Latest Post | Last 10 Posts | Archives
Previous Post: Former Legislative Inspector General says report of “serious wrongdoing” was “squashed” by the Legislative Ethics Commission
Next Post: It’s just a bill
Posted in:
* Belleville News-Democrat…
Citizens of two shrinking metro-east municipalities will be asked on the March 17 primary ballot if they should be merged.
The boards of both the city of Centreville and village of Alorton each approved a referendum that, if approved, would join the municipalities in an aldermanic style of government. The city, according to the referendum, would be called Alcentra.
* Madison - St. Clair Record editorial…
The proposed merger raises the obvious question of why residents of Alorton and Centreville would want to give up the independent status of their communities, a question the two mayors promise to address at a town hall meeting at the Charlie Coleman Center in Alorton next Tuesday evening.
In a letter to their residents, Alorton Mayor Jo Ann Reed and Centreville Mayor Marius Jackson endorsed the proposal, saying the merger would lead to better roads and sewers, better housing, better jobs, better government, and lower taxes.
No intelligent resident of either town would believe such obvious lies, and it’s despicable that leaders who ask for your trust betray it with such utter nonsense. Both Alorton and Centreville have been hemorrhaging citizens for years, Alorton’s population declining 20 percent over the last decade (currently less than 2,000) and Centreville’s by 12 percent (now roughly 5,000).
Merging the two towns might mean one less mayor to pay for and the consolidation of duplicate city services, but it’s highly unlikely that the annual budget for Alcentra is going to be less than the current budgets of Alorton and Centreville combined. Nor is it likely that the improvements promised are going to be delivered by a hybrid of two towns that don’t currently keep their promises.
The problem for Alorton and Centreville is not their size. It’s their maladministration. Incompetent and corrupt leadership and an entrenched Democrat Party machine are what are destroying both communities, and many others throughout Illinois.
We the voters have to reclaim our hometowns, and our state.
Um, OK?
posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Feb 6, 20 @ 11:31 am
Sorry, comments are closed at this time.
Previous Post: Former Legislative Inspector General says report of “serious wrongdoing” was “squashed” by the Legislative Ethics Commission
Next Post: It’s just a bill
WordPress Mobile Edition available at alexking.org.
powered by WordPress.
Less government for thee, not for me.
Comment by Roadrager Thursday, Feb 6, 20 @ 11:37 am
Well, they aren’t in McHenry County so…
Comment by Proud Sucker Thursday, Feb 6, 20 @ 11:39 am
Hmmm I wonder the real reason these two town are the ones they are against??? I just can’t put my finger on it?
Comment by The Wombat Thursday, Feb 6, 20 @ 11:41 am
Geographically that looks like it makes a lot of sense. Also, who the heck allowed Centereville to grow like that? Its corporate boundaries make it look like a Rorschach inkblot.
Comment by Just Another Anon Thursday, Feb 6, 20 @ 11:41 am
I thought conservatives were for smaller government. Apparently not in their backyards.
And it’s Democratic Party geniuses.
Comment by Demoralized Thursday, Feb 6, 20 @ 11:42 am
Without knowing anything but what’s in the items presented, I’m not sure I’d write off the Record’s editorial as “rage”. There’s two sides, at least, in every democratic decision.
Comment by Heyseed Thursday, Feb 6, 20 @ 11:45 am
And, of course, everyone likes self-government for themselves, but not necessarily for others.
Comment by heyseed Thursday, Feb 6, 20 @ 11:46 am
It’s interesting that both mayors support this when they know one will lose her/his job.
The editorial writers of Madison County Record really haven’t made a strong case why consolidation of the mayor’s job and duplicate city services wouldn’t save money. I mean outside of braying “liar”and an assortment of other insults.
Comment by 17% Solution Thursday, Feb 6, 20 @ 11:47 am
IF the merger is approved, Alorton would most likely escape the jurisdiction of the Metro East Police District Commission. The Commission was established, in part, to “professionalize” the police departments in Brooklyn, Washington Park, East St. Louis, and Alorton (as St. Clair County State’s Attorney Brendan Kelly publicly stated the problems with those police departments, and worked to legislatively create the Commission). And Centreville gains residents and territory. Might be more here than meets the eye.
Comment by Anyone Remember Thursday, Feb 6, 20 @ 11:54 am
If you think that one is absurd, get a load of this nonsensical word jumble
https://westcooknews.com/stories/523910025-mayor-lightfoot-supports-lifting-food-truck-restrictions-but-why
Comment by anti-contrarian Thursday, Feb 6, 20 @ 11:57 am
Never let logic stand in the way of a good rant.
Comment by Pundent Thursday, Feb 6, 20 @ 11:59 am
== If you think that one is absurd, get a load of this nonsensical word jumble.==
It’s a Proft/Timpone newspaper so what do you expect? Logic?
Comment by 17% Solution Thursday, Feb 6, 20 @ 12:17 pm
Man, it’s like sharing services never works and never saves money.
*Looks over at Homewood and Flossmoor*
Oh…
Comment by ChrisB Thursday, Feb 6, 20 @ 12:32 pm
Didn’t it used to be called the Madison County Record? When and why did it merge with St. Clair? Horrors!!! Those two jurisdictions deserve autonomy!!
Comment by DIstant watcher Thursday, Feb 6, 20 @ 12:48 pm
The good old conservative smaller gvt message always falls off the table when it impacts the good old conservatives.
Comment by Give Me A Break Thursday, Feb 6, 20 @ 12:55 pm
Give Me a Break,
Does combining units of local government so that the result is larger really count as “smaller”? Maybe, just maybe there is some economy of scale which might, might, make its operations maybe a bit cheaper. But it can’t really be said to be “smaller”.
Comment by Heyseed Thursday, Feb 6, 20 @ 1:17 pm
== I’m not sure I’d write off the Record’s editorial as “rage”. There’s two sides, at least, in every democratic decision.==
Yes there are two sides. Then the Madison County Record should have laid out their case instead of just resorting to ad hominem attacks.
Comment by 17% Solution Thursday, Feb 6, 20 @ 1:20 pm
I thought the right wingers at the Record believed in consolidation for school districts and townships. They should pick a lane.
Comment by Highland Il Thursday, Feb 6, 20 @ 1:22 pm
Republicans seem to have a disconnect between the things they say they are for in ideology, and opposing those same things in real world implementations.
Check out the conservative outrage over in Will county regarding cannabis legalization.
https://patch.com/illinois/joliet/will-county-republicans-oppose-marijuana-facilities-tax-sales
Comment by TheInvisibleMan Thursday, Feb 6, 20 @ 1:41 pm
The two city halls are less than a mile apart. Alorton is surrounded on 3 sides by Centreville. This is a no brainer. The real question is if they should both merge with East St Louis.
Comment by thechampaignlife Thursday, Feb 6, 20 @ 3:31 pm