With the home rule question coming up on the November ballot for Freeport voters it is important citizens be on the look out for our money being improperly used to sway the vote...there is history here.
However, if those local elected officials that are sworn to uphold our laws and constitutions sit on their hands and do nothing when there are blatant violations of election laws, the 1970 Illinois Constitution means nothing.
In the not so distant past, most of the players are still alive, local movers shakers showed a propensity to interfere in the election process, using public money as if an election issue funded by public money could ever be "equal" while those in power pretended nothing was wrong here.
Let's go back 20-years ago when there was much debate within Freeport over building a new library. Some residents only wanted library money used (they have their own tax) and didn't want city government to supply any money stating the City of Freeport had enough to worry about. This group especially didn't want any long term public debt for the new library. Without home rule library bonds have to go to referendum.
The group called themselves the "Freeport Good Government Group." FGGG took on the herculean task of collecting signatures of 10% of Freeport registered voters in order to force an advisory referendum regarding a City Council resolution to contribute funding.
Despite too many underhanded shenanigans to mention here by those in power in an effort to keep the question off the ballot, a judge finally decided the group's petitions had merit and ordered the advisory question to appear on the primary ballot. The final court order was entered on February 27 with the primary election occurring in less than three weeks, on March 19, 2002.
Despite too many underhanded shenanigans to mention here by those in power in an effort to keep the question off the ballot, a judge finally decided the group's petitions had merit and ordered the advisory question to appear on the primary ballot. The final court order was entered on February 27 with the primary election occurring in less than three weeks, on March 19, 2002.
Suddenly, in the middle of March within a week of the vote, all kinds of advertising began showing up. Freeport voters received a direct mailing stating that the City's money to build the new library was "here now" and claiming there would be no long term debt as part of its construction.
It seems that a mere six days before the primary a political action committee was created calling itself "Freeport Forward." Here is some of the public record as it still appears on the Illinois State Board of Elections website.
So the next logical question is where did this Freeport Forward PAC originate from and where did their money come from? Fortunately the ISBE website will tell us that too. Here is some of the report.
Notice that more than $8600.00 came from the Freeport Downtown Development Foundation, an entity completely supported by taxpayers. Following is a majority of the PAC's expenditures. The FDDF is now part of the Greater Freeport Partnership.
The PAC also paid for a direct mailing to Freeport voters all of this paid political advertising pitched misleading information about a referendum 10-days away. There was no time to publicly rebut or counter the misinformation being spewed with the help of taxpayer dollars. The money was not, nor never was "here now" and the Freeport City Council did end up using home rule to borrow money over 30-years to help pay for the new library.
Freeport voters were lied to with their own money, pure and simple.
Freeport voters were lied to with their own money, pure and simple.
And not one local elected official, despite being sworn to uphold the Illinois Constitution and all that includes seen a thing even after it was brought to their attention. Free and equal elections....where?
Notice the address of the Freeport Forward PAC, 101 West Stephenson Street, At that time that address was the Fifth/Third Bank. The direct mailer was postmarked using the bank's postage meter. The vice president of the bank in March 2002 is the present chair emeritus the Greater Freeport Partnership.
Maybe that's what leadership means in Freeport, make your underlings accountable forever while avoiding any personal responsibility now and in the future for themselves.
Notice the address of the Freeport Forward PAC, 101 West Stephenson Street, At that time that address was the Fifth/Third Bank. The direct mailer was postmarked using the bank's postage meter. The vice president of the bank in March 2002 is the present chair emeritus the Greater Freeport Partnership.
Maybe that's what leadership means in Freeport, make your underlings accountable forever while avoiding any personal responsibility now and in the future for themselves.
Let's be on the lookout for public money, our tax dollars, being used to campaign for or against any election initiative. Elections cannot be "equal" if public dollars are financing any side.
Freeport/Stephenson County elected officials have never had a problem with such blatant constitutional impropriety before, why would it concern them now, it's not like anyone has ever had consequences.
As always, yours in honesty,
John Samuel Cook
2022
As always, yours in honesty,
John Samuel Cook
2022
I was not a fan of spending millions on a new library when a modest building, book sharing, and the internet would be enough.
ReplyDeletePoliticians who can spend usually do just that.