/news/yourtown/rockford/x1111634582/Developer-seeks-delay-of-historic-designation-in-Rockford
story brings out commentators so angry that concerned citizens would DARE to apply(and GET) historic designation for the Amerock Building and yet the next day
http://www.rrstar.com/news/yourtown/rockford/x1111634582/Developer-seeks-delay-of-historic-designation-in-Rockford
people act like LarryBoy, using THE SAME "redevelopment tool" just healed a couple lepers....different rules for different folks...
the talk of property tax breaks led me HERE http://ims.wingis.org/
and low and behold, LarryBoy has NO PROPERTY ON WHICH TO PAY CITY PROPERTY TAXES...
see...

11-14-459-001 1027 N COURT ST MORRISSEY REALTY GROUP LLC,
11-23-315-001 127 N WYMAN ST MORRISSEY REALTY GROUP LLC,
11-14-455-015 1128 N CHURCH ST MORRISSEY, JOSEPHINE

2011-01-30T05:28:00.000-08:00

Rockford Scandals and Shenanigans

had a fabulous (as always) find on a lobbying firm the city pays $120,000 a year....so I'm thinking what 'fund' is THIS coming out of and so I head to http://www.rockfordil.gov/ and
OH BOY!!!!!

A 'new,uplifting' City WEBSITE!!!!!!!!!
Bright,new logo scrolling pix,starting with LarryBoy followed by his masterpuppet...Venita!!always in his corner..,.screw the citizens,I'M A LAWYER I AM SMART I KNOW WHAT IS BEST...SHUT UP

2011-01-21T04:20:00.000-08:00

The EXCELLENT Facebook page-writer at Rockford Scandals and Shenanigans ,well, they beat me to the punch on half this post.

See,past week brought THIS dandy downtown deal they wrote about...A DOWNTOWN development fundraiser in....CHERRY VALLEY!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh, but that's only half the story...
Keep in mind,MILLIONS of TAX DOLLAR$$ for the Riverwalk, right, so some of the reasoning is starting at Burpbee Museum to showcase the dinosaur exhibits, right, SO are we building that FREAKIN'RIVERWALK ALL THE WAY TO THE CHERRYVALE MALL????

That' s where the newest,bestest DinoBones are........

2011-01-14T15:03:00.000-08:00

So this past Mon. at CityCouncil, LarryBoy's 'co-chair' of the "citizen"group pushing the "INFRASTRUCTURE!!" tax claimed the use of this tax 'reduces the city's long-term bond debt'....

REALITY?
from the CAFR "For the Year Ended December 31,2006"
general fund balance was $29,714,629
longterm bond debt was $148,149,882,OK?

And for 2009....
general fund stood at $22,006,223(that's -$6.7mill.)
and longterm bond debt stood at $201,771,748(increase of about $52million!!!!!!)

As they say,how's that working out for you??????????

2011-01-09T11:07:00.000-08:00

Well,the propaganda ministry of LarryBoy keeps cranking it out....

"...Mayor Larry Morrissey said Monday that the union’s latest offer to the city amounts to an 8 percent pay raise....."

See, there is NOWHERE I can find anything to that supports this statement...certainly seems just another attempt to turn citizens against the people(public works,police,fire) that actually PROVIDE SERVICES tax dollars should provide.

Meanwhile..."To prevent overspending"
we read "...Morrissey and some aldermen insisted on and pushed for a balanced general fund budget before 2011 spending started so the city wouldn’t overspend in the first quarter...."

As been pointed out by "Rockford Shenanigans...." LarryBoy's administration has habitually overspent (that's where most of the General Fund drawdown has gone) and additionally, keep in mind LarryBoy promised to give Julia Valdez that $38,000raise as soon as the budget passed....this administration worries about passing a 'balanced budget' then spends wherever and whenever LarryBoy wants../.

2011-01-03T16:55:00.000-08:00

Well,THIS passed tonight...

"....To some, establishing a separate fund for aldermen to hire their own attorneys rather than use the city’s Legal Department is a way to avoid placing staff in the middle of their battles.

But to other aldermen, it’s a political power play designed to divide and conquer.

“I think they want to shut certain people out of city operations,” said Ald. Venita Hervey, D-5. “It’s being set up by a group of people who are carving out their own niche to create a subcouncil on the City Council that wants to make all of the decisions.”...."

Well, EXCUSE ME Ms.Venita, but the same could be said about your constant LarryBoyBlind Allegiance, even going so far as to release INACCURATE information(in MY opinion, BLATANT LIE!) concerning the fire union wage 'request' a few weeks back.....seems you were elected to represent CITIZENS not the administration....

Rockford City Council misses 2011 budget deadline - Rockford, IL - Rockford Register Star

2011-01-01T16:11:00.000-08:00

Rockford City Council misses 2011 budget deadline - Rockford, IL - Rockford Register Star: Here's another one of thosae oddities one finds in LarryBoy's Empire ".....the city could have a budget surplus of $38,860."
Now $38grand is how much MORE LarryBoy promised to pay Julia Valdez-(something,drawing a blank on that hyphenated woman)....
Weird,huh?

2010-12-31T11:44:00.000-08:00

Hey,now on facebook...hahaha!!

2010-12-23T14:38:00.000-08:00

Been out of touch,but so much to touch on....

So this whole Mike Dunn Deal just reeks of Scandal-In-Waiting...

"Fear of flying
The first scandal of the Thompson administration over misuse of state planes saw the ouster of two top executives in June. Michael Dunn, the governor's young patronage chief, was forced to resign June9, following charges that he failed to report flights for political purposes on state aircraft. The director of aeronautics Melvin Rosenbloom was next, fired 11 days later, when his asked-for resignation was not delivered. Rosenbloom said he was fired for reporting Dunn...."

(I guess LarryBoy shows he's a true disciple of shady Illinois politics,huh?)

2010-12-13T15:54:00.000-08:00

Here you find a bunch of "Downtown Supporters"( seriously, REAL ONES,actually INVESTED their OWN MONEY,some live downtown,and many, former LarryBots!!)

So, they are trying to block LarryBoy/MikeDunn's "vision" for downtown..."...Dunn called the Friends efforts to secure historic designation for the building "silly" and "a waste of the community's time"."

See, it's just more of this administration's determination to spend money(they DON'T HAVE,over and ABOVE the hotel/motel/beverage tax first instituted to pay for the MetroCentre) on entertainment venues...(WTF, don't we HAVE a PARK DISTRICT???? Seems that's THEIR mission) Money THAT SHOULD BE SPENT ON PUBLIC SAFETY AND PUBLIC WORKS!!

The whole mismanagement of the Metro Centre rehab money would seem to plop down in LarryBoy's lap...HE appointed the board,did he not? Always suspected this whole "RAVE" deal was a calculated effort to indirectly funnel more money to the IceHogPalace...the public was starting to grumble...we were told the refinancing/rehab meant the city would lessen the subsidy to the MC...THAT wasn't happening...heck let's change the NAME of the hand-picked "board" maybe the public won't realize more tax money is being dumped into the venue...

And besides, what makes Dunn a 'voice' for downtown??Near as I can tell, Dunn appears to be a realtor of "questionable scruples", (living somewhere NE Rockford, so much so, it could quite possibly be considered Loves Park or Roscoe.)

2010-12-01T16:24:00.000-08:00

I assume anybody that cares about the seeming misdirection Mayor LarryBoy has headed the city of Rockford is,by now familiar with Rockford Scandals and Shenanigans...

The writer has proven to be an astute researcher of many fiscal irresponsibilities LarryBoy has foisted on the taxpayers in the name of "economic development"while slashing (and threatening MORE ) the BASIC TENETS of local government...Public Safety and Public Works....

Now, just for a minute, let's go back to those talks of switching some Motor Fuel Tax dollars from the Capital Improvement Plan to the General Fund to supplement other road maintenance needs(salting,plowing,sweeping,patching...you know the BASICS most municipalities fund with MFT). Well, the LarryBots came out full force crying 'the citizens passed the 1% sales tax to get these projects done,we can't "break their trust" '......
So anyway, Rockford S(candals)S(henanigans) offered several 'feelgood/fluff'' projects that could/sh
Sould be cut/delayed IF the budget is truly so dire....

Well,I started scanning the CIP info and couple things jumped out at me....
1.) the site lists TWO CIP versions(?) one 2010-2014, the other 2009-2013...what's up with THAT? Is one updated? revised? WHY overlap 3years in two plans? PLANNED CONFUSION??????????
2.)Using numbers provided, depending on the 'version',there's $1.9million OR $2.1million set aside for " CITY CENTER / RIVER IMPROVEMENTS "
Funding for infrastructure improvements in the City Center. Projects
include infrastructure and streetscape improvements in the "Cultural
Corridor," engineering analysis of projects that contribute to the
revitalization of the Downtown Core.
Funding source?
SALES TAX
Now that sounds transparentAND neccessary
GeeWhillikers, LarryBots...,TAXPAYERS CAN TRUST THIS ADMINISTRATION WITH TAX DOLLARS!!

RAISE SOME MO'MONEY,MO'MONEY!!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-11-27T06:54:00.000-08:00

So couple recent "news"??-stories to consider.....

"...Converting one-way sections of Church and Main streets to two-way thoroughfares..."

And see, the story link talks about "downtown 'business'leaders...what does THAT mean...they the quote Mike Dunn, LarryBoy's RAVE leader and the guy from the Coronado....

So two CITY-OWNED VENUES are "downtown BUSINESSES"???????????

And let's cut public safety and public works, ..." total cost to transform Main and Church to two-way streets is estimated at $2.5 million..."

BRILLIANT!EXCELLENT!!

2010-11-21T14:29:00.000-08:00

So this budget crap is REALLY getting old...
From THIS...
"...Venita Hervey, D-5, came to the administration’s defense, saying aldermen are looking at $5.5 million cuts inside city operations because union employees “said ‘Kiss off. I’m taking everything I got.’ ... Just tell me when people are going to start saying ‘Yes.’”..."

(Keep in mind, Hervey is CHAIR of the Finance committee,hand-picked LarryBot to repeat his mantra/message....also,can't find it in the story,but seems Corrina Curry's 'TWEETS' from that meeting counted 8-10 adlermen in attendance)

And the budget's SOOO important...
"...Five aldermen and the mayor went over four cost-saving measures one last time Saturday before members of the Finance and Personnel Committee agreed that they support three of them ..."(FIVE??? then check the picture...HERVEY'S NOT THERE!!!!!!!!! Such concern,such... ‘Kiss off. I’m taking everything I got.’ ... Congratulations,perfect example of ARROGANCE EVERYWHERE!!!!!!!!!

2010-11-10T16:21:00.000-08:00

Well,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9qMJld7dGA&feature=related

THERE IT IS!!!!
at 7minutes,37seconds in Part4 , LarryBoy says policy shouldn't be decided by the mayor and some developer in the backroom....
HARDY-HARR,CAPITAL GUF-FAW!!!!

I mean,creating TIF districts around LarryDaddy's/Provanzano's properties...hhmmmm, I suppose they meet in LarryBoy's FRONT ROOM!!!!

Holy Balls........

2010-11-06T12:34:00.000-07:00

So my neighbor"source" told me LarryBoy was at a Tea Party gathering(Now, I don't have much thoughts on the group though I think Sarah Palin is an opportunistic douchebag)

But I digress....
Sure enough, you can watch nearly an HOUR of LarryBoy Hate and Crap spew...

All the problems are Springfield and Unions....he don't make enough money(No fooling,he says it a couple times)
I haven't finished his dog and pony show,but I'm thinking, some say the Tea Party really started in opposition to corporate bailouts...but what are all LarryBoy's tax$$sucking TIF Districts but CORPORATE WELFARE??????? Wonder if he blames THAT on the workers?

STAY TUNED....

2010-10-27T15:18:00.000-07:00

So I am almost certain, most of my readers have seen THIS GREAT SPOT...

Well, Mr. Shenanigans(Rocky?) has a couple posts reminding readers of the 'promises' of "EXCELLENCE" by the The Citizen’s Committee for Rebuilding Rockford

Gee, what memories....aaahhhh....the disappearing property tax,debt-free from nasty old BONDS....
"private citizens and business leaders " hand-picked by LarryBoy to sell the tax increase....

so got me thinking and researching...

'some' cry can't use MotorFuelTax for BASIC ROAD MAINTENANCE because it would break promises made with passage of that referendum

Well, in all that sales pitches I can find absolutely NO MENTION of MFT supplementing the magic 1% tax....one MORE LarryBoy rewrite of history....

2010-10-21T16:24:00.000-07:00

Back in the day, when LarryBoy first took office(gee,guess about 2005,huh?) the Register Star had 'forums' online to discuss topics of all kinds.It was back in those days of the internets, I first started my commentaries of city government with a forum thread called"LarryBoy in his own words(for what it's worth)"...What I tried to stress was how many of LarryBoy's candidate statements were totally contradicted by his actions as mayor.

Well found a RRStar commentor that NAILED LarryBoy on a grander scale than I ever achieved...
Check it out...
"...‘Unions hold the keys’Mayor Larry Morrissey said aldermen shouldn’t be surprised; the discussion was exactly what staff warned about several months ago.“The council and the unions have to make these decisions. … Do I like it? No. But this is an effective way to eliminate the deficit, given the choices we have to make,” he said. “The unions hold the keys to avoiding these layoffs. Period. … Everything we’ve thrown out there, their answer has been no.”..."

Oh, this guy,"RkfdPolitics"...is AWESOME!!
Over a couple story comments he goes...
"...Further proof of his false claims that labor is responsible for our budget shortfall are his comments about current labor contracts. All of these comments were made while we were in the midst of the current crisis and after the contracts were signed. Among other things he has said: First and foremost, the agreement serves the interests of our citizens, who need the fire services, but are hard pressed to afford more right now.' 'The agreement allows the City to approach the upcoming 2010 budget with a fire contract that will be within the citys means to pay.' 'I am grateful to the fire fighters for accepting wage freezes for two years and committing to exploring ways to deploy more ambulances, which are desperately needed. This is but one substantial hurdle among our present economic challenges, and I hope this will allow our citizens to appreciate that our city employees are sacrificing in unprecedented ways' 'With this agreement, similar agreements with our AFSCME and PB&PA Unions and the small increase in waste collection fees we can present a balanced budget for 2010. ..."with "...Here's the link to the quotes that I attributed to the mayor. http://www.wifr.com/home/headlines/63909017.html"

Dang, you got PUNKED,LarryBoy!@!!

