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Still Waters,
the
em space, Where They Stand,
By
the Numbers,
How We Stack Up,
What's
Up With That?
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Statue
thoughts
Are we
ready to swallow our pride?
By
Mike Fak
[JULY
6, 2001] Bear
with me for a moment. I want to tell you a little story and then tie
it in with a point I am trying to make. At least that is my plan as
I bang on the keys.
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Three
decades ago, Walt Disney stood before the administrations of Orlando,
Fla., and the surrounding counties. He proposed to take several
thousand acres of unwanted property and turn them into what is now
Disney World, Epcot Center, MGM Studios, et al.
Now
if people care to delve into history, they will find that Walt wasn’t
the kind-hearted sweetheart he portrayed to millions of Americans each
and every Sunday night for two decades. Walt, when it came to
business, was as subtle as Vito Corleone was in "The
Godfather."
During
those meetings with officials, Disney promised to put the entire area
on the world map. He promised to make the entire area an economic
boomtown for years to come, with no costs to the taxpayers of the
area. Disney did have a set of stipulations that were tough for local
administrators to swallow. First, Walt wanted a promise to be left
alone. He would handle security, ala a police force. He would have a
fire department. He would even have his own sources of generating the
incredible amounts of electricity needed to run Disney World on a
day-to-day basis. Walt wanted no red tape. He didn’t want inspectors
breathing down his throat as he built thousands of condos and hotel
rooms. In short, Disney promised a gold mine to the area residents,
but he wanted to be, in effect, his own little country.
By
margins as close as 5-4 and 7-6, Walt was allowed to have his way.
What has happened to Orlando and all the towns within a three-hour
drive of the megalopolis is, of course, history.
To
anyone who has visited the area — I have been there twice in the
last five years — it is apparent that a once-docile part of Florida
is now an economic Valhalla replete with low property taxes, ample
jobs and affordable housing.
[to top of second
column in this commentary]
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Now
let me make my point. I believe the talk about building a giant Abe
statue complete with theme park is a great idea. In the event nothing
comes of it, the concept has still been an incredibly positive force
on the beaten-up psyche of the inhabitants of Logan County. Talk of a
major tourist attraction that won’t cost the taxpayers a dime can do
remarkable things for an area just waiting to enter the good times of
economic stardom. In the event something actually can come to pass,
the effects, such as lowering taxes, increasing services and property
actually going up in value like the rest of the state, would be
enormous.
But….
And this is a very large but. To assume, as the committee now seems to
do, that they will be able to maintain control of what will eventually
be created is not being realistic. The committee is saying they want a
corporation to dole out up to $150 million, plus be on the hook for
monthly expenses that will be millions and then not have complete say
in what is to be…. Well, that is pushing the envelope way past
actuality.
The
committee needs to understand that in the event they find a player to
harvest their dreams, the final result will be what the donor decides
and not what they wish. It is the corporation’s money and reputation
on the line, not a group of citizens who are trying their best to help
Logan County grow. It is the wealthy benefactor who will say the
statue is too big or too small. It is this infuser of capital into our
economic blood who will tell us what they will and will not do.
I
hope the committee understands this. Orlando almost didn’t 30 years
ago. Imagine where they would be if they hadn’t swallowed their
pride back then. Everyone in the world could be booking reservations
in Marietta, Ga., right now.
[Mike Fak]
Reply
(not for publication) to Mike Fak:
mfldn@lincolndailynews.com
Reply
as a letter to the editor:
ldneditor@lincolndailynews.com
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Sen.
Madigan’s replacement:
A nobody or nobody at all
By
Mike Fak
[JULY
3, 2001] We
no sooner got over the rumors, stories, and twists and turns of
discovering who would replace our state representative, John Turner,
than we were met with another revelation, that Lincoln’s own
senator, Bob Madigan, was resigning the Senate to fill a lucrative
position in the state’s hierarchy.
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Being
a neighbor of Madigan, I personally was delighted to see the man not
only get a better-paying job but also get out of the dog-eat-dog
Illinois Legislature. This is a terrible thing to say, but Bob Madigan
is too nice a guy to have to spend his time with some of the
individuals who work the machinery of Illinois law.
While
many of you were starting anew the rumors, stories, twists and turns
of who would replace Madigan, I was spinning my own scenario.
