<html><body><div style="color:#000; background-color:#fff; font-family:garamond, new york, times, serif;font-size:16px"><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1426783000312_5728"><font id="yui_3_16_0_1_1426783000312_5723" face="Calibri">The mayoral candidates convened last evening. The video will
be re-broadcast at 11 this evening, and innumerable times thereafter at all
hours of the morning.</font><font face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1426783000312_5729"><font face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1426783000312_5722" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><font id="yui_3_16_0_1_1426783000312_5721" face="Calibri">All of the four candidates recognized that poverty is an issue. They hope, and perhaps pray, for economic development
and jobs. Mayor Gerard implied that he has something to do with a lower
unemployment rate in Champaign County since he took office. I have my doubts
whether the real unemployment rate is much lower, about the nature of new jobs,
and about the relationship of any of that to his policies, including the summer
youth jobs for which he takes credit.</font></div><font face="Times New Roman">
</font><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1426783000312_5731" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><font id="yui_3_16_0_1_1426783000312_5730" face="Calibri">There seemed to be a consensus in support of TIFs, and for
Bristol Place development. I have my doubts whether that constitutes an
economic development strategy. Joe Petry claimed to have a detailed economic
vision on his website; I can’t seem to find that on his website.</font></div><font face="Times New Roman">
</font><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1426783000312_5741" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><font id="yui_3_16_0_1_1426783000312_5855" face="Calibri">All are proud of our new hotels.</font></div><font face="Times New Roman">
</font><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1426783000312_5740" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><font id="yui_3_16_0_1_1426783000312_5739" face="Calibri">They all love the idea of combatting “sprawl” and promoting
in-fill. Gerard mentioned the national award that Champaign received regarding
its population density, even though it’s not an island like New York City, which got an even better mark and which just isn't fair. I’m
no authority on local issues, including this one, but it would seem that there
are some contradictions here. Do we not have sprawl? Do not the developers want
to create more sprawl? Won’t any of these candidates have to please the
developers? It was seen as a feather in the cap of in-fill that Worden-Martin
moved (was bribed to move?) to Anthony Drive. That seems to me a pretty low bar
regarding urban planning. Or perhaps the more popular expression is "low-hanging fruit."</font></div><font face="Times New Roman">
</font><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1426783000312_5773" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><font id="yui_3_16_0_1_1426783000312_5772" face="Calibri">Gerard is running partly on his alleged support for
organized labor. Last night he lauded Phyllis Wise, whom we are “lucky to have.”
Thus there may be a contradiction between his support for Wise and his alleged
support for labor on campus. Gerard is proud of everything he’s done, all the
people he’s ever worked with, and indeed all the people he’s met. Champaign is
the “best city in the country.” (Full disclosure: I enjoy living in Champaign
more than Los Angeles or Chicago.). However he did, he reminded us, talk back
to Gov. Rauner. But I'm not getting my pitchfork ready to join him at the governor's door.</font></div><font face="Times New Roman">
</font><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1426783000312_5782" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><font id="yui_3_16_0_1_1426783000312_5781" face="Calibri">I submitted a question about discrimination against
African-Americans in traffic stops, fines, etc. They all agreed that the police
should “look more like the community.” Anthony Cobb, they said, is making that
happen. They all agreed that Chief Cobb is a stellar figure who will work to
solve these problems. They invoked community policing; however, I doubt that
the premises or track record of what is called “community policing” offer much
hope for meaningful change. It would seem, and I’m sure that it’s obvious to
most of those reading this, that such change would have to come at more
fundamental levels of economic equality and ending the war on drugs and mass
incarceration. The latter wasn’t mentioned, as far as I can recall, although I
did lose focus a few times.</font></div><font face="Times New Roman">
</font><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1426783000312_5798" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><font id="yui_3_16_0_1_1426783000312_5797" face="Calibri">Deb Feinin was at the meeting at the Urbana Civic Center a
few weeks ago about traffic stops, etc. So she is aware that there is a genuine
problem. Unfortunately, I’m still vague about the level of that problem in
Champaign in comparison to a place like Ferguson. It would be good to have more
data about fines, jailing, etc., but that doesn’t work for a question written
on a note card.</font></div><font face="Times New Roman">
</font><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1426783000312_5809" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><font id="yui_3_16_0_1_1426783000312_5808" face="Calibri">Karen Foster, as reported in the N-G, was the only candidate
willing to consider raising taxes to meet possible budget deficits. She might
get my vote just on that basis, if I vote, even though she’s the most poorly
spoken of the lot. But perhaps that’s a point in her favor. Feinen said that it
would be a shame to raise taxes, just as jobs are picking up. But if you lay
people off from government, then you lose both jobs and taxes. But you don’t
learn that in law school.</font></div><font face="Times New Roman">
</font><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1426783000312_5720" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><font id="yui_3_16_0_1_1426783000312_5810" face="Calibri">In sum, Joe Petry would probably make the best technocrat
among them, although of course the other three have more experience in city
government per se. Petry seems like a genuinely conscientious guy. I could be
wrong, but I could picture having an intelligent and productive conversation with him.</font></div><font face="Times New Roman">
</font><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1426783000312_5812" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><font id="yui_3_16_0_1_1426783000312_5811" face="Calibri">I was confirmed in my belief that I don’t think a whole lot
of Don Gerard.</font></div><font face="Times New Roman">
</font><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1426783000312_5717" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><font id="yui_3_16_0_1_1426783000312_5716" face="Calibri">Concluding editorial comment: My back-of-the-envelope
calculation is that the yearly income of the top 20% of household in Champaign
(6000 or so) totals over $1 billion, probably a conservative estimate, and
leaving their wealth aside. In this state, that strata pays 7-8% in state/local
taxes, while the bottom quintile pays 13%. A 3-5% surcharge on the adjusted
gross income of this group could easily net $20-30 million, but there’s no
reason why at least $50 million shouldn’t be taxed from this group in order to
put a lot more people to work providing services. City government, with broad
public participation, should decide what services the people need, how many
jobs it wants to create, and then tax on that basis.</font></div><font face="Times New Roman">
</font><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1426783000312_5719" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><font id="yui_3_16_0_1_1426783000312_5718" face="Calibri">The total locally funded budgets of Champaign city, schools,
parks, and libraries are probably about $180 million. Given the wealth of our
community (over $4 billion GDP, City of Champaign), there’s no reason for these
services to be so hard-pressed. But of course the reason they are is that none
of the candidates can broach the topic of going to where the money is, from
those who have the most and need it the least, and of course have the most
influence on politics and campaign funding, even at the local penny-ante level.
</font></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1426783000312_5851" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;" dir="ltr"><font id="yui_3_16_0_1_1426783000312_5850" face="Calibri">Of course, all of this would be more efficiently done at the county or state levels. But there's no reason for local municipalities not to set an example. Phyllis Wise isn't going to pack up her bags and move to Monticello.</font></div><font face="Times New Roman">
</font><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1426783000312_5853" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><font id="yui_3_16_0_1_1426783000312_5852" face="Calibri">Conclusion: a good socialist would have made for an
interesting evening. But at least they didn’t let Barb Wysocki be the
moderator. That’s what allowed me to stay awake throughout.</font></div><font face="Times New Roman">
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