In My Mind

It is quiet and it is dark – and there is a  rich, yet haunting quality to the silence.

There are no voices, save my internal dialog.  No sirens, commercials,  or jingles.  No taglines, no idle chat, and no empty words.

Yet in the silence there is a lesson, a reminder.  A reminder to forget our daily troubles and the yoke of complication and human expectation we put upon ourselves – and remember what could have been.

Humanity fell short of the Glory of God, we sinned and continue to sin, and God did not have to offer His mercy and grace.  We could all be destined for an eternal separation from God.  Silence could be a blaring trumpet, heralding the full degree to which we are alone, showing us that we are merely marking  time without hope.  That is what silence could be – but is not!

Instead we have comforts like,

For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence,  for my hope is from him.  He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken.  On God rests my salvation and my glory;  my mighty rock, my refuge is God. (Psalm 62:5-7, ESV)

The world was waiting – on a Savior.  That is what we celebrate on Christmas – that in the birth of Jesus, the Christ – the world has hope incarnate.  This hope was not born in a festive Christmas scene, ready to bounce on Santa’s lap  - and He was certainly not born into the open arms and fanfare of the local rulers.  He was born in an unassuming manger (Luke 2) .

So may you have a very Merry Christmas – remembering it is not presents, slices of turkey, cookies, or Santa Claus that make Christmas.  As great as it is, spending time with those you love isn’t what defines Christmas either.  Rather, Christmas is the remembrance of the gift that only a loving God could bestow: the miracle baby, Jesus.

Note: The idea for this post was inspired by the Christmas Eve sermon Pastor Mike gave at Jordan Lutheran Church.  

There is a proposed law going through the Illinois Legislature that would allow religious organizations with state adoption/foster care contracts to continue to serve in their current roles without abandoning their genuinely held beliefs, according to PJStar.com .

This is great news.  If you are not familiar, Catholic Charities has had their contract for adoption and foster care placements withdrawn because of a law that would require them to place with gay couples.  The Catholic Church, along with many other Christian churches, believe homosexuality to be innately wrong – so they can’t, in good conscience place children in homes where the norm is a gay couple.  For similar reasons, Catholic Charities won’t place with single individuals or unmarried heterosexual couples.

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The Bureau of Labor Statistics released last week that Peoria County had the largest increase in wages (on a percentage base) of any large county (>75k employees) in the country.  The release covered 1Q of 2010 to 1Q of 2011.  There is no way to spin a nearly 19% year of year increase in wages as negative – it truly means more money in the local economy.  From another point of view that 19% means about $150 increase in the average weekly wage in Peoria county. Even if the rest of the year is flat with the year before – it is still a significant full year increase.

That said, the numbers presented include wages and bonuses.  Long-time Peoria retailers know where I am going – Caterpillar pays out most of its incentive pay (bonuses) in the month of March.  Due to the economy there weren’t any bonuses in 2010 – but there were in 2011.  My bet is that we will see Peoria’s year of year wage improvement staying up (since some austerity measures in businesses have lifted) – but more in the few percent range.

So good news – but let us keep our expectations in line.

Hat tip goes to WCBUfm.org for covering the BLS release

BLS Release:http://www.bls.gov/news.release/cewqtr.nr0.htm

UPDATE: It seems that the Journal Star has also written on this topic as of this evening.  In their story they do bring up another important factor – the  amount of layoffs that were occurring 2009 into the beginning of 2010.  As Bernard Goitien (Bradley University – Center for Business and Economic Research) notes in the article, “If you work twice as many days, suddenly you are getting a 100 percent increase in the pay”.

Over on Peoria Pundit, Billy noted that Karen McDonald (Word on the Street) is taking a buyout package from Gatehouse – which is disappointing.  When someone in a key role, with experience, leaves – it almost certainly will create a hole. 

That got me thinking about what I have seemed to notice over on PJStar.com – it seems that articles are getting shorter.  I know people will tell me that has been the case for years – but on an anecdotle basis the type of article that used to require scrolling through 2-3 screens now fits on one.  It is not because they found for efficient language to communicate the same information.  My theory (and that is all it is) is that with the website having a paywall they are breaking certain articles into pieces, so that you get to your 15 article quota quicker.  Plus it makes it look like they are doing more coverage than they are because they have more articles – and then can even come back with the response that their coverage still provides more depth than say most of the TV Station newscasts and websites do.   

