March 21, 2010

I found this online at the Illinois Department of Financial & Professional Regulation. Could you ask Councilman (John) Prigge about this?

“John Prigge May 2, 2005

The auction license was placed on indefinite probation during which regular written reports are to be tendered to BRE and a $4,000 fine was assessed for failing to account for personality, failing to timely remit funds to several clients, for having engaged in unprofessional conduct & unlicensed practice of auctioneering of his corporate entity and failing to register in accordance with the Assumed Business Name Act.” (Source: http://www.idfpr.com/DPR/RE/AuDisp.asp)

Answer: “Business complications arose seven years ago, which led to the eventual dissolving of my corporation. All claims were settled and I agreed with the decision and fine and also remain in good standing with the State as a licensed auctioneer,” Prigge said.

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1. “The commonly used definition of “sustainability” has three legs–environmental, social, and economic.”

Sounds good, but why do we only hear from the Elgin Community Network and Sandy Kaptain about the “environmental” part? How do you have a “sustainable” community when a “large segment” (Daily Herald) of the residents are poor, unskilled,illegally-resident foreigners and the city consistently has some of the highest unemployment in the state? (see today’s Courier) And then how do you square your purported desire for true sustainablity with supporting incumbent candidates whose past performance has contributed to these conditions?

2. “As some candidates mentioned, over $1 million was spent on Wing Park Boulevard! The Council approved $500,000 to be used on downtown signage.”

It sounds like you don’t find these expenses to be wise uses of our City’s money, and I don’t either. But then why are you endorsing two of the incumbents behind these payments?

3. “The economic leg means moving toward a more sustainable way of doing things without putting undue burden on taxpayers.”

Well, that’s part of it. But I’d suggest that real economic “sustainablity” involves creating an environment of wide retail choice, a sound tax base for public institutions, a well-trained and well-educated employee pool, and secure jobs paying wages and benefits sufficient to sustain independent, middle-class families who don’t need large welfare subsidies from corrupt, inefficient government “programs.” This has been the traditional economic model of progressive, mainstream American communities. It has not been the recent model for Elgin or Illinois for that matter, and the “unsustainable” results - bad schools, gangs, dangerous neighborhoods, deteriorating real estate prices, ethnic division, political sleaziness - are with us everyday. I’m troubled that as an intelligent person you continue to endorse people who have pursued and want to continue pursuing the failed approach. I’m troubled that the Elgin Community Network has nothing to contribute on this critical leg of sustainablity.

Finally, I, too, would love to see a bikeable, walkable community, and I cannot dispute the health and social benefits you claim. I’m troubled that even you - who I regard as sometimes mistaken :) but always intelligent and plucky - are worried about walking around your own Elgin neighborhood. You’re not alone. But I want a city leadership that’s prepared to go after the root causes of this fear. Elgin didn’t used to be this way - why does it have to now? It doesn’t, but it has been suffering under a leadership whose priorities are with the business and political interests that prosper from cheap unskilled labor, ethnically-divided and welfare-dependent poverty, and tax-payer funded “revitalization” subsidies. The media supports this racket because - as anyone familiar with Chicago knows - a lot of money and political power can be generated from such an environment. And, of course, as anyone with much experience in Chicago’s neighborhoods knows, it’s an environment that “sustains” a few areas of great wealth, vast areas of poverty, and virtually no middle class. It’s probably too late, but I’m supporting people like Prigge who are true to Elgin’s traditional, progressive middle-class tradition rather than serving the unsustainable and failing Chicago model.