Needed: A Long Term Solution

Nuclear Fuel Storage Casks staged for loading - Zion, December 2012 Author's Photo

 Today, I have been reviewing the press coverage of  Congressman Dold's bill, "The Stranded Nuclear Waste Act", HR-5632-press-release, and while I applaud the fact that this problem is finally getting some serious attention from our federal representative, I am skeptical that the bill will actually be passed during this session.  Beyond that, I don't feel that the proposal goes far enough to address the long term impact of the storage site on the City of Zion and the surrounding community.

The biggest fault is the fact that there is a seven year limit on the compensation. The reason given, is to prevent the community becoming reliant on federal dollars, and supposedly to prompt Congress to take action on the storage problem. Now, the projected $15 million a year compensation is not inconsiderable, but when measured against the projected lifespan for the nuclear storage casks of 50 years or more it's not that much. As for getting Congress to move on a problem because it might cost a few hundred million over a few years ignores history and reality. Even with a best case scenario, in which Yucca mountain opened tomorrow, I have learned that it might take up to 30 years to move all the stored fuel to another site. The fact is the fuel isn't going anywhere for quite some time.

The second problem I have is with the statement from Mayor Al Hill, that his hope is that these funds will allow the city to lower taxes, which will hopefully draw economic development, and kick-start a cycle of development that will improve the economy and ease the tax burden.  As a theory, I think that is a worthy goal.

I would like to propose a better idea, rather than hoping to lower taxes for businesses, let's actually lower the taxes for businesses!

In fact, I already proposed this idea over a year and half ago during my campaign for Commissioner. From my blog post: "Candidate Questionnaire Sneak Peek", Fischer for Zion - February 2015 

Q. Briefly explain how would you address the high taxes in Zion? 

Q. Briefly explain how would you address economic development in Zion?

A. I propose that the city apply for Enterprise Zone Status under the Illinois Enterprise Zone Act, to give us access to special tax and regulatory incentives for businesses.  I also propose that the Act be amended to include the Nuclear Fuel Storage Facility in the same criteria as an abandoned coal mine, or brownfield site, and the Enterprise Zone status should not expire until the spent fuel is removed from our Lakefront. These proposals provide practical means towards growing our local economy while helping reduce homeowner taxes, and obtaining some compensation for the detrimental impact of the nuclear storage site on our community.

 Since I made that proposal, there have been more cases where a business considering locating in Zion has instead gone to Wisconsin or elsewhere because Zion couldn't offer the kind of tax incentives to be competitive. No matter what the outcome of the proposed bill, we still need the leverage of an Enterprise Zone to compete with cross border competition.

Another issue that was mentioned in the press conference, is the increasing rate of poverty in Zion, reflected in the unbalanced proportion of rental property to homeowner occupied which is now 60% to 40%, and the highest number of Section 8 housing in Lake County.

To address the housing problem, and the long-term economic impact on the city, I would propose the creation of a special Homestead exemption for tax assessments that would be tied to the Nuclear Storage Site, similar to what I have proposed for the Enterprise Zone. Just like the existing special exemptions for Veterans and Seniors, this would be an additional exemption for residents living in Zion, Winthrop Harbor, and Beach Park, in order to compensate for the economic impact of the Storage Site. Added to that, there should be an additional incentive exemption for first-time home-buyers that would be available for the first two years in order to encourage conversion from rental properties to ownership.  After that, as long as they qualify for the standard Homestead exemption, they would receive the additional Nuclear Homestead exemption.

As I stated above, seven years of cash payments isn't bad, but before everyone gets caught up in what can be done with that money (which we don't have yet), let's not lose sight of the long term needs and how we can address them.

"Ridiculous and Stupid" A Letter to the Editor

Small Town Shenanigans 

 

There is a saying that goes something like, "If you aren't outraged, you aren't paying attention".  Over the past few years as I have campaigned around the city, and developed connections with different people I have begun to tap into the grapevine of local information.  These are the background stories, what's happening behind the scenes, the unofficial stories.  I don't refer to them or publish them because they are often shared in confidence, and can't be verified or given proper attribution.  But, every once in a while something pops into the public sphere that when you look at it, is so absurd on its face that it demands comment.  Such is the case regarding a recent hearing of the Liquor Control Commission in Zion, and what follows is the text of my letter to the editor of the Zion-Benton News.

To the Editor,

 

Like many others, my property tax bill arrived in the mail last week.  After reading through the various appropriations for the city and the school districts and so forth, I turned my attention to the front page of the Zion - Benton News and the headline; “Callie’s faces liquor license violation”.  Callie’s being the restaurant inside the Inn at Market Square on Sheridan Road.