I
have been saying that no one will. No one past the redistricting
determination, that is, will take the senator’s seat. Now it seems,
the State Journal-Register’s Doug Finke is stating the same
possibility out loud. Hey, Doug, wait for me.
The
idea is basic. Illinois must lose a downstate senator due to the
latest census information showing there are fewer Illinoisans in this
area. I don’t know why we had to spend millions to prove that, but
we did.
Now
with Madigan’s district centered in a part of the state that fields
Republican senators who think the sun rises and sets on the governor’s
backside, who should be sacrificed as the one senator asked to bid
fond adieu to the likes of Ryan, Philip, Mike Madigan and the others?
Could it be a senator who had the guts and intestinal fortitude to
vote "no" to the governor’s Illinois FIRST program and may
still be in George’s doghouse? It is only conjecture on my part, but
rumors to the effect that Gov. Ryan keeps a list in his breast pocket
of who said "the heck with him" concerning the $12 billion
bilking of Illinois taxpayers are as common as flies during the county
fair.
[to top of second
column in this commentary]
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Madigan,
a good, honest man with 14 years of service to his constituents,
couldn’t just be sent to pasture without screams from constituents
that even the deaf ears of the governor would hear. So what does Ryan
do? How about appointing Madigan to an important job with higher pay
and no need to worry about one’s own political backside.
What
makes this possible situation all the more interesting is that
regardless of the possibly shady reasons for moving Bob Madigan out of
the Senate, Illinois residents will still be the winners. Time will
show Madigan as a champion of the residents of Illinois. In his new
capacity, it is possible he will have a potentially greater positive
effect on our way of life then he ever could have as a senator who
rubbed Ryan the wrong way.
In
the event this situation comes to pass — and realize this is just my
opinion — someone will need to temporarily fill the senator’s
seat. That is, until redistricting says that the chair is now being
folded up and placed in the legislative closet. To accept a political
appointment that has the same duration of life as a mayfly is not an
enviable position. The individual will show by his or her interest
that the good of this area is at heart. I will remember that, in the
event the person decides to run again someday for a seat that hasn’t
had three of its legs already sawed off.
You
know, somehow, although I am truly happy for both Turner and Madigan,
I find myself grimacing at the future of Logan County residents.
We
have lost two exceptionally honest representatives. Jonathan Wright
and somebody, or perhaps nobody at all, will have a tough time filling
their shoes.
[Mike Fak]
Reply
(not for publication) to Mike Fak:
mfldn@lincolndailynews.com
Reply
as a letter to the editor:
ldneditor@lincolndailynews.com
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Districts:
We get what we wished for
By
Mike Fak
[JUNE
30, 2001] So
there you have it. For the first time in the storied history of
Logan County, those few of us who vote for county board members will
see our options dwindle even further in future races.
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I
was never too excited about picking six out of seven candidates. I
look forward with even less anticipation to picking two out of three.
For good or bad I enjoyed knowing that everyone on the board had my
endorsement over others. Well, most of the time, that is. I find no
serving of the public good with a new system that allows 10 members of
the board to care little if any as to how I feel they are voting on
issues that affect me as well as all of you.
Thursday,
June 21, the board changed our system of representation from at large
to districts. It was the proper thing for the board to do since it was
mandated by the voters in this county. Well, it was mandated by the 20
percent of the voters who got off their kiesters on Election Day, that
is. I fear we all now get what we wished for.
Six
districts with two representatives each is how the ballots in Logan
County will be prepared for at least the next decade. I have serious
doubts if that will be a good thing.
Proponents
of going to districts are quick to point out that nearly all of
Illinois’ counties already are districted. My Irish grandmother used
to tell me: "If everyone jumps off a cliff, it doesn’t mean you
need to." I wonder what wisdom she would tell me if still alive
today?
The
new board setup will mean a little more rural representation, but will
it be a mandate from the people or simply more "pick me or
nobody" as we just saw in the last Lincoln City Council election
that presented five candidates to fill five district seats?
I
have stated repeatedly that in the last 20 years, 82 percent of the
rural candidates have been elected to the county compared to 74
percent of the urban candidates. Those statistics are indisputable and
irrevocable. To date, no one who supports districts has debated these
findings. Instead, like a federal politician, they ignore these facts
and go on with their own diatribe of how rural Logan County is being
left out in the cold.
Look
at the last several elections and notice if you can a candidate
running from Mount Pulaski.