2010-10-19T15:57:00.000-07:00

"No one at City Hall was too surprised that a labor arbitrator ruled in favor of the fire union Monday..."

WOW, whatta statement,huh? You would think with LawyerLarryBoy and all the other attorneys employed at SillyHall, maybe they shouldn't have wasted so much time, money, and energy trying to get out of a contract THEY signed by arguing "64" does NOT = 64!!!!!!!

And the MorrisseyMedia Corp.(RRStar,WNTA), they love to spread the Gospel according to Lar.
Firefighters just won't play ball.
Geez, LarryBoy you keep moving goalposts,change rules and STILL throw a hissy when you lose...

2010-10-07T15:56:00.000-07:00

And ANOTHER thing...
How in the cracked-brain world of LarryBoy can he DEMAND an obscene raise for Julia Exxon-Valdez, REFUSE to take a wage cut AND then have the stones to attack the grunts on the ground with wage cuts, increased insurance rates and attacking their pensions(which HE will be vested in at the end of this term!!!!)

"...“As I look at the entire history of management and labor negotiations in the city of Rockford, we wouldn’t be in the position we’re in if we held the line in the past. We conceded to labor year after year after year, and I think it’s ludicrous to do it again unilaterally,” Morrissey said after the meeting. “If I’m them, I see us make all of these unilateral cuts to ourselves without them having to do anything. It’s laughable. It’s management by martyrdom, and that’s no way to run an organization.”..."

What an arrogant, sanctimomious sparrowfart...MARTYRDOM?????

Dissolve 6,7 TIF districts, then you can talk 'martyrdom, LarryBoy....THERE'S A SACRIFICE FOR YOU...
(And that's where the PROJECTED DEFICIT is totalling up, NOT THE EMPLOYEES........

2010-10-05T16:52:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm back....gonna run thru some older news....
First "privatization"??? ....

" The garage where public works employees have serviced Rockford police cars for the past 20 years will close by the end of the year as the city gradually outsources most of its vehicle maintenance to a downtown auto dealership beginning Oct. 1....Shifting work to Fran Kral, 120 N. Third St.....
HHMMMM....
http://vimeo.com/13436107
June ROCKSTAT - Small Business Loans
check it out... there's an introduction about how these are loans 'primarily' for "new and start up businesses", but 28 seconds in, a chart shows Fran Kral receiving $70,000 TAX DOLLARS!!!!

the city PAYS EXTRA TO A BUSINESS THEY OUTSOURCE WORK TO??? WHERE"S TRUE SAVINGS THERE???????

2010-09-19T14:23:00.000-07:00

Find it interesting, the Register Star editorial board has joined the City Council in getting a bit fed up with LarryRule....
"...If these four aldermen along with the others who signed the letter to the editor follow through with nurturing their new-found leadership, it’s likely to mean confrontations between the council and the mayor over who is in charge.
Mayor Morrissey has come a long way over the past couple years in managing his instinctive “my way or highway, and I don’t suffer fools well” approach to things. But he lets his frustrations at the slow political processes make him crazy and he’ll still say things that demean those who don’t move or think as fast or as smartly as he would like them to.
It won’t be an easy relationship, this new model of Rockford government in which the aldermen demand a controlling role. Not with a mayor as focused and headstrong as this one...."
AND...
"...We understand Rockford Mayor Larry Morrissey is frustrated. But frustration is not a luxury he — or the city of Rockford — can afford right now. He needs to dial back his resentment and drop his opposition to taking a 5 percent pay cut.It’s the first chapter in the CEO playbook: He needs to lead by example.At a City Council meeting last week, Morrissey announced it was the unions’ job to reopen their contracts and make a sacrifice first. He said Rockford was in the pickle it was in because the city conceded to the unions with too-generous contracts, year after year.“If I’m them, I see us make all of these unilateral cuts to ourselves without them having to do anything. It’s laughable. It’s management by martyrdom, and that’s no way to run an organization....

See, only thing I would add is blaming the unions is a crock o' LarryCrap...

The reality can be found in the CAFR's...

Comparing 2004 thru 2009, we find LarryBoy's Empire went thru almost $10million in unreserved general fund monies and increased long-term bond debt at least $65million...TIF's, hockey team,TIF's, mall removal, TIF's, Riverwalk....
There's the problem folks, plain,simple,TRUE!!!!!!!!

2010-09-04T14:54:00.000-07:00

Well,shaping up to be a laborious week for LarryBoy...Ted Biondo wrote a series of blog posts explaining the ins&outs of TIF districts and illustrates(whether intentionally or not) that fully HALF of the projected deficit for the upcoming year is traceable to LarryBoy's unbridled enthusiasm for this "redevelopment" tool.

One thing I found very interesting is the entry University of Illinois study finds that municipalities without TIFs grow faster...
"...The study found, that after accounting for many variables which might have affected growth, the 81 TIF municipalities’ growth stayed about the same before and after TIF was adopted, and the 154 municipalities without TIF grew faster than those who used it...."

(see,I posted this same info 4-5 years ago on the previous life of this commentary,"LarryBoy, in his own words(for what it's worth)" NOW all of a sudden people see it as an issue??)

It just makes one question LarryBoy's fondness for TIF's...5-6 when he took office...30 NOW!!!

2010-08-15T17:04:00.000-07:00

So I really needed time to digest/forget last Mon. Circus Council....group of out-there speakers, last minute antics with TIF funds, and ending with the Council gauntlet laid down over the obscene raise proposed for LarryBoy's GoldenGirl, JuliahyphenatedValdez ....

WAIT ONE MINUTE!!! (started this last week,my, things happen quickly when one procrastinates,huh?)

THIS week's meeting was one for the DVR,kids...LarryBoy's on vacation, his bestest LarryBotBenitaScurvy named mayor pro-tem...and she showed her impatience with any threats to Allegiance to the LarryBoy Empire...
Check it out, there was(IS) a MAJORITY of the Council that have a REAL PROBLEM with all the dire budget news and accepting the proposed(?) $34,000-a-year RAISE for Julia and, through a series of motions and amendments, voted her an interim position/salary bump....
( Parliamentarian "TightSuit"Hayes had his work set out for him, stumbling,mumbling,cautioning under the questions and pressures)

In the end(despite Scurvey's play of the GENDER CARD), Council(AND TAXPAYERS!!) won out with the lesser pay increase...

BUT "...Morrissey, who was on vacation and didn’t attend the council meeting, said that his designee for the position of HR director remains Julia Scott Valdez, even though the council did not approve her appointment....Monday night, Morrissey said Valdez is doing the job and got the raise he negotiated with her, and he has no plans to proceed any differently...."

See folks, it is no wonder we have a 'budget crisis' when we have King LarryBoy ignoring the Council and spending as HE SEES FIT(remember the Adam Smith$41,000hush-hush raise?)

It's Good to Be KING!!!!

2010-07-31T13:17:00.000-07:00

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....

2010-07-19T17:29:00.000-07:00

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...

2010-07-07T14:45:00.000-07:00

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!!!

2010-06-30T15:17:00.000-07:00

So FIRST off...
I gotta highly recommend this guy(if you haven't found him already)....
RockfordRhetoric...

We've been somewhat discussing Venita Hervey,5th Ward alderman...I gotta add my observations of her LarryBotic-SchizoBabble I heard last week on WNTA and then her impassioned rantings on Council floor Mon. nite.

See,the City(LarryBoy,'TightSuit'Hayes,etc) TWICE has been spanked by an arbitrator, and the firefighters' contract specifies 4 on a Truck! Well, LarryBoy just CAN'T STAND LOSING, heck he went to SPRINGFIELD crying to state law makers.
So anyway, Venita McCarthy(amazing can't see Larry's lips move when she talks) was
on the radio, she was touting this 'they're not volunteers, they would be unpaid firefighters-in-training'.... explaining the vision she has of CIRCUMVENTING the contractual language.
(God, I can't stand lawyers-turned-politicians)

Well I had to watch her meltdown at council TWICE...and still not able to understand much of anything she said....first she says she's probably the one person there most likely to have a heart attack and she HAD a health scare and drove herself to the hospital and her wards full of crime and blight and there's no way she will back down on the Morgan St. bridge and if we gotta get rid of cops and fire stations that's OK she won't let the ward down with that bridge and those unpaid fiefighters (sounds to me like she's advocating slavery or indentured servitude), well they should be minorities cuz they don't have hope cuz of crime and blight and this bridge is the ONLY future southwest Rockford can even dream of anymore.......sheeeesh

See, FIRST off, I just don't get why it's a fire station or the bridge. WHO EVEN SUGGESTED THAT?? Nowhere I can find anybody suggest that idea....must be a lawyer thought floating around the 7th/8th floor of cityhall.

Secondly, West State and South Main reconstruction ARE priorities...the West Side HAS been neglected for decades, but near as I can tell,despite McHervey and Ann Mortimer Thompson-Snerd blind allegiance to LarryBoy, I think it's STILL going on....and from what I hear that bridge woulda been DONE BY NOW if LarryBoy hadn't had it redesigned into a mini-Golden Gate and I suspect some bunch of insiders needed time to buy up all that crappy surrounding property so they can sell it at top-tax-dollar when demolition gets really underway.

And the final straw in all these baskets is LarryBoy's CIP mantra is all about 'leveraging' city funds against state funds. Ah, HHEEELLLLLOOOOO, McFly,anybody home??? THE STATE IS BROKE!!!

2010-06-24T16:24:00.000-07:00

Well, the details changed a bit, but LarryBoy seems hell-bent on sacrificing the safety of west-side residents....

"...Fire Station No. 8, at Auburn and Sherman streets, is targeted for closure July 1. That’s a change in plans from what was announced in May when city officials said Station No. 8 would lose its lone engine company but would still house an ambulance crew.

Chief Derek Bergsten also revealed this week that Station No. 3, at 1520 S. Main St., is targeted for closure on Jan. 1, which also is a change from plans to remove one of two engine companies from Station No. 1, at 528 Woodlawn Ave...."

Meanwhile, City Hall has no problem crowing about cutting cops and crime...
http://www.rrstar.com/news/publicsafety/x696774441/2-stage-armed-robbery-at-East-State-store
http://www.rrstar.com/news/publicsafety/x383299299/Two-at-large-in-Rockford-bank-robbery
http://www.rrstar.com/news/publicsafety/x1501908692/Family-fight-escalates-ends-with-stabbings-in-Rockford

Oh but that cost-over-run 'Streetscape' debacle...THAT'S where idiots want to SPEND MORE!!!
http://blogs.e-rockford.com/sweenyreport/2010/06/19/main-street-streetscape-needs-to-be-finished-pronto/

2010-05-28T16:39:00.000-07:00

So I'm remembering how LarryBoy used to campaign on 'we're ONE city,no more eastside/westside inequalities' and topped off with EXCELLENCE EVERYWHERE cowpie topping....
And I'm remembering we (Rockford School District) just got out from under the federal discrimination lawsuit....
So WTF LarryBoy with THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!
"...Rockford will eliminate a fire suppression crew July 1 at Station 8, 505 Sherman Ave. One of the two crews will be reduced Jan. 1 at Station 1, 528 Woodlawn Ave...."
Splendid...REDUCE FIRE PROTECTION ONLY ON THE WEST SIDE!!!!!
Brilliant,brilliant...INCREASE the response time to an area with older buildings,closer together,greatly increasing the possibilty for great property damage...
this flipping pinhead....
roll out the lawyers(methinks Ald. Venita Hervey was among the group that sued the schools when West High was closed)....
VERY GOOD!!@!

2010-05-20T15:01:00.000-07:00

All the 'doom&gloom' financial forecasts coming out of City Hall is cause for reflection on the 'legacy' of LarryBoy's Empire.
Think about it...BEFORE he even took office there was the Garrison TIF district,followed by here a TIF,there a TIF, everywhere a TIFTIF...
Matter of fact,THIS has GREATLY COMPOUNDED THE CITY DEBT...Bond payments coupled with frozen property tax income....for WHAT??? To improve PRIVATELY-OWNED REAL ESTATE...a large percentage of which are owned by FAMILY and CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTORS!!!!!!!!!!!
http://rockrivertimes.com/2010/05/19/rockfords-tif-report-card-negative-balances-will-drain-public-funds/

"... the source of such development funds—tax increment financing (TIF) districts—was the subject of a recent analysis by Andres Sammul, the city’s finance director. His prognosis was not especially rosy. ..TIF districts are often commenced with an infusion of cash through the issuance of bonds under the assumption the district will not only generate enough of an increment to eventually pay off the debt, but to provide some sort of benefit to lure investment

...

The primary reason for creation of the Garrison School TIF District was to aid in the redevelopment of the former Garrison School into residential lofts and adjacent row houses, spearheaded by then-civilian, now mayor, Larry Morrissey and his family. In addition to $1.5 million in TIF assistance, $700,000 in historic preservation tax credits helped make the project possible.

Despite the advances, Sammul reported, “This project is not built out as planned,” but noted the TIF “could be successful.”

If built out in the next year, the district will close in the black in 2028, he added. The district, which bears $2,155,568 in total debt service through 2023, presently shows a deficit of $284,300, which could be out of the red by 2027 with available funds in the amount of $220,000 in the TIF’s last year.

“For each year of delay, $100,000 will be lost,” Sammul warned, however. “Delay past 2011 may require a transfer from the General or Redevelopment funds for closeout.”

(another big expense since LarryBoy got spending was his pseudo-property-cops,the Code Enforcement Division. Drive past Garrison,north-side on Court St. and see the cars/trucks parked on gravel(a BIG violation), and piles of debris that would bring multiple fine$ to any regular citizen. It's good to be the King's Daddy)

(TO BE CONTINUED...)

2010-04-20T15:26:00.000-07:00

Couple items from last week add up to.....hhhmmmm!!

" Work is set to begin this summer on a $4.7 million redevelopment project...

Developer Chandler Anderson of Icon Development Group...is partnering on Midtown Lofts with Morrissey Realty Group, a business formed by Mayor Larry Morrissey and his father, Joe Morrissey. Since his election, the mayor has transferred his financial stake in the company to his parents. The duo have a similar partnership — the redevelopment of Garrison School — that introduced high-end rental units to the city’s near downtown Signal Hill neighborhood...."

