In today’s CDA Press, on page A10, you’ll find a repeat of yesterday’s ad run by the Citizens to Inform Voters PAC. Just above, in nearly the same style, is a rebuttal ad from Larry Spencer. Click below to see the ad.
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Do you like harp music?  If you do, or if you’ve never heard live harp music but like the thought of music without electronic amplification, here are some upcoming events by students of Leslie Stratton Norris.  Most last one hour, and they’re FREE!

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Great hay was made last week about the Citizens to Inform Voters PAC, a political action group formed to promote the County Commissioner races. Today in the CDA Press, the PAC released the information they promised.
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This morning’s Press quotes developer Marshall Chesrown as saying, “No. All bets are not off” if NIC cannot come up with the $10 million to buy the Stimson/DeArmond Mill site for the Ed. Corridor by the end of next year. The article also said that Chesrown is “not moving forward with any alternative plans to develop the property if NIC can’t come up with the money immediately”. That’s great news.

Two important questions on this topic were asked at the NIC forum last Thursday evening:

1. Would you consider putting the Ed. Corridor issue up to an Advisory Vote of the people?

2. Why not float a Bond levy instead of taking Foregone taxes?  (more…)

Now I’m angry. I emailed my 12 questions (see them below) into NIC’s board, as instructed, and Kent Probst, their PR guy, took my questions and re-wrote them on 3×5 cards. But he changed them. He only took bits and pieces of them. And it wasn’t just my questions. Rep. Frank Henderson brought a question with him, they took it at the door, but then they re-wrote his also, watering it down.

I have a family obligation this morning, but will write all about this sham of a meeting later today.

I’ll leave you ,for now, with this visual image: the panel, from left to right: Moderator Mike Patrick from the Press, Cyndie Hammond from LCSC, Larry Branen from U of I, Mic Armon, NIC Board, Priscilla Bell, NIC President, Sandi Bloem, CdA Mayor, Charlie Nipp, LCDC Chairman. That’s the lineup. Now imagine this: The other 4 NIC Board members were sitting directly behind the panel on the stage, under the big presentation screen, literally in the dark. You could hardly see them. They never said one word. They are the elected Board members who will make the decision about buying the Mill site for $10 million, but only Mic spoke for the Board. More later. Here’s the “more”:

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Questions for NIC’s Education Corridor Forum, May 22, 2008 (UPDATED)

Here are the 12 questions I emailed to NIC before the meeting, as instructed. Now you can see how many were not asked and some that were partially answered:

1. There has been information circulating about the possible use of either the Outlet Mall near the Riverbend Research Park or the land you have optioned out on the Prairie, as possible sites for the Ed. Corridor. Are you open to consideration of other locations for the Education Corridor? If not, why? NEVER ASKED

2. The cost of the Stimson/DeArmon Mill site land purchase at $588,200 per acre makes the property one of the most expensive in the whole State. More than half of the land is back away from the riverfront and right near the Sewage Treatment Plant. Do you think paying this price is responsible to the taxpayers and the students who will see their tuition go up? NEVER ASKED

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And so it starts. The levy failed yesterday and now some news outlets and public comment sites are reacting with questions and some frustration. The Spokesman Review ran an article today, stating “This year, a group of self-styled watchdogs, led by political activists Mary Souza and Dan Gookin, rallied voters through mailings and Web postings to reject the levy, pointing to the 2002 levy as evidence the district can’t be trusted with taxpayer money.” That part is true, except the mailings, but there’s much more to the story. (more…)

Over on the CDA Press blogs, there was a lot of noise regarding the LCDC and the SD271 levy. Quite a few times people wrote, “No levy until the LCDC is out of the picture.”

It’s true that the LCDC and School District are working together to remediate Sorensen elementary. (And stay tuned to OpenCdA for information on that topic as it comes available.) But my question to you: Did the LCDC’s involvement with the School District poison the levy?

County Commissioner candidate Tom Cronin has raised over $30,000 (here and here) in his bid to unseat incumbent Rick Curry. You’d recognize many of the names on the donations list. What motivates them? A desire to really change the county? Or is the humongous fund raising due to an intense dislike of Mr. Curry?

Zone 4
Diane Zipperer 443
Susan Francis 384

Zone 5
Sid Fredrickson 423
Kevin Mylan 343

The CdA School levy failed to pass the voter’s approval test yesterday. The school district was asking for $31.1 million dollars and needed 55% approval to get it passed, but only 47% of the voters agreed. (Info from krem.com)

Here’s the update on the School Board Trustee elections.  It was very close.  Thanks to those who ran.  I think the message was still strong.