How
about an Atlantan running after Darrel Deverman decided to retire? How
many New Hollanders besides Rod White have been a part of the
selection process? Until Roger Bock, who initially was appointed, how
many Elkhart residents have we seen on the ballot?
[to top of second
column in this commentary]
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Lloyd
Hellman from the tiny town of Emden was the top vote-getter in the
last election, but still I hear that rural residents don’t think
they have a chance to be elected.
We
can all pretend this isn’t the truth if we want to, but the aim of
districting was promoted by rural proponents to get a larger foothold
on the board. That isn’t a bad thing, but it could be in the event
rural members become increasingly negative to urban initiatives and
are not answerable to a full 50 percent of the constituents. The coin
can also become reversed, with rural residents feeling they are still
being left out of the process with no future chance of voting rural
candidates into offices held by urban members.
The
board, I believe, was required to adopt this initiative because the
voters of this county said so. In a democracy you have to follow the
will of the people, regardless if it is the best thing to do or not.
No
one wants to say it out loud, but the board is breaking into rural and
urban factions. With a 12-member board, split evenly between rural and
urban, I fear a great deal of deadlock on important issues is just
over the horizon. I hope I am wrong.
Time
will also tell if a field of candidates worthy of spending a minute in
a polling place will be available to voters. I stand on record that in
the event every district has more than two choices to pick from, I
will apologize in this forum. In the event I do not see failures to
progress due to where a board member lives, I will again apologize.
Fair warning: In the event my fears on what will happen does occur, I
will not be afraid to tell you: I told you so.
[Mike Fak]
Reply
(not for publication) to Mike Fak:
mfldn@lincolndailynews.com
Reply
as a letter to the editor:
ldneditor@lincolndailynews.com
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The em
space is a staff writer's commentary section with observations about life experiences in Logan County and
beyond.
—
Mary Krallmann
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A president’s Fourth
The
Declaration of Independence has been around longer than any of us, so we
have plenty of historical precedents to select from as we decide how to
observe its 225th anniversary. The earliest celebrations included readings
of the Declaration, parades, music, dinners and fireworks.
 Now that
Independence Day is firmly entrenched as an American summer holiday, I
thought it might be instructive to see what American presidents have done
on the Fourth. After all, as people who have assumed leadership of the
country, they naturally would have a heightened awareness of our
philosophy of government and a vested interest in it. Displays of
patriotic conviction are to some extent politically expedient on the
Fourth and also heartfelt, we hope.
On the other
hand, it’s likely that since the regular duties of the office are more
directly related to the nation’s governing than most American jobs are,
the president, of all people, could use a holiday from national concerns.
If we as individuals often fail to appreciate and use responsibly the
freedoms handed down to us, how much more challenging it must be to
provide patriotic leadership for millions of such constituents every day
of the year, including the Fourth.
Researcher
James R. Heintze has compiled information about Fourth
of July events, including activities of the American presidents over the
years. His list at http://gurukul.american.edu/heintze/FourthPres.htm
mentions predictable presidential engagements such as attending public
ceremonies, laying cornerstones, giving and listening to speeches,
reviewing military parades, receiving guests, and viewing fireworks.
Presidents have also marked the Fourth by attending church services.
Others have played golf, gone for a drive in the country, looked over
their mail, signed bills, gone to car races, or spent time on the water,
whether on a steamboat, yacht or aircraft carrier.
Several
times a president or family member has been ill on the Fourth.
It’s also
of interest that President Coolidge was born on July 4 (1872), and that
three former presidents died on July 4: James Monroe in 1831 and John
Adams and Thomas Jefferson in 1826.
Jefferson
had been invited to speak that year at a 50th anniversary observance of
the Declaration of Independence he drafted. Declining because of ill
health, he noted that the document expressed a choice between submission
and the sword. He was happy that "our fellow citizens, after half a
century of experience and prosperity, continue to approve the choice we
made." He said it was a "bold and doubtful" one at the
time.
 Difficult
choices such as that have been part of the American record in war and
peace, but political decisions fail to control all of what happens in the
pages of history.
Take for
example the Fourth of July in 1850. Abraham Lincoln had returned to
Illinois to practice law after a term in Congress, and the Civil War was
still a decade in the future. Secession had been threatened, however, and
the current president, Zachary Taylor, said he would use his full
authority to quell any such rebellion. He spoke as a hero of the recent
Mexican War, a 40-year military man who had also served in the War of
1812, the Black Hawk War and the Second Seminole War. He also was a
slaveholder but favored admitting California as a free state without any
compromise on related matters. In addition, he faced an ethics crisis in
his Cabinet.
