Welcome!
Welcome, and thanks for visiting! My name is Christopher (C. J.) Summers, and I’m running for Peoria City Council, At-Large. I’d like to tell you why I’m running.
When you think of what you want from city government, what comes to mind? For most people I’ve talked to, the same basic services are always at the top of the list. We want our streets to be plowed quickly after it snows so we can get to work on time. We want to feel safe when we go outside. We want the fire department to respond as quickly as possible when there’s a fire or medical emergency. We want our garbage picked up, and our streets and sidewalks maintained. We want zoning and code enforcement policies that protect our property values and provide a fair and predictable investment climate for our businesses and residences.
In short, we want basic services delivered in an efficient and cost-effective manner. That’s the reason we have city government in the first place. That’s why we pay taxes.
I’m afraid the City Council has lost its focus. Instead of putting our tax money toward essential services first, it has opted instead to put large amounts of our tax money toward dubious investments, such as backing a loan for the ill-fated Firefly Energy and committing upwards of $40 million to build another downtown hotel, just to name a couple. Worse, it cuts these deals in secret, giving citizens no opportunity for meaningful input before they’re enacted.
This is not a recent phenomenon. Past council decisions have also compromised our ability to maintain the basic services the City is obligated to provide. MidTown Plaza alone is costing us four-hundred thousand dollars a year to bail out. As a result of poor decisions such as this, in combination with the recent economic downturn, the City is looking at structural deficits and has had to cut core services each year. Our debt service already accounts for over $17 million a year (almost 10% of our operating budget), and will increase once bonds are issued for the proposed hotel.
I believe it’s time we got back to the fundamentals. We need to get our focus back on our core services — services that benefit all Peorians, not just a privileged few; services that will set the table for economic development without having to resort to developer welfare. And we need to get our focus back on the citizens of Peoria. Perfunctory public hearings have led to a dispirited and jaded public; this is not healthy for our City. Citizens should have ample opportunity for meaningful input, and that means asking for public comments as early in the policy/project development process as possible.
We need more council members who are committed to putting basic services first. And that’s why I’m running for Peoria City Council. I want to see the City focus our resources on our core services, work toward lowering our debt, and take the secrecy out of City government. This is the surest way to make the City an attractive place to live and do business.
Please vote for me on April 5.