The story that followed detailed the proceedings of a hearing before the Liquor Control Commission held on May 1^st at City Hall, chaired by Mayor Hill.  At first, the story only held passing interest for me, until I read the details of the violation and how it was determined.

“The Zion Class B liquor license requires that a restaurant have at least 50 seats, not including any at a bar. Zion Police Department's compliance officer, Sgt. Rick Brown, made arrangements for two sets of plain clothes officers to rent a room at the Inn at Market Square and go to Callie's and order a meal with alcoholic drinks on March 15 and again on April 15.

Sgt. Brown said the purpose of the compliance check was to watch the sale of alcohol, verify the count and location of chairs as well as to verify signage (display of license).” – Zion - Benton News 5/5/2016

What is being described isn’t a “check”, to ensure compliance, but an undercover surveillance operation with the intent to persecute.  If the purpose was to ensure compliance it could have been done in a single visit by one officer, with a clipboard and a checklist.  Instead, the man-hours of three officers and the cost of rooms, meals, and drinks were expended in order to count chairs.  Let’s not forget to add the legal fees and the cost of holding the hearing to the tally. That’s a lot of our tax dollars being used to catch a local business in a technical violation worth a whopping $1000!  On the scale of misplaced priorities this “sting operation” is off the chart, being both ridiculous and stupid simultaneously.

Zion is plagued by real crime, drugs, and gangs and this is how the City is spending it’s time and our money? 

I look at my tax bill again, and think that whoever authorized this farce owes the citizens of Zion an apology, and a refund.

Sincerely,

Christopher Fischer

A Vibrant Advocacy

A lot has been happening in Zion over the past few weeks, much of which I have commented on over at the Fischer for Zion facebook page.  When I first sat down at the keyboard this morning, my intent was to look at these stories in turn, analyze each one, and comment on them.  Then I started writing, and realized that I was wandering into a labyrinth where each event brings forth more questions, other issues, and then it spirals off in a new direction, sometimes coming to a dead end. So, I stepped back from trying to parse each issue separately to looking at how to approach them overall, as a government, and a constituency.

Over the past month or so, it seems that Zion only appears on the radar of the wider world when there is a tragedy, a murder, or a scandal to report.  But, that's not the whole story, and I think we can all look around and see good people doing good work, each in their own way trying to make the city better.  That is the narrative we all need to work on presenting to the world. Not simple civic boosterism, but one that acknowledges our problems, and also shows that we are actively working to solve them.

This is going to require a real change in habit and philosophy on the part of the Mayor and our Commissioner's.  For too long, especially since the troubles with the baseball stadium started, there has been a tendency to remain silent in the face of accusations, to avoid the press, and to clear public statements with legal counsel.  As I see it, this strategy of standing mute and waiting for the truth to come out in the end is fundamentally flawed, and it is actually hurting the city's prospects by feeding that negative narrative that has become the face that Zion presents to the world.

What we truly need from our civic leadership is a vibrant and articulate advocacy on behalf of the city and it's people. An advocacy that establishes a new narrative that isn't couched in nostalgia, but expresses a confident and progressive vision of the future.  Whether our current leaders are capable or willing to take up the challenge remains to be seen.

Silence and indifference are two of our greatest foes, to defeat them we must speak out with voices clear and strong. All of us, together.

A quick note:

For the one or two people who might be interested, I am still doing research for the long promised "Trustee No.7" post about infrastructure.  In the meantime, if you ever want to give yourself a good scare, I suggest that you take a look at the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) 2013 Report Card for America's Infrastructure.  After reading through it, you will probably never want to drive across a bridge again.

"One-Time Dollars"

Fielders Stadium in 2012

The August 20th, 2013 City Council meeting centered on a lengthy discussion around the necessity of raising water, sewer, and waste collection rates to cover the projected costs of those services this fiscal year.  Under ordinary circumstances, a minor rate increase would probably pass unnoticed by most people, until they looked at their quarterly bill from the City.

In this case, the reasons for the increase merit special notice, because they are the unintended consequences of decisions made over a period of years.

The first decision, which to my mind is stunning in it's short-sightedness is that the City had not changed the water rate for almost ten years.  Apparently, the city got into the habit of relying on the surplus in the Water Enterprise Fund to cover the difference.

