The Weekly Post 3/22/18

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The Weekly Post

Thursday March 22, 2018 Vol. 6, No. 4 Hot news tip? Want to advertise? Call (309) 741-9790

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PRSRT. STD. U.S. POSTAGE PAID Elmwood, Illinois Permit No. 13

“We Cover The News of West-Central Illinois With A Passion” Serving the fine communities of Brimfield, Dahinda, Douglas, Duncan, Edwards, Elmore, Elmwood, Farmington, Kickapoo, Laura, Monica, Oak Hill, Princeville, Williamsfield and Yates City

Daley family legacy runs deep in Chicago

By BILL KNIGHT

For The Weekly Post

Mayor Richard J. Daley (center) joins his family for a stroll through the neighborhood near his home on South Lowe on Easter Sunday, after church on April 1, 1956. With him, left to right, Richard Jr., Mary Carol, Mrs. Daley, John, Billy, Eleanor and Michael. Photo by The Chicago Sun-Times.

the wrought-iron fences and European-style greenery pushed by his son, the legacy of the city’s two longest-serving mayors is impossible to avoid. There are also things not seen, of course. Like Meigs Field, the quirky lakefront airport that the younger Daley brazenly – and illegally – bulldozed in the middle of the night in 2003. And then there’s a trail of Daley pals either shamed or jailed for various corruption schemes, part of a long-tolerated, wink-and-nod

“Chicago way” of doing city business. The elder Mayor Daley struggled to reconcile his neighborhood tribalism with the growing civil rights movement and anti-war protests. And his son watched grand plans for his city spiral into sweetheart deals and crippling budget deficits. But the Daley Machine also saw Chicago’s fortunes grow while other Rust Belt cities declined. And they helped elect two Democratic presiContinued on Page 2

Farmington OK’s street program, TIF projects FARMINGTON – 2018 plan to use Motor Fuel Tax funds on street maintenance was approved by the City Council on Monday, when the Council also OK’d two Tax Increment Financing (TIF) deals. The City will spend about $65,000 on crack sealing various streets throughout the community and also For The Weekly Post

Social conservative Jeanne Ives jolted the GOP race for the party’s standard bearer on Tuesday, earning 48.38 percent of the vote statewide for Illinois’ governor, according to unofficial returns in the primary. Incumbent Gov. Bruce Rauner had 51.62 percent with 92 percent of precincts tallied. Far less surprising was J.D. Pritzker’s apparent victory, as he grabbed more than 45 percent of votes cast. At press time, down-ballot races were highlighted by State Sen. Kwame Raoul holding a 2.71-point lead on former Gov. Pat Quinn for Democrats’ nominee for Attorney General, and Erika Harold winning Republicans’ Pritzker AG nomination. Locally, in the Republican race for the Peoria County Board’s District 16, Rosefield Road Commissioner Matt Windish wasd poised to upset incumbent Peoria County Board member Brad Harding with 98.82 percent of the vote tallied. Also, the question about whether to make the Rauner County Auditor position an appointed one was too close to call at press time. Overall, most positions weren’t contested, but a few positions had competition in this precursor to the Nov. 6 general election. The Governor’s race: Rauner in September signed protecting immigrants’, transgender and abortion rights, igniting a reaction from the Right, and State Rep. Ives challenged the incumbent, accusing him of betraying conservatives. For Democrats, the primary race boiled down to billionaire Pritzker vs. millionaire Chris Kennedy vs. middle-class Daniel Biss. Pritzker gained early support of much of the state’s Democratic Establishment, including organized labor, but both Kennedy and Biss made inroads blasting For The Weekly Post

By JOHN CARPENTER

By BILL KNIGHT

Compliments of Our Fine Advertisers!

Ives surprises Rauner while Pritzker rolls

FIRST FAMILY OF CHICAGO

About 20 years before a certain territory along the eastern banks of the upper Mississippi became a state, a man named Maurice Daly tied his ass and cart to a fence in the little Irish town of Dungarvan and set off for America. He added an “e” to his last name along the way – and the die was cast for the most powerful political brand in Illinois’ 200-year history. The Daleys of Chicago ran the state’s largest city for more than 40 years, watching from the fifth floor of City Hall as the city grew from a thriving but unpolished Midwest railroad hub to a sprawling global metropolis. Whether it’s the skyscrapers that Richard J. Daley so dearly loved, or

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Carrier Route Presort RURAL BOXHOLDER LOCAL P.O. BOXHOLDER

line a culvert on South Cone Street under a plan outlined by the MaurerStutz engineering firm in Peoria. Other, private developments also were given the go-ahead through TIF, as a $60,000 loan from TIF funds to Farmington Forward, LLC was authorized by the Council, and a previously announced façade renovation program was formally renewed for Fiscal Year 2019.

The Council last month OK’d the loan in general terms, which now include forgiving 1/6th of the balance annually for six years if a business occupies the developed site at 60 E. Fort St. and generates sales taxes. The entire project is estimated to cost more than $250,000. On March 5, the Council signaled its approval to extend the façade program Continued on Page 14

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