Councilman Spain......WAKE UP !!!!!!!!

Nothing like a totally asinine idea by the next "golden boy" to get one's blood boiling on a Sunday morning.

Councilman Spain.....here's an idea....free of charge:

Have an informal meeting with some residents of Washington, East Peoria, Dunlap, Metamora, hell even Germantown Hills. Preferably those who work on the Peoria side of the river. Ask them why they don't live in Peoria.

Do you think the most common answers would include the following: The lack of a downtown museum, the lack of a downtown hotel............. inadequate branding of Peoria? (Didn't make that one up)

Let me help you out, Councilman Spain (off topic-does he strike anyone else as a Schock wanna-be?), the answer would be no.

What would the most common answers be? Perhaps crime and the school system? I'm going to guess yes on those two.

Focus on fixing the real problems keeping people from moving here and keeping people from moving away. That's how to be an effective councilman. Not by "branding".

I'm usually not a big fan of Councilwoman Van Auken, but I do agree with her view of this: ""You want the city to put its best foot forward, but you have to be careful to make sure it doesn't get out in front of substance," 2nd District City Councilwoman Barbara Van Auken said. "I don't think it's unique to Peoria, but communities sometimes get an inferiority complex, and they forget that isn't the view that people who are several steps back from it have. If you read the various news from around the country, Peoria does quite well, and its image is good."

Peoria is what it is. And it will not change until the basic problems are dealt with. All the "lipstick on the pig" won't change that.

And for anyone wondering what Spain does for a living: he's the managing director of the Heartland Foundation at Heartland Partnership, which , in it's own words, "provides strategic leadership, coordinates resources, and brings to life initiatives focused on developing, growing, and nurturing the heartland economy." In layman's terms, the movers and shakers who will decide what projects will benefit this city, regardless of cost or need.