That surplus was created in part by the connection fees collected from new construction and service connections to the Midwest Regional Medical Center. Dave Knable, the city Finance Director described these as "one-time dollars", a windfall that will probably never occur again. According to published reports this surplus amounted to at least $2,300,000 dollars or more.

Now, the fund is so depleted that it is necessary to raise the rates to keep it from going into deficit. 

Where did that money go?

The First Loan

In 2009, the City discovered that they were facing a critical deficit.  At the March 17, meeting the Council approved a loan from the Water Fund in the amount of $3,200,000 to the General Fund to help with the debt. The plan was that the city would eventually repay that borrowed money back to the Water Fund.

At this recent council meeting Mayor Harrison gave a spirited defense of this action, that by doing so, jobs and services were maintained without resorting to raising taxes. It is a legitimate argument, after all a crisis was averted, and the taxpayers were spared the pain of cut services, or higher property taxes.  Where else did that money go? To answer that, we need to provide some background.

The Baseball Stadium

Just a month before the $3 million dollar loan was taken from the Water Fund, the Mayor announced that in 2010, a new minor league baseball team would be coming to Zion, along with a stadium that would include year-round retail and banquet facilities.  Press reports emphasized that local taxpayers would not bear any of the costs. The team owners, investors, and a development grant from the State would pay for the project. Even until March of 2011, an announcement was still posted on the city website about the imminent start of construction on the stadium that stated; “The team owners and developers are accepting the responsibility for the full cost of the project, including the parking and land lease commitments.”

It didn't quite turn out that way. 

After the announcement, those of us who were excited about the possibility of having a minor league team just down the road, watched as groundwork was started at the announced location at the corner of 9th and Green Bay Road. Then, everything suddenly came to a halt, why?

The answer can be found in the minutes of a special City Council Meeting, held on April 9, 2010. Here is the relevant text:

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT/BASEBALL STADIUM

 

Delaine Rogers stated without State assistance the 9th Street and Green Bay Road site for the Lake County Fielders baseball stadium will not be possible, therefore, developers and staff have been reviewing alternate sites for the baseball stadium. Ms. Rogers introduced Jason Rosenburg, Panattoni, Rick DeLisle, Lee and Associates, Rick Ehrenreich, President of Grand Slam Sports and Entertainment, and Warner Briske and Andrea Ceclia, Partners in Design with the following proposal:

• Locating the baseball stadium on the northeast corner of Route 173 and Green Bay Road, directly northeast of CVS Pharmacy
• Over $1 million in improvements are at this site, including zoning, permitting infrastructure, etc
• The site plan would include retail stores along Route 173, as well as a retail corridor and possible theater on Green Bay Road
• A press release is being prepared by the developers

Rich Ehrenreich stated the aggressive plan includes groundwork starting next week involving a private landowners partnership. Mr. Ehrenreich stated, because of the added retail attraction, private investors are interested. The construction plan would include bleacher seating this year with the building by next season. Ms. Rogers stated the Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs did provide some funding, which can be used at this site.
 
Ron Colangelo stated he has a meeting with Lake County Stormwater Management next week for permitting and discussing the multi-phase construction. Ms. Rogers stated the plan includes a 25-year lease with a property agreement. The City would lease the property from the partnership, in order to control the project and allow it to remain tax-exempt from real estate taxes until such time as retail is added. This plan would allow the project to start as soon as possible. Mr. Ehrenreich stated it is a 6 – 8 week process to build the field. Rick DeLisle stated he is meeting with Veolia regarding a plan to help provide the material for the berming.

Commissioner Jim Taylor questioned the impact on the residents to the north of this property. Mr. Ehrenreich stated he would be meeting with the homeowners association, noting plans have already been discussed to make sure the area is kept clean and noise doesn’t become a factor.

Commissioner Flammini questioned when they would actually move dirt. Warner Briske stated activity would start next week.

Commissioner DeTienne questioned what would happen with season ticket holders. Mr. Ehrenreich stated
there would be various options depending on exactly what date the field opens. The best case is that the field can still open on June 11, with July 15 as the last anticipated opening date. Possible options for season ticket holders include
1) keeping the season ticket and giving free general admission for 2010, or 2) offering a complete refund with the ticket holder releasing the seat, or 3) something in between these two options.

 Mr. Ehrenreich stated if the June 11 opening can’t be met, an alternative site for one month could be the Schaumburg stadium, noting Simmons Field in Kenosha would take several thousand dollars to bring it up to a semi-pro level for the safety of the ballplayers.