Illegal???weellll, don't know for sure,but UNETHICAL as all get out!! Face it,LarryDaddy ain't no spring chicken....where's the estate gonna end up,you suppose???
(Word is,Dandy Chandy and LarryDaddy still owe big bucks to some of the sub-contractors that worked on Garrison, claiming cash flow problems...so most of the place sit UNFINISHED,a war-zone lot on 1100N.Court(where's the CodeEnforcementCops on THAT eyesore??)
So let's see,get that TIF advance for MidTown...finish Garrison??? find workers that are willing to take a chance of getting paid???
But I digress...
The interesting story came a couple days later...
"MACHESNEY PARK — The village has gained a 4-to-1 return on its investment in the redevelopment of the Illinois 173 and Illinois 251 intersection.The more than $7.6 million of public money invested in improvements since 1991 has generated more than $31.8 million in private investment, according to an annual financial report for the village’s first-ever tax increment finance district...."

See, LarryBoy is busy blaming the city's financial challenges on employees,schools,economy,blah,blah,blah...
But this guy,through TIF bond debt, HAS BROUGHT THE CITY TO THE BRINK...
Where's any kind of return-on-investment statement for the millions spent since he took office???new TIF, de-TIF, re-TIF, River district,Midtown,Eastside,Westside...everywhere a TIF tiff....back to story...
"...The district spurred the corridor’s development, even encouraging development outside the TIF boundaries, Mullins said....“...would Target have built across the street? Probably not. I think that’s a reasonable argument. That development, in my opinion, is a direct result of the TIF,” Mullins said. “All of that development east of Alpine (Road), would that have been there without that TIF? There’s reasonable argument that it would not have been.”...
See create a TIF, let development COME...don't run around creating TIF's WHERE THE DEVELOPER WANTS

Course,if the developer is Daddy.....excrement everywhere....

2010-04-07T14:41:00.000-07:00

So the real estate portfolio of the cash-strapped City of Rockford grew again with the WTF purchase of the old Amerock building downtown...
How's this..."River District Association Executive Director Kim Wheeler Johnsen... noting the district’s board of directors recently approved a resolution supporting the city’s purchase of the Amerock and Tapco buildings...."
WHAT changed in OUR CITY GOVERNMENT that gives two hoots what some collection of self-serving,tax-sucking bunch of downtown business whiners "resolves'?
Then I see #1 LarryBot "Applehead"Curran on TV saying it gives the city control over this prime riverfront property....Hey pinhead,stop drinking the cider mash and go look...it's several hundred feet WEST OF THE RIVERFRONT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ah, but LarryBoy didn't emerge unscathed....
Sunday's RRStar carried TWO one-time LarryBoy supporters bashing his overall scheme...
http://www.rrstar.com/opinions/letters/x1043115827/Anywhere-USA
"Mayor Morrissey cited several economic arguments in his successful 2005 campaign. One was to rehab downtown buildings, increasing their property taxes, eventually equalizing the disproportionate burden on northeast taxpayers.Campaign volunteers took those arguments to voters and helped win the election.B&B Properties put those principles to work, occupying the renovated Richardson Building in 2006. Today, we are working on the 600 block of Cedar.Modest in architecture, these buildings boast dramatic 360-degree views and one of early Rockford’s richest histories. Owned by the son of a French trapper and Indian princess, the land passed to Germanicus Kent. The block hosted a cemetery, railroad and Irish “patch,” morphing into the city breadbasket and final home of two renowned seed companies.Not riverfront properties on the cusp of the Water Power district that fueled our industrial growth like Tapco and Amerock, they have quiet merit.Now consider demolishing historic Cedar Street buildings from Avon Street right down to the river and throughout the city. This green alley will only serve to institutionalize tax inequities that aggravate today and convert Rockford into Anywhere, USA.City leaders: Please remember that 2005 wisdom. Buy and hold if you must, but do not convert revenue sources into public obligations."
— Marge Bevers, Rockford

AND...

"...So why on earth would our City Council even consider a plan that would spend $3 million and probably more to demolish these buildings and replace them with an open grassy field?It is no consolation whatsoever that the field would be a small addition to Davis Park. Each building’s footprint is only 150 feet by 150 feet. The intent of this plan — to prevent the city from being held hostage by future incompetent developers — would be accomplished merely by the city purchasing the buildings.It is a waste of money to demolish the buildings to achieve this goal. Don’t judge the viability of the buildings by the competence or, in this case, incompetence of past developers.Maybe the best thing for Rockford would be if the city just does not buy these buildings.The last five years have left me feeling proud that at last my city leaders had left behind the demolition-happy “urban renewal” days of the 1960s. But this wasteful, destructive proposal is a return to that failed mentality and, sadly, demonstrates that our leaders are losing confidence in Rockford’s future."

Gary Carlson owns a used-car dealership in Rockford. He was twice chairman of the Rockford Historic Preservation Commission. The Landmarks Preservation Council of Illinois honored him three years ago for his restoration of a 1908 home on North Second Street.

Rather refreshing(though probably too little too late)....

2010-03-28T11:41:00.000-07:00

So I really don't understand what's going on over at LarryDaddy's Garrison project.
Things have really been at a standstill for a long time now. Unfinished walls,unpaved driveways,no signs of any work being done.
And don't even let me get started on the Court St. empty block....piles of debris,dirt, weather-worn building materials....LarryBoy's "ExcellenceEverywhere"Code Coppers could write enough citations, might lift the city outta debt!
(Course won't see THAT...tain't what ya do, it's who your relations are...)
So I really can't understand the budget entries about the many TIF's either....

but they sure make things look swell...

"Garrison School TIF
• Despite the economy and pressure it has placed on high end rental units, they are currently
at 92% occupancy.
• Completed the shell of the main townhome building and Building F.
• Three weeks after placing one unit on the MLS, it was sold for the asking price.
• Acquired a two family home adjacent to the Garrison project and transformed the structure
from a habitual problem to one of the more desirable residences in the area.
• Landscaping was completed
• New sidewalks were installed"
(Of course, the sidewalks were done with 3rd Ward allotment money with the blessings of Dancin'Doug)
but later we read...

GARRISON TIF FUND 2011-2015 FINANCIAL FORECAST (IN 000'S)

Ending Balance ($348) 2015 ( gee, a THIRD OF A MILLION TAX DOLLARS IN THE RED!!!! that worked out well for the city...)

Guess we should just trust Silly Hall with buying more vacant buildings...(TAPCO, Amerock)

2010-03-20T14:07:00.000-07:00

So THIS just cracks me up...
"... City Legal Director Patrick Hayes argues that residents in some unincorporated areas would be better served by the city from a public safety standpoint.“In some of these areas, firetrucks may come from seven road miles away when we have trucks seven blocks away,” Hayes said. “It is not good government to be so inefficient when it comes to public safety.”...

THIS hypocritical administration has done everything in it's power to curtail PUBLIC SAFETY and PUBLIC WORKS services to the EXISTING city taxpayers and this tight-suited pinhead has the audacity to feign concern???????????

My word,man...
see this side-note...entitled...

Land-grab plan

so how is it this braintrust in the City Hall administration looks to forcibly annex additional area to the city, (which LOGICALLY will require MORE streets to maintain, MORE calls for police and fire,) yet continue to focus such large TAX-SUBSIDIES and ATTENTION to the "River District"?????????

truly, EXCREMENT EVERYWHERE....

2010-03-11T14:37:00.000-08:00

There's been a couple stories lately that just so clearly illustrate the LarryCandidateBoy and Mayor LarryBoy...

Here...
"...The city is going to spend nearly $150,000 on the feasibility study that will consist of 12-hour traffic volume counts, collection of physical data about the roads and intersections, evaluations of alternate routes, public input and a final report from TY Lin International and McClure Engineering Associates...."

AND YET we were sold...

"Action: It’s Time for Action: Moving Beyond the Studies and Task Forces.
Rockford has been studied, planned, and task forced to death. To get past the studies and start getting things done, we must have focused, direct, and accountable leadership..."

Oh,and how about...

"...Everyone needs to know that their mayor will fight for this City and not be compromised,
controlled, or conflicted. Running as an independent means that State and National politics will not control the Rockford agenda...."

OR...

"...The current administration has also designed an approach that has established a culture of dependancy instead of independence...."
(though I can't find direct quote, I also recall his statement 'Rockford can't look to Springfield to solve its' problems' blahblahblah...)

So where does he get off???

"...Mayor Larry Morrissey was in the House gallery to watch the governor speak. He, too, was disappointed in what he heard, especially the governor’s plan to reduce state funding to cities by $307 million. ..."

EXCREMENT EVERYWHERE!!!!!!!!

2010-03-03T14:45:00.000-08:00

Well, you know, NOTHING about LarryBoy's "Vision"(taxpayers' nightmares) for our city rivals his commitment to that confounded RIVERWALK...
http://www.rrstar.com/news/yourtown/rockford/x1520843463/Money-for-riverwalk-construction-plans-approved
"...As for the criticism the project has come under in the past week, Morrissey said his commitment to investing in the city’s urban core remains strong...."
Look, we've got at least $30mill tied up in the MetroCentre scam, $2mill for 2 STINKING BLOCKS of N.Main(upwards of $5+mill when[IF] it's done)!!! and now $4mill for his monument to
"Our long-term vision is to make Rockford’s riverfront a unique, exciting and attractive community resource that links City residents to our history, geography, economy and culture in mutally sustainable ways."
from http://www.ci.rockford.il.us/uploadedFiles/development/devsubpages/Summary%20report%20final%2020061206.pdf

Prepared by
Hitchcock Design Group(pssst,pinhead, it's MUTUALLY)
already got a lotta confidence in these clowns,sheesh....a PUBLISHED PAPER,big color page w/spelling errors? ever hear of "spellcheck"? If the architects/engineers make a couple math errors, this damn riverwalk could end up in New Milford!!!!!!!!!!And it goes without saying it WILL go over budget...

So anyway, there's fabulous renderings of the "Hallucination" and near as I can figure the projected $4million project’s signature cable-stayed bridge is a small arc into the river from behind the old Armory to Beattie Park,a necessary concession to those TRUE NIMBY's(Not In My BackYard)Indian Terrace residents when original plans upset this handful of "stakeholders"...(on a side note, I would swear the original compromise was supposed to be a "glorified" sidewalk along N.Main...hhmmmm)

"..Morrissey said his commitment to investing in the city’s urban core remains strong..."

commitment to investing
see, back when all these fabulouslyhipurbanWOWfactors were planned,it was all fine, I suppose, when the city's general fund had some $34million surplus, and investments were gaining returns, and we were only paying bond debt on 7 TIF districts,(not 25-30 or whatever it is now)...
So now we are bombarded with raising taxes and fees, cuts in staff that, in turn, reduce BASIC GOVERNMENT SERVICES, rising crime and unemployment
BUT, BY GOLLY, WE WILL HAVE A COMMITMENT TO INVESTING IN OUR URBAN CORE!!!!!!!!!

2010-02-23T04:45:00.000-08:00

Wanted to watch that Silly Council rerun tonight ,there was some nonsense going on with spending more TAX$$ on downtown studies, but think this deserves more immediate attention...
"...After working for years with police and this administration, I can say firsthand community policing works. Crime is down. The crimes that happen are lower-level...."
course, the author of this apple-polishing?...

John Weaver, advocate, Coronado/Haskell neighborhood, Rockford
yup,THAT John Weaver with his wife toted "Batman/Robin" signs to Council in support of LarryBoyChiefChet short-staffing policing...
And the reason was a personalized security presence,a security camera to monitor their neighborhood,etc. Sure, THOSE few blocks can claim "...Crime is down..." but who in the Sam Hill do they explain THIS???
"ROCKFORD — Police are investigating two apparently unrelated homicides that occurred early and late Sunday...."

Well,wasn't in their backyard, EVERYTHING IS EXCELLENT!!!!!!!!!!

a

2010-02-14T12:12:00.000-08:00

So the other nite,before Silly Council, they were interviewing Director of Public Works, Tim Hansen, asking about the impending snow and the budget.
So as the snow dragged on, I got to thinking...
SUPPOSE the "budget" runs out...does that mean NO plows would hit the streets...
likewise, police and fire budgets...they're running out....no more patrols of Weed'n'Seed???....blazing fire at some downtown establishment...no responders???
Is this what we are facing?
Bet they still pay the HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS in interest payments on all our TIF bonds...wouldn't want to jeopardize real estate "re-development"...or hip,urban lifestyles....toooo important to Rockford's future....

EXCREMENT EVERYWHERE........

2010-02-03T15:20:00.000-08:00

So, I see LarryBoy's PR machine been in hyperdrive this past week...

Rockford departments make changes to reduce use of overtime

The thing to take from this story? "....The bulk of Rockford’s savings in 2009 came from the Police Department, which reduced its overtime expenses by $1.1 million. ...Epperson’s overtime drop comes at a time when the department also is reporting a 12.8 percent decrease in the city’s overall crime rate for 2009, according to preliminary statistics. The 2009 numbers are the lowest the city has seen in the past decade...."
Seems in LarryWorld with ChiefChet, crime magically decreases when there are less cops on the streets...huh?
Oh, and lets focus on "A 2010 audit of city-owned vehicles showing the majority of the city’s fleet is in poor condition came as no surprise to aldermen who have been fielding complaints from police officers and other city employees for months regarding the declining condition of vehicles."

See,I used the manhole photo again, custom-designed with the"branded,hip,urban,city logo..."
because they mention these vehicles doing the real citizens' work,(cop cars,fire trucks,public works equipment) but no mention of the dozens of LIKE-NEW cars and vans set aside for city hall suits...I see an entire lot at the se corner of 2nd St. and Walnut, plenty of those new WIFI laptop-equipped slathered allover with that sillywavylinelogo...then there's MORE cars,vans, SUV's sitting in that lot next to the Midway Theater...now so many of these cars sit for DAYS, covered with snow going nowhere...LarryBoy wasted taxe$$ sitting while emergency vehicles rust apart...
EXCREMENT EVERYWHERE!!!!!!!!!!!

And finally, an organized,hand-picked,self-serving corporate welfare whores,
Chairman Peter Provenzano
Scott E. Eckburg
Jeffrey J. Kaney
Danny Lorden
Catherine M. McDermott(Occupation: Campaign administrator, Citizens for Morrissey)
Fred S. Sabet
"...an organization of business and civic leaders formed by Mayor Larry Morrissey and SupplyCore CEO Peter Provenzano...."(guess whose families own numerous downtown properties looking to score)
"...The effort to develop a new plan for downtown is being financially backed by contributions from the Rockford Housing Authority, Greater Rockford Authority Airport Board, Rockford Area Economic Development Council and the Rockford Local Development Corporation...." this is ALL TAX-SUPPORTED QUASI-GOVERNMENTAL AGENCIES with board members ALL APPOINTED BY LARRYBOY!!!!!!!!!!!
EXCELLENT!!!!!!!