At that
critical time, on a hot July 4, he attended ceremonies at the site of the
Washington Monument, became severely ill and died on July 9. His death is
attributed to acute gastroenteritis, commonly known then as cholera morbus
or summer cholera. (A suspicion of arsenic poisoning was laid to rest 10
years ago with testing of his remains.)
Creators of historical fiction
could speculate on what might have been if events had occurred otherwise,
but no one can say for sure. Certainly, more than the presidential trivia
listings were affected when, in the course of human events, illness struck
on a hot Fourth of July and ultimately claimed a president’s life.
[Mary
Krallmann]
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Where
They Stand
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Where
They Stand is a commentary section that poses a question about a
specific issue in the community. Informed individuals present their
position with facts, opinions or insights on the issue. The
following commentaries have been printed, unedited, in their
entirety, as they were received. If you have further comment on the
issue, please send an e-mail message, complete with your name,
address and telephone number to ldneditor@lincolndailynews.com.
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District
vs. at large
April 3 ballot proposition:
"Shall Logan County be divided into districts equal in
population for the purpose of electing County Board members to serve
on the Logan County Board commencing in the year 2002?"
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 YES!
In
January of this year, citizens throughout Logan County circulated
petitions to place this issue on the ballot. That effort was
successful with more than 10% of registered voters signing within a
two-week period (2569 total/2000 needed). The referendum has been
certified by the Logan County Clerk and will be on the April 3rd
ballot throughout the county. The citizens were successful and will
be able to voice their opinion on this matter for the first time in
30 years!
Illinois
law states that every ten years each county in Illinois with a
township form of government shall determine whether board members
shall be elected "at large" from the county or by county
board "districts".
A
"YES" vote on this issue will indicate that residents of
Logan County want to have their County Board members representing
all areas of the county. Each district must be divided equally in
population and will guarantee that all areas are represented! The
present "at large" system allows for all 13 County Board
members to be elected from one area, while the remainder of the
county could end up with no one. In fact, the east side of our
county (from Mt. Pulaski to Atlanta) does not have representation at
the present time! All of the counties surrounding Logan are in
districts. Menard recently changed from "at large" to
"districts" with an overwhelming vote. The greater
majority of counties in Illinois are in districts and have been for
several years. We are not the only county with this issue on the
ballot. Bureau County recently passed a referendum to go to single
member districts. Champaign County has a similar question, as does
Adams County.
Remember
that this question asks how the make-up of the County Board should
be for the next ten years. Under a district system the voter is more
likely to know the person they are voting for. This is your
opportunity to voice your opinion and let your county governing body
know how you feel. If the referendum produces a result in FAVOR
of district representation, then measures will be introduced on the
floor of the Logan County Board to accomplish that goal.
—Rodney
J. White
(Rodney
White is a member of the Logan County Board.)
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NO!
It’s
rather interesting and enlightening to note the places of residence
of people appointed to the Logan County Board to fill terms of
members who have died, moved away, or resigned.
Mr.
Robert "Bud" Behrends was appointed to the Logan County
Board March 18, 1975, to finish out the term of Robert E. Downing,
and Lloyd Hellman was appointed November 15, 1994, to finish out
Robert "Bud" Behrends term on the board. Mr. Behrends grew
up in the Hartsburg area, and spent most of his life in Lincoln, and
Mr. Hellman, who replaced "Bud" has spent most of his life
in the rural Emden area. Mr. Downing was a rural Beason farmer.
The
emphasis on appointments was the type of person needed to
effectively function on the board; not where they resided. A Beason
resident (Mr. Downing) was replaced by a Hartsburg/Lincoln resident
(Mr. Behrends), who was replaced by Mr. Hellman, an Emden resident.
The
above appointments don’t look like "district"
representation. It looks like desire on the part of the replacements
and their ability to effectively function on the Logan County Board.
Mark
H. Werth resigned from the board December 31, 1988. L. Buckles was
appointed to replace Mr. Werth, February 20, 1989. Both were from
rural areas -- Mr. Werth, rural area north of Mt. Pulaski, and Mr.
Buckles, rural area south of Mt. Pulaski.
Mr.