I for one have emailed the Journal Star saying I’d be willing to pay for the online subscription if they get rid of First in Print.  I will not be apologetic by subsidizing  a product that has a high level of logistics cost (delivery) and depreciation (on the very expensive, and relatively new priting press) – that I don’t receive.  The reason I bring this up is that PJStar.com is a business – hopefully they will realize any further degredation of quality changes the value of their subscription.  People will slowly start to say this isn’t worth what they are asking.  That would be a truly sad process, as the Journal Star is the strongest newsroom in central Illinois – fact.

I thought it was awesome to hear that a Go-Kart track was going in at Expo Gardens – and it is incredibly said that people are opposing it.    First and foremost – I simply don’t understand someone being against go-karts, as long as they are being operated safely (which I haven’t seen contested).  Go-karts are fun!  That is the point, in a community that constantly longs for worthwhile things for middle school and high-school age kids to do, this is a no-brainer.

The neighborhood complaints seem to be about the noise.  To them I would say – “get over it”.  This is not going to be an unmuffled HEMIs rolling into your driveway, but 15 or 20 lawnmowers going around in a circle hundreds or thousands of feet from your property line.    Not to mention EXPO has been where it is for decades – most the people living around there knew they were purchasing property next to fairgrounds – and if you can’t have go-karts on the fairgrounds, where exactly can you have them?  Would you need to buy 30 acre plots of “buffer” land around your property – more or less?

The reality is this will be no more than a minor annoyance for anyone.   To help guarantee that, perhaps organizers can agree to a few rules – maybe promising to end the races by 11PM.  To put this in perspective, below is the Expo Gardens property map from the Peoria GIS system.  I don’t know where exactly the track is going up – but have labeled a couple general possibilities.  The point I’d make with all of them is that if you use the Richwoods Football field as a reference point – all of these possibilities are at least the better part of a football field from the nearest relevant property line . I say relevant because I don’t think the line with Richwoods matters since this will be in the Summer, and probably after school would be out anyway.

Expo Map on GIS Website (if you want to play around with this yourself.

UPDATE:  Billy Dennis has also, posted something on this  – making the point that city center has shifted.  I imagine some comments will develop over on Peoria Pundit.

I’ve been hesitantly hopeful about Main Street Commons since it was announced.   Hesitant because as a Bradley student I didn’t feel this great need for additional apartment housing (check out Bradley’s Housing site) – and hopeful because it was, for the most part, taking the place of  empty buildings.  I maintain that position – it will be an improvement in the area, but I worry about upkeep and atmosphere if it doesn’t work as a business.

As far as the demand for this building – I think you will find it lackluster.  My thought is this – people forget how lazy college students often are.  They tend to like living close to places they need to go – and compared to other, less costly alternatives this place doesn’t cut it.  I graduated from Bradley in 2008 – and my last 3 years I lived in the St. James apartment complex.  When I first started at Bradley all I heard about was how hard it was to get a St. James apartment – and they had this crazy lottery system that people would sleep outside overnight for.  Guess what – the apartments that went quick were the ones that were 3-4 bedrooms and kept the cost per person the lowest (say $300-$350/month per person).  Was the rent too high – of course those weren’t $1,300/month apartments – but they were affiliated with the university and only open to students.  You know what didn’t have openings – the Student Apartment Complex (SAC) – which was on campus (that is you didn’t have to cross University  or Main to get to class).  They were older – and depending on your circumstance – potentially more expensive – and not furnished – and more restrictive.  But you were five minutes from class instead of 10.  Now you have Main Street Commons coming – and you have to cross University (like St. James) – but also Main, and the rent is higher.  There are some benefits – the biggest probably being laundry in each apartment and a bathroom per bedroom – but the question do those justify the significantly higher rent and/or inconvenience from other options?

All that said – it feels a bit like this thing is being run by amateurs.   Take a look at their website  (http://www.liveatmain.com/).  Did they create a generic, though generally appealing feel to their site – yes.  It’s the details that start to point to flaws.  So, they are forthright on the homepage of the site – it looks clear that this place is not complete yet.  Then as you go through the site and you see images that look as though the place is finished.

We’ll start on the amenities page.  I know it is common practice to use stock images on websites – but when you post images of specific “amenities” an apartment complex is going to have I think you are building in certain expectations.  My favorite picture is the one of the pool – as it is my understanding that the pool is in phase 2 – which I would guess is never going to be built based on recent reports on leases signed.    Yes, if you are a Bradley student there is a pool half a mile away – but feels like a false representation.