2010-01-28T15:21:00.000-08:00

Well it just goes on in LarryWorld....
the heated debate over video poker was that stuff of drama,huh?
What Ikind of hoping was a tie vote with LarryBoy casting the deciding vote...now there's a thought...which way would he go?
Keep in mind,
the pro-poker group was, near as I could tell...
"...gambling opponents were outnumbered by the strong building trade presence urging aldermen not to opt out of video gambling. Brad Long, president of the Northwestern Illinois Building & Construction Trades Council..."
WELL?
http://www.elections.il.gov/CampaignDisclosure/ItemizedContrib.aspx

Northern Illinois Building Contractor's Association	1111 S. Alpine Rd. Ste. #202 Rockford, IL 61108	$10,000.00 3/18/2009	Individual Contribution Citizens for Morrissey
Northern Illinois Building Contractor's Association	1111 S. Alpine Rd. Ste. #202 Rockford, IL 61108	$2,500.00 3/30/2009	Individual Contribution Citizens for Morrissey

guess we know....huh?

THEN, a setback for Lar on the choo-choo front...
"...Morrissey was livid that the area didn’t receive more funding...."
(but daddy, I WANT A TRAIN!!!!!)

and finally....
"After fighting for more than three years to keep secret a controversial survey that portrayed the Police Department leadership and at times the mayor in a negative light, Mayor Larry Morrissey released the survey today...The court also ordered the city to pay the attorney’s fees incurred by the police union.
Morrissey said he did not have figures stating how much the city spent in attorney fees in its effort to keep the survey private...."

Why should he have those figures,it's ONLY TAXPAYER DOLLARS in a time of "budget crisis"...

2010-01-14T00:59:00.000-08:00

Just such typical a BizarroWorld week in LarryBoy's Empire.........
LarryBoy's hand-picked "advisory"board toots the same horn, Privatize......
check THIS...
"...Rockford’s organizational and staffing structure is similar to what was commonly found in 1950s-era businesses... City staff, in turn, often perform services that have little to do with “core government functions.”...."

What a flippin'concept!!!!CORE GOVERNMENT FUNCTIONS...........imagine that,
HHhhhmmmm, let's think....
PUBLIC safety(police and fire)
PUBLIC works(streets,repairs,water)
that's about as 'core' as it gets.......

see, with these tough economic times, THAT'S where the focus should be,agreed?

So you already know what's next....
".... The estimated $33 million convention center would take public investment...."

Oh, that's right, LarryBoy's 'core government functions' run more towards,bond debt,real estate development(bond debt) and sports team ownership(bond debt)...........

See, when LarryBoy was a mere 'candidate', he railed against the property tax rate, and sold the public on a sales tax increase for property tax relief. See, but every LarryBoy Vision requires MORE stinking new bond sales,paid by..........YOU GUESSED IT!!!!!!! INCREASED PROPERTY TAXES!!
Classic money shot quote..."“We need to think about our future,” Morrissey said. “This is our chance to leave a legacy for our children.” "

DEBT DEBT DEBT screw the libraries,kids don't need BOOKS and READING.......("...nearly 300 jobs in the hospitality industry...") to work part-time making beds and cleaning toilets.........

2010-01-08T13:51:00.000-08:00

So this whole New Year thing, folks reminince about the past year,well I was thinking about my original thread, "LarryBoy in his own words, for what it's worth - "
(somehow,I 'lost' access to this forum,yet the 35 pages spanning 2 years of LarryBoy's reign of "Excrement Everywhere" are somehow still available.

See, they had a "view count" and maybe I was egotistical, but I kept count at times and near the end of my ability to use that forum, it was common to log over 1000 visits per day.(shoulda sold advertising)

This here blog, I MAY have 17-20 readers after a NEW post, then fewer as the days go by. Maybe that's why I've failed to be more consistent in weekly observations,I don't know.

But I've decided, whether 2 views or 2000, a critical look at this administration NEEDS to be out "THERE"
(not that MY opinion is all that important, but the way the local media, such as it is,WNTA, Register Star, and even the Rock River Times(once an independant voice) alternately kiss LarryBoy's heiny or stifle the facts....well there SHOULD be a record......
Anyway, my resolution is to return to at least weekly entries, more if incidents desrve follow-up...

You do not lead by hitting people over the head - that's assault, not leadership.
Dwight D. Eisenhower

2009-12-29T16:53:00.000-08:00

Another snow job observation....

So I went down to the North End Coffee Bar,at Main& Auburn, during one of last week's measurable precipitation events and saw the owner in the MUNICIPAL PARKING LOT, shoveling a path from some parking stalls to his shop entrance.

Got me thinking how, word is from the Chuckster's reports, LarryBoy takes his morning caffiene fix at the hipster "Octane" on the newly christened 'Main Streetscape'....

So I take my cup of joe and motor to the bustling center of town....

it was so strangely ABSURD!!!!!!!

There, patrolling those 2-$3million blocks, was a "City of Rockford" smaller truck, with what appeared to be a BRAND-SPANKING NEW SALT SPREADER AND PLOW!

And it wasn't dropping good old rock salt,no no no...it spread that blue top-dollar sidewalk salt,the GOOD STUFF....the J.R.Kortman and Octane customers were treated to a pristine 2 blocks,front door parking(BUT NEITHER WERE OPEN)

And to add to the Fellini-esque landscape, Main St.,both north and south of this vacant clearing-in-the-snowfall, were snow-covered wastelands...now THAT'S SOME EXCREMENT EVERYWHERE!!!

2009-12-20T12:39:00.000-08:00

Couple things been on my mind....
THIS has been an ongoing saga....
MY opinion,the city workers on main streets do a good job, but the neighborhood plowing has really sucked since Rockford Blacktop stopped bidding and Rabine"... which has held the contract for the past couple of years..." took over.
So it's a shame "...Palka submitted the lowest bid in October but didn’t get the contract. She testified in court that she first was told she won, then heard a flurry of reasons why she didn’t: She failed to fill out the application properly, or she didn’t provide enough information, or her firm just couldn’t handle the job.
Palka has worked major contracts for the state but has never held a municipal snow removal contract. She says she can do the work and plans to put in a second bid....."

This city is so full of that shady bid process, always seems the city finds these "technicalities", remember the paver sidewalk deal?
for THIS...
"...A three-vehicle convoy led by Mayor Larry Morrissey honked horns and waved Friday morning as it drove down Main Street.
What used to be the downtown pedestrian mall, a two-block stretch from Elm to Mulberry streets, was open to drivers for the first time since 1975.....Portions of the road will be periodically closed as work is still to be completed as more lighting, landscaping and benches will be added by spring. In fact, the section from State to Elm was closed Friday after the mayor’s convoy passed...."

WHY BOTHER?
SHOWMANSHIP for LarryBoy and Dancin'Doug....
and check out the video...thought we had a NOISE ORDINANCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!
oh,and at the end of the vid,you know how youtube shows other clips below? Most are cities celebrating their new PEDESTRIAN PLAZA/MALL's in THEIR revitalized downtown....
Excellence Anywhere?????

2009-12-12T12:44:00.000-08:00

Remember this post of mine,aug past????....

"...That's right CUSTOM manhole covers!!!!Now we'll hear about ' it's a separate fund',or 'they were ordered BEFORE we knew times would be tight' blah,blah,yada,yada....but BULLCRAP!!This administration has a penchant for spending top dollar on useless,"imaging" and "branding" and "trademarking" and really has no concern for "... us being able to sustain the best services at the best price.” "
So I'm watching those sub-contracted doofus plowdrivers for Rabine, and there appears that trademark of "Municipal EXCELLENCE",CITY OF ROCKFORD,with the sqigglyblue/brown stripes, on these big,white,magnetic signs, stuck on the pickup trucks....and what really made me laugh was knowing how LarryBoy is so...I don't know,"fastidious" about appearances,and this trademark Rockford logo is crooked on the rusted heap, something Uncle Remus maybe traded to Jethro Bodine for a pot of Granny's possum stew and a jug a 'lightning'...
and here that rolling-tetanus-delivery-system cruises back and forth,back and forth, around the crown jewel of Rockford hip urban living,Garrison Lofts....
now THAT'S some 'EXCELLENCE'....pass them vittles Ellie Mae....

2009-12-07T15:06:00.000-08:00

Now, we all are THRILLED by this,huh.....
"ROCKFORD — Rockford MetroCentre officials on Friday accepted terms of a $2 million loan and a $500,000 line of credit from PNC Bank, the culmination of months of work to dig the downtown venue out of a financial hole.MetroCentre Authority board members approved the terms during a special board meeting at the arena. Earlier this week, Rockford City Council agreed to cosign the loan because the MetroCentre could not secure ample credit alone....."

I'm SSOOOOOO happy THEY agreed to let the city assume more debt on their behalf....
"...Treasurer Brian Peterson said the credit line gives the MetroCentre some breathing room and will allow officials to concentrate on scheduling the best shows and concerts instead of struggling to meet day-to-day financial obligations...."

Now I can't help but wonder...if the new IceHog-graphic Chevy HHR sitting in front of Dancin'Doug Mark's home is part of that "struggle"....

2009-11-28T05:56:00.000-08:00

So LarryBoy got back....
"...In a news conference today at City Hall, Morrissey said government and business must play a significant role forging relationships with their overseas counterparts if places like Rockford are to get out from under the current economic stress and achieve sustainable growth.
Morrissey has been an advocate of developing relationships with business and government leaders around the globe with recent trips to China and Sweden, all while making connections with officials in Chicago and throughout the state.
“These subnational governments, these regions, are becoming more and more relevant players in our world economy,” Morrissey said...."
and there's some so quick to rally for him...
"...

Chuck Sweeny

Yeah, let's require mayors never to go north of Loves Park or south of Davis Junction, west of 'Bago and east of Belvidere. Let's see how that brings in the international business.

finny

Chuck Sweeny, I totally agree with you. The mind-set of some or should I say most of the people posting here is disgusting. If they could not complain, they would not have anything to say. Thanks for your comment, Chuck....."
Fine,bootlickers, but REALLY... he's been globetrotting since he got elected,we've got more "sister cities" than they can keep up with and what is there to show for it?
Millions in tax$$ giveaways to that Chinese company to destroy wetlands out by the airport and none of the promised jobs.
Larryboy talks all this 'government like a business' crap...where's the return on investment???WHEN'S the return on investment???

WHEN'S the return on investment???

2009-11-23T17:05:00.000-08:00

So I'm just still just floored by the hypocrisy evident in the Rockford Register Rag....
see, when LarryBoy and Chief Chet LIE TO THE CITIZENS...we get excuses....
"...Winnebago County, with Rockford feeding it, has the highest crime rate in Illinois — again. There was a one-year break in the top spot in 2007 when Winnebago County saw a 12.8 percent drop and the city of Rockford saw its rate drop 14.4 percent, according to Illinois Uniform Crime Reporting statistics....
It was just last month that headlines touted serious crime was down 17.6 percent in Rockford, according to data released by the city. When less serious crimes were included, crime was down 8.1 percent from 2008...."

they go on with THIS kinda crap..."In 2006, when the department started using the system, Epperson said it would help him use more hard data and analysis and less anecdote and gut instinct to combat crime.

That’s the way police work should be done.

For the layman, however, the data may not be as useful, especially when it is not put in context.

If you’re confused, that’s OK. Again, the most important question is: Do you feel safe in your own neighborhood? In the parts of town you visit?"

Just SAY IT....LARRYBOY AND HIS CHIEF LIED!!!

2009-11-17T14:03:00.000-08:00

Just a little update to the Larry/Chet/Lie....
http://www.rrstar.com/news/publicsafety/x687824447/Property-offenses-drive-rise-in-crime-rate
"...The recent release of the Illinois State Police Uniform Crime Report shows Winnebago led the state’s 102 counties in 2008 with 5,860 acts of crime per 100,000 population..... Almost single-handedly driving the county’s crime rate is the city of Rockford, which experienced a 10 percent spike in crime.
“What Rockford does, so goes the county,” said Karen Lytwyn, a former community researcher...."
Ah,but there's EXCUSES...
"Quarterly crime statistics have been presented at City Council meetings showing how crime has decreased this year over last year. However, it was not widely known by the public that crime in 2008 was up considerably over 2007 until the release of the uniform crime report.
“We knew what the numbers were,” Epperson said. “We track them on a daily basis. You can’t wait a year later to make adjustments.”
So he's been LYING TO US????
Say it ain't SOOOO LarryBoy!

2009-11-08T14:47:00.000-08:00

So it doesn't seem THAT long ago,LarryBoy and ChiefChet were again crowing about their continual DECREASE in crime...
they were even pulling cops from the schools...
and then still down...

WHY does the media IGNORE the reality??
the GANG PROBLEM in Rockford is nearing critical stage, yet NO ONE...LarryBoy,ChiefChet, the RRStar dare tell the TRUTH....what DO we get?

"A data-driven approach to governing is helping the city improve everything from neighborhood lighting and pothole patching to graffiti abatement and parking enforcement, Assistant City Administrator Julia Scott-Valdez told members of a budget advisory panel today...."

Impressed??WOWED? then, with all due respect,
YOU'RE A BUNCH OF PINHEADS!!

2009-11-01T05:37:00.000-08:00

So, I been battling the "bug" going round and haven't been posting in a timely manner, but there's actually a lot going on under the radar....

..."The Rockford Area Economic Development Council gave the development partnership endeavor $75,000 in May, and Rockford Local Development Corp. has pledged $10,000...."

That "deal" I mentioned in my last post seemed MORE LOADED but couldn't remember why...well...

"...Business was booming a year ago at Rockford Local Development Corp., the nonprofit agency that aims to boost the economic welfare of the Rockford area... expects RLDC to write off about $4.4 million in bad loans for fiscal 2009..."

Oh yeah...you know too, (looking back for the documentation) but THAT'S(RLDC) was the "holding" group for that $10 million the city set aside to buy those flooded homes that NOW they're trying to get federal money to tear down....
And of course, the RAEDC, another group of LarryBots, THEY get all kinds of OUR TAX DOLLARS....(They paid for LarryBoy's China trip, so he has the AUDACITY to claim "no taxpayer money was used)...

...legalese lying....

2009-10-26T15:19:00.000-07:00

Well, FOR NOW, LarryBoy has stopped (publicly)hating on his employees...
His attention turns to his first love...that TAX DOLLAR BLACK HOLE he likes to call..........DEVELOPMENT!!!