Mr. DeLisle stated the 25-year lease between the City and Grand Slam Sports has a termination clause and property agreement, and will be forwarded to the attorneys for review. Mr. Colangelo stated site work done on the original site at 9th Street and Green Bay Road can still be utilized for future commercial use.

There was Council consensus to support the concept of the Lake County Fielders baseball stadium’s location at Route 173 and Green Bay Road, with agreement to place this issue on the April 20 Council meeting.

At the meeting on April 20, 2010 the city approved the plan to move the project to the new site, and over the next couple of months, the council passed various measures and agreements needed to complete the construction of temporary facilities in time for the 2010 season.  The Fielders ended up playing their opening "home" game at Carthage College in Kenosha, but eventually, the temporary field was ready, and the team played the rest of their inaugural season there. 

Despite the loss of promised State funds, the City moved ahead with the project, with the assurance that investments and grants would be enough to bring it to completion.  The benefit of hindsight argues that it might have been more prudent to shelve the project until solid funding had been obtained, or invoke the termination clause, and let everyone walk away, accepting the losses and moving on.  But, confidence still held sway in early 2011, resulting in an escalation of commitment that leads us back again to the Water Fund.

The Second Loan

At the City Council meeting of February 15, 2011, Director of Finance Pannell made a recommendation to the Council to transfer $1,764,000 dollars from the Water Fund to the General Fund in the form of a 10 year loan.  The stated purpose was to pay Panattoni Construction for work completed on the baseball stadium in 2010, in order to proceed with Phase 2 of the project. The Council approved the loan unanimously. From the meeting minutes:

BORROWING FUNDS FROM WATER FUND 

A memo (11-DOC-15) was received from Larry Pannell, requesting to borrow funds from the Water Fund. Mayor Harrison stated the City unsuccessfully attempted to secure promised funds from the State of Illinois. Initially the State did give the City $1,000,000 for the ballpark project on the northeast corner of Route 173 and Green Bay Road, stating the balance would follow soon.  

In November 2010, a certain state politician was not re-elected, after which the City received a letter stating the grant was now denied. Promised funds did not materialize, therefore the City is now in the position of facing debts owed to the general contractor. Mayor Harrison stated the contractors operated in good faith, based on promised funds from the State. The City feels it is the right thing to pay these vendors by borrowing funds from the water fund. Mayor Harrison noted support remains for the ballpark, but it cannot start on another phase leaving the vendors without payment for past work. 

Mr. Pannell stated Panattoni Construction is owed a total of approximately $1,764,000, and payment will allow the project to move forward to Phase 2 unencumbered. The total amount would be repaid over the next 10 years with interest and payments included in the fiscal year 2012 budget.  

It was moved by Commissioner Jim Taylor, seconded by Commissioner Shantal Taylor to approve borrowing $1,764,000 from the Water Fund for payment to Panattoni Construction. The vote on roll call was: Commissioners Jim Taylor, aye; Flammini, aye; DeTienne, aye; Shantal Taylor, aye; and Mayor Harrison, aye. Motion carried.

That brings the total borrowed from the Water Fund to $4.9 million.

It is important to note that there were three subsequent requests for authorization to pay vendors for work done on the stadium in 2010 totaling about $823,064. But it is not stated in the meeting minutes that the funding source was from the Water Fund. So we will set those aside, along with another $78,050.07 from the Water Operating Budget for utility relocations for the ball field in March of 2011. But, if all these expenditures were considered along with the $1.7 million loan to pay Panattoni, the total city funds expended on the stadium would be in the area of $2,665,114.07 by July of 2011.

Of course the expectation was that revenue from Grand Slam Sports (the Lake County Fielders organization) would offset these expenditures, and the money would eventually be repaid to the Water Fund.  Apparently, Grand Slam was already in financial difficulty before the start of the 2011 season, and by July the team imploded, with managers and players walking out en masse over non-payment. A shell of the team limped through the rest of the summer, not even affiliated with a league at the end.

At the City Council meeting of September 6, 2011, authorization was given to the legal counsel for the city to begin proceedings to file a suit against Grand Slam Sports for non-payment of rent, and breach of contract. Grand Slam also filed its own suit against the City, and both cases are still in the courts today. 

The Loans Forgiven

On March 6, 2012 the City Attorney put a recommendation before the Mayor and Council, that converting the loans from the Water Fund of $3,200,000 and $1,764,000 to permanent transfers would be in the best interest of the city:

RESOLUTION/MODIFYING WATER FUND TRANSERS 

Attorney Randall stated that in 2009, the City of Zion enacted a resolution to transfer funds in the amount of $3,200,000 from the Water Fund to the General Fund with specific repayment terms, and then a subsequent transfer was made in the amount of $1,764,000. It is now in the best interest of the City that these transfers be deemed permanent transfers with no repayment obligation.  