A continuation of the false representation theme is the photo gallery page.  They are far enough along in construction that they could have finished off one apartment for pictures/showings etc.  They once again chose to take pictures that, I can only assume are from another property owned by the company and post them.  The reason I think that is the case is that the picture and the descriptions don’t always quite match.  The most clear cut is the image below.  The description next to it, “Bedroom furniture includes:  Full size mattress, desk with chair and closet with organization system”.  I don’t believe that is a full size mattress.  Who knows though – maybe this is a picture of the bonus twin bed they put in the show apartment.

Live at Main Description: "Bedroom furniture includes: Full size mattress, desk with chair and closet with organization system"

Now my absolute favorite gaffe.  If you download their application you will find this:

Foxit PDF Creator For Evaluation Only

Some of you may think I making something out of nothing here – but think about what this place is representing themselves to be.  They want to be an upscale and safe option for college students and their parents – not to mention they want people to give them thousands of dollars over the course of a year to live there – and they cannot afford the $30 to buy the PDF software.  Beyond that there are things that create PDFs for free – without the obnoxious tag that is on this file.

There are other things I could pick on (like the “$399, $599, $659 Packages available” bit – I’ll give you a hint, I’d bet that is not the rent for an apartment, but for a person.) – but you get the point.

The last thing I’d like to point out is Bradley’s murky position.  Advocate  for,  but not directly liable, intermediary.  If you go to the Bradley housing site you find an advertisement for Main Street Commons – with the disclaimer “Billing for Main Street Commons will be directly through them, not through Bradley University”.  In other words – if you want to live at this place they aren’t waiting for your financial aid package check to expect a rent check.

Bottom line – whoever is running this multi-million dollar development should probably pull it together, before it turns into a flop.

Billy Dennis, who is apparently Bill Dennis when he writes for the Community Word wrote a bit about the process of selecting Patrick Urich as Peoria’s new City Manager.  It got me thinking – is Peoria’s  council/manager with a touch of mayor structure a problem, as far as moving the city in the right direction.

Traditionally, you’d think of city manager run government as more consistent and perhaps better run.  That is you have a consistent professional running the city – and he or she is given direction by a council – but basically the city manager runs the city.

This of course is counter to the idea of electing a powerful mayor, where the agenda of a given leader can drastically change the public’s interactions with the city – and the effectiveness of the government.

There are legitimate pros and cons to both structures – even in the ideal.  The problem with many city managers is that they have no roots.  They tend to uproot their lives every few years to progress their career – and bump their salary.  There cannot be deep commitment if you have no plan to stay more than 3-5 years, communities need to be able to have steady leadership and strategy.  Councils (in Peoria and elsewhere) contribute to this issue by summarily firing people without public discourse.  You could have a truly engaged city manager put his/her neck on the line to benefit the community – and a couple offended council members can get him/her fired.

Sometimes I think that Peoria would be off with a strong elected (and accountable mayor) – but let’s face it, there is a decent chance you won’t get someone good enough.  The reason – to do that job, you would really need to give up your day job, and who wants to give up a career for few year term with a fickle public.  Also, some of the best candidates would probably take a pay cut for such a roll – even if the mayor were making $200k / year.

So in his article, Bill(y) has come to the conclusion that everyone is merely enamored with Urich.  He even goes so far to say that the city’s problems will be the same with Urich as they were with Moore.  He may have a point at cursory glance – but I think he is undervaluing what a lot of people are rightly enamored by, he seems to want to stay.  Yes the City and County face differing challenges – but there will be no real learning curve as far as understanding the area.  If you have someone who has put down roots – and wants to raise his family here how can you not have a significantly different level of engagement than you did with someone whose’ heart was in Texas.

An engaged leader will push harder for the right than the convenient - and that has the potential to really change deficits, city planning, crime, and all areas of city government.

Could Peoria be better with a different governmental form?  Probably.  Are there issues with the way Patrick Urich was selected?  Probably.  But the selection of Urich eliminates some of the potential negatives of a council/manager government.  He seems to want to stay and he is a known entity – while he might not seem as dazzling or impressive as candidates that come from all over the country, he also doesn’t carry the risk of some potential candidates.

Being that the decision is made – I just hope he is phenomenal and leads the city well for a long time.

I am not one to bemoan the near extinction of the small family owned shop – and I wasn’t that upset by the thought of the world without Haddad’s Market in West Peoria. When I saw this article on PJStar – I could not help but be impressed.

Hat’s off to Haddad’s ownership and delivery staff for putting service above,well,  everything.