"ROCKFORD — A new nonprofit group that aims to revive Rockford’s riverfront and older neighborhoods — and build an investment fund to fuel the rejuvenation — is asking two government agencies to chip in $150,000.

The Rockford Housing Authority board heard a pitch Thursday from members of the Rock River Development Partnership, headed by SupplyCore CEO Peter Provenzano. RHA board members liked the idea of a $75,000 contribution to the group’s effort, but withheld a formal vote pending a written agreement outlining responsibilities and expectations from both parties.

The Greater Rockford Airport Authority Board is considering its own $75,000 contribution to the endeavor, and a decision could come as early as next week...."

Now keep in mind... HE appoints the Boards....

AIRPORT AUTHORITY, BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

MEMBERS:

Bharat Puri, City Representative

Gwyn Gulley, City Representative

Pete Provenzano, City Representative(know how HE will vote)

HOUSING AUTHORITY

MEMBERS (City representatives):

Virginia Starks

Ricardo Cervantes

Chandler Anderson(Garrison Loft project manager,etc.)

Phyllis Ginestra

David A. Sidney

So SupplyCore(Provenzano's) keep on keeping on............

2009-10-14T06:14:00.000-07:00

From My Stateline...
"

The fate of downtown Rockford's pedestrian mall has finally been decided. Main Street is being reopened to two-way traffic. But the construction is causing many downtown business owners to question their own fate.

Right now, it's nearly impossible to access the businesses along the stretch of construction.

"It sounds like it's been delayed and the street will not be poured until next year," says Chris Wachowiak, the owner of Kryptonite Bar. "That just scares the heck out of me."...

"You can reach it from say State Street this week, but not from Mulberry or Elm streets, and then it changes every few days," he describes. "It gets a little confusing and difficult to plan and advertise."...
Downtown Alderman, Doug Mark, acknowledges the challenge. But he believes the short-term pain will be worth the long term gain. He vows to do all he can to keep the project moving. "We need to stay on it, put pressure on it, make sure it gets done as soon as possible," he says.

But those who've invested in downtown, think more could be done to help them manage the loss of revenue.

"I spent $8,000 on fencing," Wachowiak says. "It's going to cost me a couple grand to replace it. There's no assessment for that. No assessment for the loss of revenue from not having a patio."...

So there it goes...more DOWNTOWN WHINING by LarryBots...and it SURE SOUNDS like they got their hands out,huh?
Now, I must believe this fellow has no sense of REALITY...we are in the midst of a RECESSION, pinhead, EVERYBODY'S BUSINESS is down...and recent history should have prepared the lot of them...how many other major road reconstructions have spawn similar stories...N.Main business district has never really recovered from tearing that up,(John St. to Auburn) and VERY RECENTLY there was the Kishwaukee access stories....deal with it, buddy. And Dancin'Doug is lying thru his teeth(unless, HE's really THAT IGNORANT!!!)
See, there was PLENTY OF EVIDENCE this project would take MUCH MORE TIME AND MONEY than the citizens were led to believe....remember the "underground vaults"???...they were NEVER SURE HOW MANY there actually ARE....they said 'couldn't be sure' of what they might find....matter of fact, HERE'S MO'MONEY(LarryFriend)....
http://www.ci.rockford.il.us/uploadedFiles/government/CityCouncil/Agendas/Archives/2009/cc9.21.09.pdf
"23. Alderman Beck read a Finance and Personnel Committee Report recommending the
Engineering Agreement Amendment: Downtown Streetscape be made to Homer L.
Chastain & Associates for an additional $52,042.00 for a total not to exceed cost of
$401,533.00 for additional design engineering and construction inspection. The funding source for this project is Sales Tax funds."

(Course, SOMEHOW, this will be BLAMED ON THE UNIONS and their wage freezes...)

2009-10-11T03:58:00.000-07:00

Well...seems like LarryBoy kinda stepped in his own doodo...
he apparently pens this blistering attack on Ald. Carl Wasco , our economy, our state legislature, and past union contracts, snow storms and budget shortfalls , WHEW...
BUT,seems this diatribe was planned BEFORE good "Old TightSuit" Hayes came thru....
"ROCKFORD — The union representing nearly 300 union firefighters agreed to a two-year wage freeze Friday, ending a tense bargaining impasse with city officials..."

Matter of fact, though I didn't see the RRStar rag itself, a commenter online states, ".... I wasn't even sure I was reading the same article, as the one in the paper starts out with the mayor expressing gratitude to the firefighters union for the tentative agreement reached Friday. Nowhere in there is Carl Wasco's name mentioned. Did the mayor write two versions of this, or was this how the RRS chose to edit, and if so, why? Are online readers being baited by the construction of articles emphasizing personal attacks?...".

Well, in LarryBoy's Empire, facts and HIS statements remain fluid,ever-adapting to his whim...
I still can't get over his continual "... We will have spent approximately $12 million of our reserves due to snow storms and budget shortfalls over the last two years...."
SO WHY DOES NO ONE QUESTION THIS $12million 'shortfall'? I'll tell you why...the LarryBoy pet projects...hockey team,MetroCentre,non-producing TIF districts, increased bureaucracy,etc.etc., are the REASONS plain and simple....And no one will tell the lil emporer he has no clothes!!!!!

2009-10-08T17:15:00.000-07:00

Well, the WAR IS ON!!!!
"...“It’s an ultimatum everyone has been handed,” Morrissey said. “It’s an economic ultimatum, so the word might absolutely be appropriate.”....Ald. Carl Wasco, D-4, said he is concerned because the city intends to keep the share of property taxes that had been for garbage to spend on other expenses....Wasco said aldermen have sought alternatives or a compromise on the fee increase and layoffs, but nothing has come of those requests. ... “The answer we have gotten (from the mayor) is that, ‘If I have to, I’ll lay them off.’ We don’t have a choice, and if we don’t give him the $3, he will lay them off,” Wasco said. “It sounds to me like it’s his way or the highway.”..."
Gee, makes me wonder if Wasco's been paying attention to the last 5 years of LarryRule...
LarryBoy's put his mark (and thousands upon thousands of TAX DOLLARS) on every pet project he's unveiled, from that ridiculous city logo, n Center, Adam Smith, Cyndie Hall, Code Enforcement "cops" with the top of line wifi notebook computers,, Blackberrys for every two-bit supervisor, buying a hockey team, overspending on upgrades to the still un-finished MetroCentre,tearing out the Mall in the middle of a recession, MILLIONS of dollars thrown at "developers" for more unfinished downtown hip,urban downtown lofts,............sheesh where DID all the money go??
Those greedy unions...

2009-10-05T13:20:00.000-07:00

So THIS was the biggest load of manure YET.....
"...Morrissey is reaching out to the community, recruiting bankers, accountants, developers, clergy and other private-sector leaders to advisory committees to help solve looming city budget problems. "...
the LarryLoveFest goes on and on, culminating with,perhaps the most ironically arrogant LarryBot..." Ryan Brauns, a sometime adviser to the mayor and a member of his budget advisory panel. “Will Larry ever be the most personable guy? Probably not,” said Brauns, whose family firm, Rockford Consulting & Brokerage, is paid by the city to restructure its employee health insurance benefits...."
An excellent look at the "advisory" committee was done by Stuart Wahlin at "The Rock River Times" not only does he show the many political and financial ties to many of these "experts" to LarryBoy and his campaign/policies, he also warns of this type of claptrap...."media" invovled in this committee..."media" as in The Register Star, Campaign Propaganda for the New Millennium !!!!
(And once again I wonder what useful purpose this bunch of LarryBots serve when Patrick Hayes has been all over proclaiming the 7% Solution????)
Ecelence...at 7% cut,baby....

2009-10-02T02:06:00.000-07:00

A random realization I had overnite is when LarryBoy was at Council before he went to Rescue Rockford with Chinese investment, he made a big deal out of ' in my absence,Jim Ryan assumes all duties/responsibilities pursuant to my office...blah,blah,blah' but all week, especially on WNTA, Patrick(TightSuit)Hayes has been pitchman for the new NEGOTIATION TACTIC of the administration....EVERYBODY TAKES ROLLBACKS.... WalMart City Management!!!!!!

So there's some kinda crap...
"Community Development Department: Laying off five employees, ...that reaction time to weed enforcement would likely be diminished.(so it's becoming WINTER and weeds stop growing anyhowright? They don't bother to enforce codes at GarrisonMorrisseyLofts...weeds,debris,parking on gravel...plenty of FINE REVENUE untapped THERE.....)

Rockford Fire Department: Chief Derek Bergsten reports that overtime costs will outweigh the savings from laying off eight firefighters.... “Services to the citizens of Rockford will not be affected immediately as a result of the layoffs (because) the minimum staffing requirement is mandated,” Bergsten writes.(BRILLIANT Lar,brilliant...)

Human resources: Compensation and Benefits Manager Kim Ryan reports that one employee will be laid off Friday..... but will mean the work must be redistributed to other workers who already have a full plate, “particularly as we approach our busiest time of the year.”(not sure what THAT means...but hiring freeze been in place,most the other work has been contracted out) (LarryBoy's bud Brauns MAKES MONEY on employee insurance premiums!EXCELLENT!)
Legal department: Left vacant is a position that an attorney resigned in May in anticipation of cutbacks. The savings are estimated at $76,823. The department is down to seven attorneys from nine at the start of 2008.....(but keep in mind,this department's budget has nearly doubled since Legal Director Patrick Hayes came in...AND they too have done extensive outsourcing...)

Mayor’s office: City Administrator Jim Ryan reports that the mayor’s office is leaving three positions vacant....(Ah,but there's plenty other CREATED LarryBoy positions...oh,and I suppose those fabulous "savings"..." $265,749, including a receptionist, director of education and director of tourism."...include the $30-40k RAISE LarryBoy slipped to Adam Smith(remember HIM?)...and the director of tourism,Cyndie Hall,taking a retirement package, STILL GETS A CHECK FROM THE CITY under a different scam....word is Einar Forsman,previous City Administrator ALSO STILL receives "consultant "fees"....)

With these extreme sacrifices at these levels, just can't imagine how the city will function....
Ahhhh, LarryBoy's Empire!!!!!!

2009-09-30T14:29:00.000-07:00

ROCKFORD — Mayor Larry Morrissey’s administration will lay off 30 employees this week in a sweeping reduction of labor across city departments,... The cuts are an attempt to reduce long-term, “structural” labor costs the city can no longer afford, officials said.

Gee,"STRUCTURAL",huh?....
like for instance....you keep hearing about those "unreasonable, union contract raises"...
what you DON'T hear is the non-union employees typically recieve TWO raises a year...first of the year they receive the 3.5%-4% increase( the same NEGOTIATED by the unions) BUT then in June/July they receive a "merit" raise....(they couldn't pull it off this year with the attention drawn to "fiscal responsibilities"....HOWEVER, do we hear that from 2007-2008 Patrick ("if everyone takes a 7%cut) Hayes saw his salary go from $119,600.00 to $131,476.80....
or Chester (we'll be fine with fewer cops) Epperson went from$117,416.00 to $$128,169.60....
and by the way...you also realize, don't you, that all these City Hall-types ALSO have pension plans the city pays into.... (and it's a PERCENTAGE of salary...higher the salary,higher the DOLLAR AMOUNT the City kicks in....)

2009-09-27T03:10:00.000-07:00

Really intended to comment on THIS CRAP....
yesterday, so today works,huh?
"ROCKFORD — A path took shape today for a budget advisory group that’s awash in unfamiliar statistics but armed with considerable private-sector financial experience. Mayor Larry Morrissey’s City Budget and Finance Advisory Group met for a second time and brought some focus to its ambitious mission to find recommendations that would disentangle the city from projected budget deficits. Made up of more than a dozen financial experts and business leaders, the group was asked to come up with a report by the end of November.

At stake are not only city finances, but also perhaps what level of services, from police and fire to library and public works, is provided by Rockford...."

(Excellent services?maybe not so much ...)
And check THIS "...Meanwhile, the group noted a growing divide between the income of Rockford residents and city employees. The median family income of Rockford residents was $47,491 in 2007, the lowest in a group of eight comparable Illinois cities.

Committee members compared that statistic with what Rockford employees make. Salary and benefits for the average Rockford firefighter combined total $115,193 a year; for the average police officer, it’s $104,486 and for the average nonpublic safety city employee, $74,935, according to information provided by city officials. ..." nice littles apples to oranges, there "TightSuit"Hayes....
OOO,OOO, this is GREAT....
"...Cutting health costs
Advisory group members said wellness, risk management and safety programs could be a way to reduce long-term health insurance costs.
Ryan Brauns of Rockford Consulting & Brokerage said companies have encouraged employee participation in wellness programs that encourage healthy lifestyles, improved nutrition and exercise through incentives and even surcharges for not participating.
“What we would like to deploy is a reward-based system,” Brauns said....."(See the 'companies' well that's HIS and his daddy's and THEY MAKE A PERCENTAGE OFF EVERY INSURANCE PREMIUM....

(Coming next...COMMENTS on the story....)

2009-09-26T05:36:00.000-07:00

Recent letters to the editor...
nothing to add....

The idea of reducing the number of firefighters and police officers should not even be under consideration.

Aldermen need to take a long, hard look at their responsibilities to the citizens of our city. In this time of continuing revenue declines, aldermen have a difficult and thankless job.

Nevertheless, it is the job they campaigned for, and now they make the difficult decisions.

This would be a good time for them to participate in a training session on the responsibilities of city elected officials and ask the citizens what their service priorities are.

Maybe they might learn how to prioritize city services and make those difficult decisions.

I hope we could agree that the top priority, at any time, is public safety. The community can understand and learn to live with slower snow removal, but delays in 911? Outrageous!

— Julie Elliott, Rockford
The city wants to lay off police officers and firefighters and cut back on plowing this winter while raising taxes. These are public safety services we’re told are Priority No. 1.

During the mayor’s first election campaign, he pledged to increase city services while not raising taxes. The city should give these groups the chance to reduce their budgets as was given the library folks before layoffs are done.

Rockford has the highest unemployment in the state and one of the highest crime rates. Unemployed people with reduced income equals increased crime.

Chief Epperson says the layoffs will not jeopardize public safety. If that’s the case, why weren’t more police laid off earlier to save money? So be it.

If Rockford can find money to build a riverwalk, which in large part is not even close enough to the river to see it, we should be able to figure this out.

The mayor and his staff will most likely never have a better chance to really shine as now during these tough times. Show us what you got.