Commissioner Shantal Taylor asked the City Council to consider the sensitivity of the City’s financial outlook with reference to the Water Fund being a resource to rely on in cases of emergency. She stated that the City should be proactive and stick to the original plan to repay the Water Fund and that the upcoming budget talks should include repayment of the Water Fund. She stated these funds may be needed for repairs to the aging system.  

Mayor Harrison stated that the need to use these funds was well known. He stated that some of the funds have been repaid and the fund has recouped nicely. He stated that the City will be looking at severe budget cuts in the upcoming year and the City has no means to repay this fund. It was moved by Commissioner DeTienne, seconded by Commissioner Flammini that a Resolution (12-R-6) be passed modifying transfers from the Water Fund to the General Fund, in the amounts of $3,200,000 and $1,764,000, by deleting any and all repayment obligations. The vote on roll call was: Commissioners Shantal Taylor, nay; Flammini, aye; DeTienne, aye; Mayor Harrison, aye. Motion carried. Resolution passed.

The Final Accounting

With the $4.9 million forgiven, and an additional outstanding loan of $1.3 million, the total taken from the Water Fund comes to $6.2 million.  Much of that $4.9 million consisting of those "one-time dollars", that won't likely be seen again.  Whether those dollars were spent wisely or not, I'll leave it to you the reader, to judge.

Epilogue: The Rate Increase

In the time since I started writing this post, another City Council meeting was held on September 3, 2013.  At that meeting, the rate increases proposed by Director Knable for water, sewer and waste removal were approved.  In my opinion this was the correct and responsible course to take. If we want services, we should expect to pay for them. 

It's unfortunate that the circumstances require a larger increase now than if they had been adjusted incrementally all along as they should have been.  Equally unfortunate is that all of those "one-time dollars" have been expended as I outlined above instead of being used to improve an infrastructure that truly needs it. An opportunity lost. Let's hope that a lesson has been learned and the city does better in the future.

The Results Are In

Not a long post tonight, I have been sending out emails to friends and supporters.  For those who haven't been following the Lake County Clerk's website breathlessly this evening, I placed fifth in a the field with 12.70% of the vote.  That is 374 out of 2,944 votes cast.

Not bad for someone who was a complete unknown just a few months ago.

Congratulations to Al Hill and Lloyd DeTienne for their wins tonight, and also our hope that they will serve the City of Zion well for the next four years.

I will probably have some final thoughts on the campaign, but not tonight.  I have to go back to work in the morning.

To everyone who cast a vote in this election, thank you.

Sincerely,

Christopher Fischer

Remarks to the Zion Township Republican Committee

This evening I participated in a candidate meet and greet with the Zion Township Republican Committee.  I am happy to report that all of the candidates for Commissioner attended, and the question and answer session I think was lively, and hopefully gave the Committee members a better picture of the candidates to share with others.   Special thanks to Marti Korpi for being our host.

Each candidate was given a ten minute window to present a statement about themselves, why they are running and what they hope to achieve if elected.  What follows is the text of my presentation as written.

Good Evening.

To begin, I wish to thank Mrs. Korpi, and the Committee for inviting us here to speak with all of you. Hopefully it will prove to be a useful and informative exchange for everyone.

Some of you may have attended the Candidate Forum held here at the Library a couple of weeks ago, or watched the videos provided by ZBGuide.com.  So, I don’t want to bore you too much by re-hashing my statement from that event. 

Instead, since I have a more generous time limit today I would like to provide a little more in depth background of myself. Then I want focus in on an item in my platform to help illustrate my conception of how the city government can help Zion grow, and develop for the future.

I was born in Kansas City Missouri, 48 years ago.  I am the eldest of four boys, my brothers Mark, John, and Matthew. My father said later that if he had planned it out, I should have been named Luke.  In those early years we lived in the suburbs on the North side of K.C., and did the typical suburban kid stuff of the time; banana seat bikes, idolizing Evel Knieval, and tree forts.