Earl Madigan, who lived southeast of Lincoln, was replaced by Dwight
Zimmerman, who farmed for years just east of San Jose and later
lived in Lincoln. That certainly wasn’t a "district"
appointment. That was an appointment based on the desire of the
person to serve and his ability to serve.
Mr.
Edward L. Spellman, resigned from the board March 18, 1976, and Mr.
Don Smith was appointed to take his place. both came from Lincoln,
Both were successful business people and served well on the board.
Mr.
Robert Welch died in office November 18, 1998. He was a resident of
rural Beason. Mr. Roger Bock of rural Williamsville was appointed to
replace him. Again, not a "district" appointment, but one
based on desire and ability.
To
my knowledge, no proponent of the district plan for electing members
of the Logan County Board has ever submitted a plan, so my question
is: If the at large system of electing county board members is not
flawed, why fix it?
If
the system is working well and the members are getting the work of
county government done, why change?
Will
a district election plan, which apparently is only floating around
in the minds of a few people and has not been committed to paper,
better serve all the people of all the county?? I think not!!!
—Dick
Hurley
(Dick
Hurley is a former member of the Logan County Board.)
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By
the Numbers
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Motor
fuel taxes paid in August 2000
Local
figures are as follows:
Logan
County = $44,078.23
(Counties
receive an allocation on the basis of motor vehicle registration fees, with the
exception of Cook County, which has a percentage allocation set by law.)
Townships
and road districts = $90,973.85
(Townships
and road districts are allocated an amount computed on the basis of mileage in
their jurisdiction.)
City
of Lincoln = $38,003.84
(Cities
receive an allocation based on population.)
[Source:
Economic Development report]
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Population
estimates in Logan County
|
| 30,798 |
Total population,
1990 |
| 15,380 |
Rural population -
49.9%, 1990 |
| 15,418 |
Urban population -
50.1%, 1990 |
| 2,875 |
Projected births,
1990-1998 |
| 2,736 |
Projected deaths,
1990-1998 |
| 3,143 |
Persons below poverty
level - 11.8 % |
| 258 |
Average marriages per
year |
| 135 |
Average deaths per
year |
|
|
Alexis Asher
|
|
| Logan
County high schools: 1960-2000 |
| 1962 |
Middletown
High School consolidated with New Holland |
| 1972 |
Atlanta
High School became part of Olympia School District |
| 1975 |
Elkhart
High School consolidated with Mount Pulaski |
| 1979 |
Latham
High School became Warrensburg-Latham |
| 1988 |
New Holland-Middletown
High School consolidated with Lincoln Community High School |
| 1989 |
San
Jose High School consolidated with Illini Central (Mason City) |
|
Alexis Asher |
|
|
Lincoln High School history
|
|
1859
|
Lincoln School
District
|
|
5
|
School buildings in
1859
|
|
1
|
"Grammar
school" in 1859
|
|
1
|
High school teacher,
Mr. January, in 1859
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1870-71
|
Central School opened
|
|
1898
|
High school building
started
|
|
1900
|
High school dedicated,
Jan. 5
|
|
$20,000
|
Cost of new high
school
|
|
1920
|
Election authorized
community high school District #404
|
|
1958
|
Dedication of new
Lincoln Community High School, 1000 Primm Road, in auditorium, on
Nov. 9
|
|
Alexis Asher
|
|
Lincoln/Logan
County numbers
(2000) |
| 5 |
Wards
in Lincoln |
| 17 |
Townships
in Logan County |
| 29 |
Officers
in Lincoln City Police Department |
| 20 |
Officers
in Logan County Police Department |
| 22 |
Firemen
in the Lincoln City Fire Department |
| 16 |
Rural
Fire Departments in County |
| 13 |
Members
of Logan County Board |
| 10 |
Members
of Lincoln City Council |
| 3 |
Colleges
in Lincoln |
| 44,850 |
Volumes
in Lincoln Public Library |
| 40,000 |
Volumes
in Lincoln College Library |
| 126,000 |
Volumes
in Lincoln Christian College Library |
|
|
How
We Stack Up
|
This feature of the
Lincoln
Daily News compares Lincoln and Logan County to similar cities
and counties on a variety of issues in a succinct manner, using
charts and graphs for illustration.
|
Racial
makeup of selected Illinois counties
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What's
Up With That?
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[Road construction is taking place up and down
Woodlawn Road.]
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