— G. Lee Cecil, Rockford

2009-09-24T02:21:00.000-07:00

Lotta EXCELLENCE going on, huh?....
Check it...
LarryBoy SLASHES basic city services cuz the city's broke BUT..."The Rockford City Council’s finance & Personnel Committee recommended an amendment to an engineering agreement previously awarded to Homer L. Chastain & Associates in 2008. Per the amendment, Chastain is to be paid an additional $52,042 for its work related to the downtown streetscape project,...
" AND "...Aldermen authorized the issuance of $2.7 million in general obligation bonds for “financing various economic development and government projects.”..."

Couple things to think about....
Remember LarryBoy's couple of "FORCED ANNEXATIONS"? THAT increased the city's property tax base,right?
And there's been recent news about citizens protesting their taxes and it's explained how assessments are from last year when real estate values were peaking,remember?
SOOOOO, does not logic dictated that the city's PROPERTY TAX take should be UP? We don't hear about that, do we....
Another thing...
Keep hearing how public safety wages and benefits are eating up 60-75-80% of the city budget, right?
So what's up with THIS?

City of Rockford, Illinois
2006 Budget -- Where The Money Goes
$225.9 Million -- All Funds
Other $14.6 Million 7%
Capital Projects $51.2 Million 23%
Human Services $21.0 Million 9%
Community Development $13.2 Million 6%
Public Safety $74.1 Million 33%
Public Works $37.5 Million 17%
Debt Service $14.3 Million 6%
(2005-$202.4 Million)
And THIS...

City of Rockford, Illinois
2009 Budget -- Where The Money Goes
$240.7 Million -- All Funds
Other $15.1 Million 6.3%
Capital Projects $51.7 Million 21.5%
Debt Service $14.1 Million 5.9%
Human Services $22.9 Million 9.5%
Community Development $12.9 Million 5.3%
Public Safety $81.2 Million 33.7%
Public Works $42.9 Million 17.8%

So look(there's these dandy pie charts at those links....LarryBoy LOVES pie charts and bar graphs), if Public Safety and Public Works on these reports total 50-51%...where do they make up their other inflated numbers???
Is the graphic lying (or are those lawyers in City Hall lying??)

YOU decide....

2009-09-22T14:37:00.000-07:00

I want to watch the replay tonite of Mon.'s council meeting before I comment, but I caught some of Ald. Venita(LarryBot)Hervey on WNTA and see made claims I found hard to believe so I did some checking...
She played Defense for the LarryBoy Spend-all-you-Can Budget Process...' no one could forsee the current financial mess....
Now, I'm no accountant, but looking at the city financial information...from the 2007 budget
"...the last few years have been more challenging because of lower than anticipated elastic revenues as a result of the slowing economy....This five-year budget forecast indicates annual deficits for the entire period...."
Not much difficulty understanding THAT....
And THIS stuff 2007 CAFR..." The decrease is primarily the result of slowing growth in elastic revenues. Elastic revenues are those revenues that tend to change with economic conditions such as, sales tax, use tax, state income tax, and personal property replacement tax. As a result of a slow down in the state and local economy, revenue from sales taxes finished $1,485,778 below the budgetary estimate...."
Bullcrap 'couldn't forsee it'....DIDN'T WANT TO STOP THE DEBT TRAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-09-20T05:19:00.000-07:00

Layoffs and takeoffs.....seems LarryBoy took the next step in his union-busting program by having "Hachetman" Hayes penned layoff letters to at least 20 union employees.... (This pinhead concept that government can be run like a business is such a scam...inconsistent applications of "principles"...isn't there something about "return on investment" in business jargon? Most targeted layoffs recently hired fire and police (trained on the city dime)...great protection of AN INVESTMENT, eh?...
Meanwhile...LarryBoy leaves town... "traveling with delegations to China..."(Does he think he can outsource jobs to save the city from those pesky unions?)

Also notable... "About 1,000 people walked from City Hall to the Winnebago County Criminal Justice Center to show their support for Rockford police officers Stan North and Oda Poole and give thanks to all law enforcement officers...." Seems nowhere is there any mention of those self-proclaimed "community activist" LarryBots - THE WEAVERS....every news coverage ALWAYS seems to seek out their comments....hhhmmmm....don't suppose these NO.1 fans of ChiefChet's policies (their own Batman), beneficiaries of personalized police protection for their neighborhood, don't suppose they were ABSENT.....say it ain't so John....

2009-09-17T01:59:00.000-07:00

"...Mayor Larry Morrissey warned that layoffs were possible as the city confronts a financial crisis. It wasn’t a bluff:.."
And so the "story" goes...wait, this is NOT a "news" story...it's plain and simple propaganda...this whole "layoff" bit was quite obviously a negotiating TOOL....
LarryBoy continues "...the unions could offer to accept a pay cut to save jobs."
Gee, didn't see THAT coming, now, did we?
The city coffers are SO BROKE, "...the council approved committee reports seeking authority to issue an additional $2.7 million in general obligation bonds for “financing various economic development and government projects.”..."

Excellent! No cops, No firefighters, No public works...BUT plenty of "various economic development"....

2009-09-15T18:02:00.000-07:00

Here's an excellent, in-depth analysis of LarryBoy's joke of a committee...
"...William Charles Development’s John Holmstrom III was named chairman of the ad hoc committee....Holmstrom contributed $700 to Morrissey’s campaign, as did William Charles, Ltd....

Appointee Ted Ross, retired vice president of finance at Sundstrand, contributed $31,995 to Morrissey’s campaign.

Fellow appointee LoRayne Logan, president of The Workplace and a Rockford Board of Fire and Police commissioner, contributed $9,962.45 to Morrissey.

The Workplace contributed $9,320 to the mayor’s campaign...Phyllis Ginestra, ... will serve on the board, too. Ginestra contributed $2,234 to the Morrissey campaign.

Rockford Consulting & Brokerage’s Ryan Brauns, also secretary of the Rockford Board of Election Commissioners, will take part as the city’s health insurance consultant. Brauns contributed $165 to Morrissey’s campaign....

Perhaps most disturbing, however, is that the president and publisher of the Rockford Register Star, Scott Bowers, accepted an appointment to the committee.

Although neither Bowers nor the local daily has political campaign contributions on the books, the potential for conflict in this arrangement is egregious....." Now keep in mind,these LarryBots

"...kicked off their work Friday morning...(Sept.11)
Members of the ad hoc committee, hand-selected by Mayor Larry Morrissey, plan to study and analyze the city’s budget and submit a report to the mayor with recommendations by late November...."
So, since this is such a pointless panel WHY NOT?
"ROCKFORD — City officials took the first step today toward laying off possibly 30 city employees.
The mayor’s office issued a release this evening to the media stating the city has given union leaders formal notice that “impending layoffs could come as soon as Oct. 2.”..."
So WHAT IN THE BLOODCLOT will the LarryBotPonyShow come up with in LATE NOVEMBER?
LarryWorld, Idiocy Everywhere!!!!

2009-09-12T14:03:00.000-07:00

Wonderful perspective... a hand-picked group of developer/speculators, protecting THEIR slice of taxpayer dollars(especially TIF handouts), celebrate the end of the Labor Day week with an assault on the city employees providing the BASIC CITY SERVICES....priceless!
And so begins LarryBoy's stooge panel ...."Members of the ad hoc committee, hand-selected by Mayor Larry Morrissey, plan to study and analyze the city’s budget.. what city officials described as “uncontrollable expenses” — personnel and pension costs tied mainly to the public safety arena..."See, you got MoneyBags Sammuls feeding this hand-picked group the information LARRYBOY WANTS THEM TO SEE...and they point out the problems as LarryBoy SEES them...
I mean really, I feel like a broken record but I'm simply astounded that BASIC CITY SERVICES are the stuff people pay taxes FOR...the TIF bond debt, the hockey team, mall tear-out, luxury lofts and myriad other "special economic development schemes" that LarryBoy
has embraced since first taking office, THAT'S the drain on the city coffers they DON'T want people looking into....
" “We have built an organization that is unsustainable,” said City Administrator Jim Ryan. “It was built on the premise that tomorrow will always be better than today. ... History has proved that it hasn’t been.”..." EXACTLY!!!!!!!

2009-09-09T14:49:00.000-07:00

So LarryBoy seems to be trying to stay low...but watching the Council on TV he sure seemed, oh, I don't know, preoccupied ?
See, I don't know if LarryBoy KNEW Rev. Jesse Jackson was going to speak....and can't see his reaction when the camera is on the speaker, but it sure appeared Jackson was decidedly focused on
Larry as he spoke....and by the time he gave his Officers'Report, LarryBoy showed none of his typical smooth phony concern....noticed he's upped the police presence last few weeks....I think he's SCARED!

(kinda ironic how he hates public workers until he NEEDS them)

2009-09-06T10:21:00.000-07:00

After LarryBoy first was elected, it was one and a half, two years into his term before some started to question his "leadership" ("Coppergate",Jim Ryan's DUI, TWO "hundred-year" floods, remember?)
Through it all,the RRStar stood by their Man(sing it, Tammy) and, as the last election rolled around, the typical short-memory voter, forgot the spoiledbrat/narcissistic/developers'greed-feeding management the city had suffered for 4 years and apathetically re-elected LarryBoy.

And then, almost magically, we learn how, first the MetroCentre, then the city are facing impending financial disaster. But what we DON'T LEARN is how the spoiledbrat/narcissistic/developers'greed-feeding management the city had suffered for 4 years has CONTRIBUTED to this situation....borrowing million$ for TIF debt, adding lawyers and layers of upper-management,high-salary positions of questionable distinct duties AND necessity....while ignoring BASIC GOVERNMENT SERVICES...

Now, THIS attitude of refusing to adequately address the importance of FIRST funding these same BASIC GOVERNMENT SERVICES has really, in my opinion, greatly contributed to this current mess we're in....keep in mind, LarryBoy APPOINTS the Library Board that CHOSE to sink $4million into that east-side branch with disregard for STAFFING....likewise, the forced-annexations and Capital Improvement Programs increase engineers,supervisors,etc. but ignore the needed MANPOWER and EQUIPMENT to adequately maintain the growing city boundaries and new roads (w/Custom ManholeCovers!!)
The increased city area also stretches the city's PUBLIC SAFETY resources, with LarryBoy's attacks on both police and fire ignoring the reality that his "economicdevelopmentutopiahallucination" revolves around handing over millions in tax dollars to attract jobs,business and people to an increasingly LESS SAFE UNDESIRABLE PLACE TO LIVE AND WORK!!!!!!!!!!

And THAT'S the state today of LarryBoy's Empire.......

2009-09-05T12:40:00.000-07:00

Doc Slafkosky stands on temporary pads installed along Main Street for the On the Waterfront celebration Sept. 4-6, 2009. The pads outside JR Kortmans, Kryptonite and Octane should allow some outdoor festivities that would have been severely hampered by the removal of the downtown mall without it. Originally the city had hoped to have the project substantially complete by Waterfront.

And so continues the special interest, ridiculous extravagant spending targeted for a few LarryBots during the city's "dire financial crisis"....(I have only seen those Custom Logo manhole covers on Main and Church Streets from downtown to the LarryLandLofts at Garrison)...

WHO PAYS? library staff, public safety, public works and TAXPAYERS!!

LarryLove....

2009-09-04T02:08:00.000-07:00

"Morrissey said Rockford is a city in pain and needs its mayor to lead it toward healing. He also said he must remain unbiased and visible."
Gee,GREAT LarryBoy....way to step up....see, but as my last post noted, his remarks at City Council were NOT unbiased, his concern(you can put the lawyer into an elected office,but you can't take the ambulance-chasing, phony out of the lawyer)for the victim OVERWHELMED his snub of the cops...
For example, he says he discouraged and then turned down a group’s request for a march down State Street in support of police. (Another group of about 200 people marched down State Street last week asking for justice in the Barmore case.)

Enough for now....

2009-09-01T16:38:00.000-07:00

Well, LarryBoy really showed his disdain for city employees last night.
Whatta tool....he starts his remarks with all this care and concern for the shooting victim, his family, the Rev. JJ, the community....
but POLICE OFFICERS? Nah, didn't hear it...just some crap about the cops being tense, jittery, or some such bull.
He's been warned continuously by one public speaker,former cop and County Board member BRUCE ROBERTS that, despite all the cute charts,graphs, and assorted other statistical cosmic debris the city spews, CRIME IS UP AND THE STREETS ARE DANGEROUS...

and then this...
"...During public comments, Gwen Lashock, who had been a candidate for 3rd Ward alderman, encouraged the City Council to place a referendum on the ballot to raise revenue for the library and prevent cutbacks.

“Because of the economic crisis many of our citizens face, we need library services now more than ever before,” Lashock said. “I call upon the mayor and City Council to find the money to maintain services now and allow taxpayers to vote on a referendum to secure future funding.”

Mayor Larry Morrissey said state legislators enacted laws that are leading to significant increases in public safety pension costs that are crippling city resources. He said the state needs to take action to correct that situation and that he would not support a referendum at a time of high unemployment..."

So wait LarryBoy............?,!@?
Despite all the evidence given that library workers ARE indeed city employees, he refuses to allow a referendum because..." significant increases in public safety pension costs..."
Wait?now they are PUBLIC SAFETY personnel????

as I said, WHATTA TOOL!!!

2009-08-28T03:11:00.000-07:00

Tough week for LarryBoy , huh?
"ROCKFORD — It was a night of civil discord at the City Council meeting today, with residents protesting proposed cuts in the library budget and others supporting fire Lt. Brian K. Watkins...."
AND there were signs about the Church School foreclosure, the RVC football team show...
Followed by...

Fatal shooting at day care

And the newspaper really helps muddy the water...
FIRST...
they tell what bad gut the victim was..."From 2005 to 2009, he had been charged with a number of crimes ranging from aggravated assault and battery of a peace officer, residential burglary, retail theft and obstructing justice. Many of the charges were dismissed, some because of plea dealings. He pleaded guilty to punching a Rockford police officer in the face while being arrested in May 2005. He was sentenced to two years probation.

Barmore also pleaded guilty to robbing a man’s home in August 2005 and was sentenced to four years in prison. He pleaded guilty to stealing clothes and miscellaneous items from Wal-Mart in 2007, receiving probation again. His 2009 case for obstructing justice, property damage and disorderly conduct was pending. ..."
THEN...
they paint they officers as trigger-happy loose cannons..."The two officers involved in the shooting death of a 23-year-old man this week inside a downtown church-based day care center have used deadly force before...."
THEN...
Chief Inept-erson is allowed to speak at the press conference..." “The information, in closing, that I have given you are primarily facts,”..."(THIS is why LarryBoy occasionally muzzles him...)
THEN...
" Today, the chief clarified his comments and called the events leading up to the shooting “the initial reports.” "
See,it's an interesting development....
"... The Rev. Kenneth Edward Copeland of New Zion Baptist Church said the meeting was sought by the Rockford Ministers Fellowship..."
Now,I'm quite certain this fellowship had a mayoral candidate forum before the election,and I remember finding it so ironic that the day BEFORE the forum,they endorsed LarryBoy...
Oh,and...