Now, my father always had this idea of getting into self-sustained small scale farming, so we moved out to a farm that we rented for a couple of years. We had goats and chickens, so I and my brother had chores every day, taking care of the animals, gathering eggs, and milking the goats. Later, we moved to another place, a pre-civil war Federalist style home located on a wooded hilltop. To be honest, it was not in the best condition, and since the primary heat source was wood burning stoves, my brother Mark and I became pretty handy at splitting wood with an axe, sledgehammer, and steel wedges.  It’s a pretty direct proposition, if you want to stay warm, split that stack of wood first.

When we moved to Indiana, the property covered about seven acres, with two ponds and a stream. Taking care of that, and the fowl, and the four head of dairy cows we boarded was a lot even with four boys to help out. Cows can’t wait to be milked, so I would have to get up at 4:00 am and take care of them before going to school.  I will say that spending a few years shoveling manure makes me more appreciative of working in an office today.

Now, at the time, I didn’t enjoy going out to the barn on a dark winter morning that much, but the lessons I learned about being self-reliant, responsible, hard-working, and honest have been the basis for everything else that I have undertaken in my life.

After High School, I joined the Army. I was a Signals Intelligence Analyst, with a Top Secret Codeword Clearance, and that is a lot of responsibility for any 19 year old. I was sent to West Germany, and to the 103^rd Military Intelligence Battalion.  There, I worked with some of the smartest people I have ever met and forged friendships that endure even today. The most important of which is my wife Christie. Who took notice of me in the motor pool when I almost hit her with a 75 lb bag of camouflage I tossed off the top of a truck. She was from Indianapolis, so she often says that she went all the way to Germany to meet the boy next door. 

After our enlistments ended, we were married, and then moved to Illinois on a job offer. The job didn’t work out, so we found other employment. That is when I went into the Security business. With my military experience, I was soon put into management positions, and over time I learned some important lessons on how to be a good manager. One of the most important is that it’s easy to be a hardass; it’s a lot harder to be a leader, and a mentor.

Eventually, I took a position supervising the security staff at the American Medical Association; this was not long after we had bought our home here in Zion. Three years later, I was offered a position with the AMA in the Human Resources Division.  Where, for the last 13 years, I have had the unique opportunity to observe, and learn how a large organization functions, both good and bad.  Obviously, I can’t cover everything I have experienced and learned in the time available here tonight, but I do believe that the sum total of my experience will serve the people of Zion well if I am elected.

We face many challenges here in Zion; the housing crisis, crime, the economy, and high taxes that burden all of us.  The prescription for many of these challenges, as they concern the city, is to either cut services, or increase alternate revenue to offset the taxes on homeowners.  Rather than get caught up in the nuts and bolts of where to cut and how to raise revenue, I want to talk about how we might create a broader vision for the future of the city.

A couple of weeks ago, at the invitation of Township Supervisor Cheri Neal, I went to a candidate meet and greet with the residents at Carmel House.  We gave our presentations, and answered questions from the ladies who attended.  As things were winding up, and I was getting ready to leave, I spent a moment chatting with a Mrs. La Belle, who is 96, if I remember correctly.  She said something that has stayed with me; “I would just like Zion to be like it was back when I was a little girl.  We all knew each other, and did things together, it was nice then.” Now, obviously we cannot return to that time when everyone knew each other but, maybe we can recapture that sense of community through developing a plan for what we want Zion to become in the future.

One part of my platform proposes creating a new Comprehensive Development Plan for the city.  One of the great things about our time is the availability of information. If you have an idea, you can bet that someone somewhere has had a similar idea and actually put it into practice.

One of the examples I found, is the Southern Illinois town of Pinckneyville.  The citizens there decided to take control of the development of their town, establish a vision for the future, and created the mechanisms to carry it out.  The primary means to establish this vision was the creation of a non profit Foundation that combines the efforts of the government, the business community, and the citizens.  Through their efforts, guided by a strategic plan, this small city was able, among other things, to establish the Illinois High School Basketball Hall of Fame, which has become a destination for visitors to the area.

Zion should take advantage of examples like Pinckneyville. To learn to develop destination drivers, to involve people using techniques like crowd sourcing; developing an interactive communication with the public to create community initiatives to promote the city, and to make it a more desirable place to live and work.  Above all, if the public has a substantial role in conceiving a new development plan, it invests them in the community and gives them a greater stake in working to achieve the goals that have been set forth.

In essence, what I am proposing is creating an environment that encourages a sense of public service, not only in our elected officials, but in the community as a whole.  With a vision to guide us, and some good old hard work, I think we can get to know each other better, and do some great things for this city.

So, that is a little about me, where I am from, and where I hope we can go together.  If you share that vision, I hope that you will give me your support on Election Day.

Thank You.