MAYOR'S MINORITY ADVISORY COUNCIL

MEMBERS:

Rev. K.E. Copeland
(seems to me he was in ads for LarryBoy's campaign,too)

So quite a swirling mess in LarryLand....
With all the rain these last couple days,he probably would almost be RELIEVED to have ANOTHER 100-Year Flood
to change the focus...

2009-08-23T12:36:00.000-07:00

" “As mayor, I have one primary obligation: To deliver the best possible services at the best possible price, and the library shares that same challenge,” Morrissey said. “In a tough financial time, if we have to make cuts, the responsibility is to make cuts that will result in us being able to sustain the best services at the best price.” "

Can you believe his AUDACITY??
This guy is so arrogant when he's claiming to care about the YOUTH and, as THIS story relates, "All but one librarian assistant would be gone.... the assistants do the lion’s share of programming...." Yup, YOUTH SERVICES PROGRAMMING...
Storytimes
Early literacy has been identified as a critical factor in your child’s ability to read and write later in life. It’s never too early to start! Join RPL for a variety of storytimes for infants to toddlers and enjoy stories, finger play, crafts, treats and more.

Summer Reading Club

One Book, One Rockford
A community that reads together, stays together. Every year, Rockford Public Library selects a title for our One Book, One Rockford community-wide reading program. The selected title is read by book groups, neighborhood associations and families all over Rockford.

Computer Classes

RPL offers free classes on Microsoft Word, Excel, Power Point and Basic Internet for the computer novice in both English and Spanish. Check out our computer class schedule by picking up a program guide or searching our online calendar for dates and times. Registration is not required for computer classes, but space is limited.

What's LarryBoy's RATIONALE?
"...much like the city is having to look for ways to save money in the delivery of public safety and public works services...."

SOOOoooo....
IF finances are so dire,how in the bloodclot can ANYONE justify THIS....

That's right CUSTOM manhole covers!!!!

Now we'll hear about ' it's a separate fund',or 'they were ordered BEFORE we knew times would be tight' blah,blah,yada,yada....
but BULLCRAP!!
This administration has a penchant for spending top dollar on useless,"imaging" and "branding" and "trademarking" and really has no concern for "... us being able to sustain the best services at the best price.” "

2009-08-21T02:25:00.000-07:00

Remember this post....

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

....Mon. nite,LarryBoy announces a grant to hire more cops and tells about ANOTHER mayor that DIDN'T get a grant and so he tells him it's because ROCKFORD'S CRIME RATE IS SO HIGH!!!!!!

Well in a single DRAMATIC act, Chief Chet took it upon himself to end a CRIME WAVE!!!!

"

ROCKFORD (WREX) -- You see them on the street all the time, door-to-door vendors selling everything from candy bars to vinyl siding. Most people just say no thanks, but Rockford Police Chief Chet Epperson took it one step farther - and ended up in a physical confrontation...

the chief called the non-emergency line of the 911 center, then followed the man outside.

"I pressed the issue about what he was doing in the neighborhood," Epperson said. "At that point the person attempted to leave."

That's when things turned physical. Epperson wouldn't go into details, except to say he physically restrained the vendor until backups arrived...."

Thank God the streets are safe again....

You really ARE Batman!!!!

2009-08-18T13:03:00.000-07:00

Interesting Council meeting last night....LarryBoy's Police & Fire Commissioner LoRayne Logan's re-nomination SHOULD have been read in....and it WASN'T.....
(HHHHHHMMMMMM)

But it revealed his"City Budget and Finance Advisory Group "

"...advice on how to cut expenses, increase revenue, maximize the city’s collective bargaining and help make inroads toward pension reform.....(Oh,good,THERE she is....
LoRayne Logan, The Workplace, president...also HERE...

Workplace	P.O. Box 4323 Rockford, IL 61110	$500.00 3/6/2008	Individual Contribution Citizens for Morrissey
Workplace	P.O. Box 4323 Rockford, IL 61110	$1,500.00 6/16/2008	Individual Contribution Citizens for Morrissey

Phyllis Ginestra, Draftfcb, director of finance

Ginestra, Phyllis	2187 Carrington Chase Rockford, IL 61114	$500.00 6/12/2009	Individual Contribution Citizens for Morrissey

Ginestra, Phyllis

2187 Carrington Chase
Rockford, IL 61114

$500.00
6/12/2009

Individual Contribution
Citizens for Morrissey

Ted Ross, Sundstrand, retired vice president of finance

Ross, Ted Occupation: Owner Employer: Ted Ross & Associates	4815 Birch Ave. Rockford, IL 61114	$80.00 2/23/2009	Individual Contribution Citizens for Morrissey
Ross, Ted Occupation: Owner Employer: Ted Ross & Associates	4815 Birch Ave. Rockford, IL 61114	$500.00 2/27/2009	Individual Contribution Citizens for Morrissey
Ross, Ted Occupation: Owner Employer: Ted Ross & Associates	4815 Birch Ave. Rockford, IL 61114	$415.00 2/28/2009	Individual Contribution Citizens for Morrissey
Ross, Ted Occupation: Owner Employer: Ted Ross & Associates	4815 Birch Ave. Rockford, IL 61114	$7,000.00 4/6/2009	Individual Contribution Citizens for Morrissey

(HOLY BALLS!!)

Then we got this bunch...

Scott Bowers, Rockford Register Star, president and publisher

Janyce Fadden, Rockford Area Economic Development Council, CEO

They seem to have conflicts of interests in my opinion(shouldn't the paper stay OBJECTIVE? and RAEDC,seems they receive alot of city money...can't cut that,huh?)
And THIS guy.... Ryan Brauns, Rockford Consulting & Brokerage, senior consultant and city’s health insurance consultant

He's making money off EMPLOYEE Insurance Premiums!
(hard to tell where his take is hidden in the budget..CONTRACTUAL?OTHER EXPENSE?
Bet HE'LL suggest an increase in employees' contributions,)
Teamed with Jim Ryan, city administrator; Andres Sammul, city finance director; Patrick Hayes, city legal director

Reminds me a little of the S.S. Minnow..........
GILLIGAN!!!!

hhhhmmm

2009-08-15T05:28:00.000-07:00

So I see that LarryBoy's "Break the Unions" campaign is officially ON....

"

As of 12:34 p.m., Thursday, the battle is engaged.

It’s framed very simply: Cut expenses (including but not limited to people, pensions, payroll, benefits) to match revenue; re-allocate existing resources to critical issues like education and infrastructure; and, hope tax revenue declines slow down so there’s no need for a tax increase.

Just after the chicken and mashed potatoes at the annual “mayor’s business speech” before the Rockford Chamber of Commerce, Mayor Larry Morrissey laid out a no-holds-barred action plan for investing in the city’s priorities and critical needs — and for paying for it out of the current and future pockets of city employees, with an emphasis on union contracts.

Our community can no longer afford us, the mayor told about 500 of the region’s corporate, business and governmental decision makers. The “us” is clearly the police and fire unions, whose contracts are open and whose position continues to be: nope, we’re not budging very much..."

So then Linda LarryBot engages readers in comments, wherein she claims, NO,it's not about the unions....

Then, LarryBoy kicks in HIGH GEAR....

using the city website to continue the attack on city employees....a colorful charts and graphs statistical romp through time....useless predictions and meaningless comparisons....

YUP, I'm sold....get rid of the cops and firefighters....statistically speaking,there probably won't be any more crime,fires,or emergency medical needs in Rockford now that the downtown mall is gone and the MetroCentre is funded.....

2009-08-11T06:13:00.000-07:00

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.

2009-08-05T15:24:00.000-07:00

Dijya catch the doublespeak this week....Mon. nite,LarryBoy announces a grant to hire more cops and tells about ANOTHER mayor that DIDN'T get a grant and so he tells him it's because ROCKFORD'S CRIME RATE IS SO HIGH!!!!!!
And then last evening,good old ChetHead is interviewed at the "National Night Out" gathering lying to the camera how his crime-fighting strategies are WORKING!!!!!!!!!!
And TODAY????

http://www.rrstar.com/news/publicsafety/x1558726848/Red-Chevy-Tahoe-sought-in-drive-by-shooting-investigation

and,a different story,
http://www.rrstar.com/news/x1331797480/Rockford-police-on-scene-of-shooting
and know WHAT???
THAT'S WEED&FEED AREA!!!!!!!!!!!

keep up the great job, Chief LarryChet....

2009-08-02T14:28:00.000-07:00

Gee,I think it's time for ChiefChet to give another of his statistically meaningless presentations reassuring the citizens crime is down....
I happened HERE ...check it out...
Man attempts to rob Credit Union 1 in
Rockford Man arrested for multiple counts of sexual assault
Police identify suspect arrested in Rockford homicide
Unrelated Rockford shootings leave one dead, one wounded
Men on bikes rob man of wallet at gunpoint North Alpine Mobil station robbed at gunpoint

Great job...then there was THIS...
"People who live and work near Broadway and Ninth Street are angry. They just found out for the first time that three women were raped in their neighborhood, over the past few weeks...."
see THAT'S the kinda thing we have reverse 911 available for...

of course,if you don't ACKNOWLEDGE crime,there's no problem,right?

2009-07-28T16:05:00.000-07:00

So LarryBoy's anti-union mouthpiece is cranking up....
"...We know union contracts make it difficult for government officials to figure out where to cut. In the private sector, wage freezes, wage cuts, benefit changes, pension plans, etc., are quickly adjusted to match the revenue coming in. If the company’s not making money, you aren’t either.
Union contracts usually call for raises larger than what the private sector gets, no matter how bad the rest of us have it. If the company (the taxpaying public) isn’t making money, union members still are...."
REALITY CHECK....WHY is there no outrage over the increases given NON-UNION city employees....keep in mind,THEY also get the COLA(CostOfLivingAdjustment) unions' bargain for(3.5-4% the last few years) BUT they ALSO receive annual merit raises on top of this...(remember Adam Smith?...5-38% has been awarded recently)...AND, generally speaking, the salaries are GREATER to START WITH!!!!!
(I love to review "Tightsuit"Hayes' LEGAL DEPARTMENT budget...

LEGAL DEPARTMENT BUDGET SUMMARY
2006 2007 2007 2008 INCREASE
APPROPRIATION ACTUAL BUDGET ACTUAL BUDGET (DECREASE)
PERSONNEL $1,428,795 $1,699,405 $1,692,552 $1,813,925 $114,520

OVERTIME 0 9,000 9,000
MERIT PAY 25,543 27,448 1,905
SALARY ADJUSTMENT 33,816 30,450 (3,366)

Now THAT'S some TAX DOLLARS$$$$$$$$$$
seems to save money,MORE CITY EMPLOYEES SHOULD JOIN THE UNIONS....won't be seeing THOSE kinda raises.......

2009-07-26T17:12:00.000-07:00

http://www.rrstar.com/homepage/x1543599838/Sagging-economy-is-libraries-boon-bane

So the economy has increased demand for the libraries,but with the twisted priorities in LarryBoy's Empire, our "education"mayor looks to cripple their budget...."... a $700,000 reduction in library funding."...
And in the past life of..."LarryBoy in his own words, for what it's worth -"
I frequently criticized the explosion in the number of TIF districts under LarryBoy, but Mr.RaoulDuke(I suspect THIS GUY) just scores a direct,on the spot observation/challenge in the comments following the story...
"Perhaps it's time the Library District, as a taxing body, grows a pair and starts challenging Larry's TIF districts from here on out. If they didn't play so nice with the administration, they could probably afford to pay their own pensions without depending on the city for it. Select businesses are being subsidized, while taxpayers aren't getting what they've paid for. District 205 needs every cent it can get, so it, too, should be saying no to TIF districts at a time when it's clear no one is going to invest in Rockford but Rockford.

Ask your mayor how many (TIF) tax dollars have been 'borrowed' from libraries, schools and other services that our taxes pay for, and what the return on that investment has been. Go on, ask."
Bravo,Mr.Duke,Bravo!!!

2009-07-22T16:49:00.000-07:00

So we got all this gloom and doom about the BUDGET CRISIS

Arbitration ahead for police, fire

Last update Jul 22, 2009 @ 05:21 PM

ROCKFORD — Negotiations for new labor agreements with city police and firefighters are headed for arbitration.

MORE STORIES
Police union plans to file for arbitration (07/21/09)
Police talks delayed; fire may face arbitration (02/26/09)
Rockford's budget cut ideas scrutinized (01/24/09)
Police, fire, public works could face cuts (01/08/09)
$7.5M in cuts proposed as deficit worsens (01/10/09)
Back to square one on police, fire deals (01/01/09)

so I got thinking,then I started looking at the 2007 CAFR(most recent available)

And this on page 140 caught my eye...

Expenses 2006 2007

culture and recreation 7,613,866 20,566,355

in ONE YEAR,spending on this vague line item increased $13mill.

and

Program Revenues? $200,290 in 2006 increased to $201,187 after that $13mill. expense increase........

Some return on investment,huh? Great Job,Larry.........

2009-07-20T17:54:00.000-07:00

That City Council is a TRIP!

New LarryBotLawyerVenita, I distinctly remember when that mall removal contract was being discussed, arguing we MUST take Stenstrom's HIGHER bid,because the lower bidder did not follow bid spec requirements,they are legal protection for the citizens....last night, she takes an absolutely OPPOSITE stance on the city-wide sidewalk bids....
'maybe our bid specs are too strict...HYPOCRITE

2009-07-17T01:47:00.000-07:00

Found it very interesting that the RRstarLarryBotPressKit found two occasions to criticize/caution LarryBoy on his "AllMoneyDowntown,DamnPublicSafety/WorksAndRecession"flight plan for the city....
Here's the Chuckster, in defense of the library," ...Budget cuts may indeed be required in all city operations. That’s why I’m concerned over how we set municipal priorities. How does the city place a value on its libraries? Are they worth more than the MetroCentre? The Coronado? The vacant armory? The vacant Barber-Colman building? The vacant Ingersoll building? We taxpayers are paying for all of them.

Who decides what’s important? Morrissey has an ad hoc committee chaired by businessman Mike Dunn evaluating how entertainment tax dollars are spent. But where’s an ad hoc committee to examine the city’s overall priorities?..."

And the next day's editorial ...

"...The way Rockford aldermen see it, they boldly declared the MetroCentre a top priority by assuring an extra $5 million in funding for the next three years.
The way we see it, they may have acted rashly and illogically.
Their vote appears to have taken the downtown arena out of all further discussions. They locked themselves into a deal before waiting to hear what an advisory committee says — a committee they (and Mayor Larry Morrissey) created. That committee will now work with one hand tied behind its back...."

That committee was SUPPOSED to consider the Coronado,"On The Waterfront",the tourism/convention bureau...
...it's a little funny,you know, I remember when these things seemed SSSSOOOOO IMPORTANT,
....at one time,Waterfront was almost a symbol of Rockford "patriotism",if you didn't go,didn't agree it was the greatest festival in the Midwest,well you just didn't LOVE ROCKFORD!!!!!!!

And another thing,this concerning library funding really bugs me,is there anywhere BESIDES CityHall one can actually VERIFY
"...The library tax brings in about $6.7 million...."
with LarryBoy's penchant for diverting funds(keep in mind,at the end of last year,$10million from the General Fund was "borrowed" by the development fund )
could the city, in it's creative accounting tradition, be shifting some taxes intended for ONE purpose to ANOTHER??

2009-07-14T13:15:00.000-07:00

City, state co-star in MetroCentre payday

Yup, the MetroCentre is now SWIMMING in tax dollars...(swimming,get it?... you did hear about the new entrance roof/gutter system,during one of the heavy spring rains,dumped hundreds of gallons of water into the luxury suites area)...
"After months of rancor, debate and an arduous accounting of the MetroCentre’s past and present budget woes, aldermen approved nearly $5 million more taxpayer dollars to the cash-strapped arena during the next three years.....(I think one problem is the PRESENT BUDGETS were NOT inspected very closely....now I realize $20mill doesn't go as far as it USED to,but, it's apparent to ANYBODY with a BRAINCELL that the renovation IS NOT COMPLETE and they are BROKE...) and throw in "... $4.2 million for physical upgrades to the MetroCentre. The state money, to be doled out over the next five years, will pay for infrastructure improvements..."and Epperson/Pirello/Luther/Provanzano laugh all the way to the bank....
Best part???..."MetroCentre Interim General Manager Brian Luther.But Luther stopped short of promising he wouldn't have to come back to ask the city for more money. That's a key objective for many council members."I don't want us to get into a position where we're making promises I mean we have a lot of work ahead of us," says Luther. "We still have to cut 300-thousand dollars of operating expense right off the top."
So they MIGHT NEED MORE MONEY BECAUSE they have to cut COSTS???????
BRILLIANT!BRILLIANT!! EXCELLENCE!EXCELLENCE!!!!
Interesting even the RRSTAR editorial board ,typically supportive of any Larry"Downtown is more important than ANYTHING"Boy urged ..."think it’s premature for the City Council to vote for a three-year deal to help finance the arena..."
"....The MetroCentre’s fate will be tied with the Rockford Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, Coronado Performing Arts Center and On the Waterfront, other agencies that receive money from the city’s redevelopment tax...."

Because the torture never stops....

2009-07-11T04:24:00.000-07:00

I know that I've been ignoring Chief Chet,but after his ridiculous little Crime-by-the-numbers-show-and-tell-slideshow Mon. night,I just had to comment on "My Head's Too Big for My Hat"Epperson....
see here he prattles on with "...We're having greater participation from our neighborhood watch groups, citizens calling us in..." HOW can that reduce crime rates???I mean really,doesn't that mean cops are handling MORE CALLS??????????

And then I went to the public safety section on rrstar.com and found in the last week....

Belvidere man, 19, shot in Rockford

1 hurt in Rockford home invasion

Have you seen these suspects?

ROCKFORD — Rockford police need help finding two suspects in connection to a June 29 shooting.

Elderly couple slain; culprit at large

Keep up the good storytelling,Eppy.....

2009-07-08T15:41:00.000-07:00

The stage was set...
first public speaker,one-time aldermanic candidate Gwen Lashock, took LarryBoy(and,indirectly, Dancin'Doug) to task over the "blank check" mentality surrounding the Metro Centre bailout....
http://www.rockrivertimes.com/index.new.pl?cmd=viewstory&cat=13&id=23884
"...After the July 29 council meeting, Lashock said, she’d spoken with Brian Luther, the arena’s interim manager. During their conversation, Lashock reported, it was learned the MetroCentre employs 18 full-time employees, not including 16 full-time workers devoted to the IceHogs.“Do you know we have a full-time ice technician?” Lashock questioned aldermen. “Brian tells me that they are all busy every single day. There are only four shows this summer. What could they possibly do all day?”... “Are we just giving them money to meet their payroll? "....
See,Loopy Luther keeps whining about...
http://www.wifr.com/home/headlines/50092357.html
"... they owe local vendors around 300-thousand dollars....
" WHY doesn't Council find WHO these "vendors" are,WHAT did they vend, and INFORM THE PUBLIC???? is this STILL from the Coreysezfinished(but sure don't LOOK finished) "renovation"???
This week,however, LarryBoy trots out 3 pro-bailout stooges...my favorite had to be the CPA from the accounting firm that audited the Metro finances....he stood there and could only assure the public that the Metro used "GenerallyAcceptedPractices"....a truly ringing endorsement....

Morrissey warns more cutbacks coming

"....With revenue from income and sales taxes and other elastic revenues coming in even lower than reduced expectations, Morrissey warned more cuts will be needed...."

Better just give the MC what it wants,and nobody will get hurt.........

2009-07-06T13:46:00.000-07:00

So MORE NEW DEBT...
"In a measure that should free up $800,000 for the cash-strapped MetroCentre, aldermen authorized the sale of up to $8.1 million in bonds.
The bonds would be used to restructure debt in the city redevelopment fund by deferring payments on principal until 2014..."
Gee that's SWELL...
And HERE'S more...
"The agreement would:

* Provide city operating subsidies of $1.2 million this fiscal year and $1.1 million and $1 million in subsequent years.

* Forgive the MetroCentre from having to pay for its $486,000-a-year share of renovations debt service, but would require repayment of a $456,000 loan from 2007 and a $600,000 loan from this year.

* Require the MetroCentre to make $300,000 in spending reductions from its roughly $9.5 million plan sustained for the life of the agreement. The MetroCentre Authority would have 120 days from approval of the agreement to make the spending reductions.

* Require the MetroCentre to explore placing the downtown arena under private management.
..."
And Cryin'Brian Luther balked over that $300,000....what a joke....I originally thought they were cutting $300,000 A YEAR...but out of $9.5MILLION seems pretty lame...is THAT what this Council calls "accountability"????
And then,there's Joe and Frank....
"

Saying a proposed operating agreement between the City Council and the MetroCentre doesn't provide enough accountability, Ald. Joe Sosnowski, R-1, calls for shortening the term of the deal from three years to one.

"We want to be able to review the operations and what's going on annual basis," he said.

And the co-chair of the committee which drafted the agreement says the deal shouldn't be signed at all, at least until more is known about the future of Rockford's venues and festivals, currently under study.

"If we're going to work with (the MetroCentre), we have to have all the facts on the table so we know, boys and girls, what in the world's going on," Ald. Frank Beach, R-10, said...."

GOOD...good for them....

I'll be glad to retract my previous characterization of Sosnowski as a "LarryBot"....(.as long as he stands his ground)......and Frank,he's typically quite reasonable.....GOOD...good for them....

Should be an interesting night........

2009-06-25T15:54:00.000-07:00

So I been thinking about that "Redevelopment Fund" that is supposed to support the Metro Centre....
so you go HERE
and find....

Subsections: Annual Budgets... and click there....
2005 Annual Budget
2006 Annual Budget
2007 Annual Budget
2008 Annual Budget
2009 Proposed Budget

Now,for instance,2005 looks.....
Mayor's Budget Message
Executive Summary
Budget Highlights
How to Use This Document
The 2005 Process, Public Involvement, Amending the Budget
Financial Planning-The Key To The Future
Cash Management-Maximizing Resources
Employees-The City's Most Important Asset
Capital Equipment & Projects
Revenue & Financing Changes
Year End Financial Condition
Legislative & Management Services
Mayor's Office
City Council
Legal
Finance
Information Services
Personnel
Board of Election Commissioners
Community Development Services
Community Development Administration
Development
Redevelopment
Tourism
TIF Districts:
East Side TIF
West Side TIF
7th Street TIF
S Rockford TIF
SE Affordable Housing TIF
Lincolnwood TIF
Springfield Corners TIF
North Main TIF
Rockford Global Trade Park TIF
Planning Division
Building Department
Human Services
Human Services Department
Drug Free Initiative Program
Tuberculosis Sanitarium
Library
Mass Transit
Public Safety Services
Police
Fire
911 Communications
Board of Fire & Police Commissioners
Public Work Services
Administration
Engineering
Capital Project Fund
Motor Fuel Tax Fund
Streets & Sewers
Traffic
Parking
Sanitation
Property & Equipment
Water
Non-Operating Funds
Police and Fire Pension Funds
Illinois Municipal Retirement Pension Fund
Health Insurance Fund
Unemployment Insurance Fund
Worker's Compensation Fund
Auditing
Debt Service
OTB Special Projects Fund
Risk Management
Underground Storage Tank Removal Fund

(This was the last year of Doug Scott...two things to note....NINE TIF districts....and clicking on that "Redevelopment Fund"...shows a financial forecast of an ending 2006 deficit balance of $1,069,000)
Fast forward to the 2009 proposed budget we find a total of TWENTY FIVE TIFs

Meanwhile,the 2009 budget shows that same fund with a financial forecast to begin 2010 with a deficit balance of.....
$5,244,000

see, the TIFs create DEBT,paid out of property taxes....the "Redevelopment Fund" deficits gets covered by the General Fund(property taxes)......so THEN we blame public safety and public works for the General Fund balance shortages...

only in LarryBoy's empire...........
EXCELLENCE INDEBTEDNESS!!!!!!!!!!

2009-06-21T10:29:00.000-07:00

I didn't think the Metro vote would happen last night....at least NOT the entire recommendations of that LarryBoy ad-hoc committee....http://data.e-rockford.com/upload/files/1/31to33.pdf
There is so much information AVOIDED in that report, even the RRSTAR LarryBoy cheerleaders
crow about a need for slow, deliberate, reading of the report.
And I am so disappointed with Wasco,he was a bit of a critic of LarryBoy BEFORE the election but as spokesman for this committee,he seems to have mastered the sleight of hand defense of the MC finances...."don't look at the $25million they burned thru in 2 years before Corey skipped town....the problem is the HISTORY!!!...it's a lotta information to sift thru BUT HURRY!!!!....http://www.businessrockford.com/homepage/x1662361168/Puck-may-stop-here-for-MetroCentre
“We have to make a serious decision,” said Ald. Carl Wasco, who led an advisory panel that wrote the report, which outlines a three-year plan to pay for the downtown arena, after six weeks of study.

“There is a lot of information in that report, and I know it will take time to sort through, especially if you haven’t been at those ad hoc meetings every week like we have. But the longer we wait, the more (we’re) just driving the MetroCentre into red ink.”
How? construction's not done...no cost there....no shows going on...no cost there.........AAAHHHH!,it's that bunch of paid staff,collecting TAX$$$$ salaries for NOTHING! (how's those luxury box sales,Dancin'Doug???,making big bucks for NOT selling any,huh?)........." The arena has about $300,000 in bills it can’t pay, and vendors are waiting."...WHAT bills...PAYROLL???

THIS is the most troubling thing to taxpayers NOT in the report/memo pdf. but duly reported by Isaac Guerrero in the Business story...."The city would refinance debt to funnel the first $800,000 to the MetroCentre, ideally by July 1. The city would make an extra $6.8 million in interest payments while paying back that debt."

What value,what fiscal responsibility.......WHAT A CROCK!!@!

2009-06-16T13:40:00.000-07:00

So the story WAS front page on the print edition,and this afternoon,it was on the 2nd page of news on the website....
http://www.rrstar.com/homepage/x2122537195/Aldermen-will-see-MetroCentre-report-tonight

Guess they didn't think it a BIG enough story...
"...Aldermen would evaluate the MetroCentre’s situation as the three-year deal comes to a close. If the arena is in better financial shape, the City Council might ask it to pay some or all of its $486,000 share of the annual renovation debt payments.
Additionally, the city would give the MetroCentre $1.2 million for operations in 2010, with $800,000 to be delivered when the fiscal year begins, and the remainder delivered beginning in January. The operating subsidy would decrease to $1.1 million in 2011 and $1 million in 2012....The city also would extend a new $500,000 line of credit to the MetroCentre...The arena...has already spent its $1.2 million line of credit. The MetroCentre has two other outstanding debts to the city that also must be repaid: the $600,000 emergency loan made in April and a $456,000 no-interest city loan extended in 2007....The city would need to refinance debt to send more cash to the arena. This would involve deferring principal payments on bonds, sacking the city with an extra $6.8 million in debt service....."
It's ONLY MONEY!!!!!!!

OURS!

2009-06-16T01:37:00.000-07:00

So the "BIG" Metro report came out last night and....poof.... not a word in the RRStar today....
I really am surprised, it was classic LarryBoy....
History,History,blah,blah....not to point fingers,BUT...
it's all the fault of OTHERS...other mayors,other Metro boards,other state laws...

One big point was the diversion of Redevelopment Funds(the "original" Metro Centre tax)...
well,getting ACCURATE financial information out of the LarryBoy Silly Hall administration is a challenge(especially frustrating because LarryBoy TALKS transparency/openness)....
but here....
http://www.ci.rockford.il.us/uploadedFiles/government/Finance/FinancialInformation/CAFR/Rockford%202007%20CAFR%20FINAL.pdf
See, in 2007, LarryBoy DIVERTED $4,325,910 from that fund....
So,they can't blame the past or the economic downturn....as of Dec.31,2007, the fund balance was -$4,589,031....

Now,another thing to keep in mind is they plan on $3.3million ADDITIONAL dollars over 3 years to the MC,about $1.1m a year but funding cuts mention only $50,000(SWIFFT) and $300,000 by the Metro Board....WHERE'S the OTHER $600,000 coming from????
Plan on CUTS in public works AND public safety..........

EXCELLENCE!!!!!!!!!