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  By the Numbers,  How We Stack Up,  What’s Up With That?

Commentaries posted do not necessarily represent the opinion of LDN.  Any opinions expressed are those of the writers.

[DEC. 17, 2001]  Well, the story goes that residents and employees of the Lincoln Developmental Center have homes and jobs until at least the beginning of next year. Unless, of course, you are one of the families of the additional 43 residents being moved to other facilities. For you, LDC is forever closed. The survivors can’t find much solace in those words, I am sure.

The remaining residents of this community have a special gift under their tree this year. Perhaps I should rephrase that and say there is a special gift hovering over our heads instead. It is a package that says: "Don’t Open Till New Year’s." All of us, with them, will have to wait to see what the New Year package eventually is.

Is the time to catch our breath for the holidays important? Of course it is. But don’t tell me we don’t all feel like Iggy right now, walking around with a dark cloud over our heads.

I always have a small, modest list of gifts I ask for this time of year. A book or two, new socks, maybe some underwear. This year my list is even less costly than previous years. I don’t want anything tangible. Rather I am hoping for just a few questions of mine to be answered. Let me tell you what they are.

First, I would like to hear thoughts on LDC from the morass of gubernatorial candidates planning on running for governor. To date, I have spoken to the O’Malley camp about this issue. No other candidate, it seems, wants to come out from under the bed until this is all over. We don’t need any of these candidates next spring. We need them this winter.

Secondly, I would like the derogatory write-ups about LDC that have been sailing through the media to be inspected one by one for validity. Case in point. We have all read ad infinitum that a resident supposedly swallowed a game piece. We have not read that extensive testing of the resident did not show any such token inside her body. A trumped-up charge by a clipboard artist? Or was it a case of building as many negative reports against LDC employees as possible. Until someone gets to the bottom of this, I will call this the case of the immaculate digestion.

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Third, I would like to see all the advocacy groups shouting for LDC’s closure to report on findings in other state-run institutions. I’m curious if they will spend the time noting alleged failings in other facilities. I would also like them all to spend a day at LDC. That way when they fly off the handle with words like abuse and neglect of residents I will be able to chalk their words up to intolerance rather than ignorance.

Lastly, I would like someone to explain how, with a hiring freeze in place, the governor can appoint Andrea Moore, R-Libertyville, to an executive post in the Department of Natural Resources at $96,000 per year. The governor says the post is outside the hiring freeze because it is deemed an essential job. I need know how such an essential job could have been vacant for almost seven years, and now with every state employee facing an unpaid furlough, this job needs to be filled right now. This reeks so badly of partisan politics that it feels almost criminal in my mind.

I could finish my little wish list by stating that I’m not asking for much, but maybe I am. I am asking state officials to be fair-minded and honest and decent in their actions. Those gifts are not very expensive, but they seem to be beyond the capacity of Springfield to offer.

[Mike Fak]

Reply to Fak (not for publication):

mikefak@msn.com

Response to Fak’s commentary:

ldneditor@lincolndailynews.com 

[DEC. 10, 2001]  Friday, Gov. Ryan breezed into Lincoln for a surprise executive visit to the beleaguered Lincoln Developmental Center. Accompanied by new facility director Peggy Davidsmeyer, the governor, by his own statement, visited "four or five of the buildings." George H. Ryan is an intelligent man, so I find it hard to fathom why he didn’t recall if it was four or five, since he had just concluded his tour. Perhaps it was because employees blessed enough to see the whirlwind of suit coats, ties and bodyguards go flying by believe it could be difficult to determine what he visited at such a great rate of speed.

The Courier headlines blared that Ryan was not pleased with what he saw. According to my sources he must have reviewed it later in slow motion. One employee of the center looked for a number on the back of the governor, assuming he was an entrant in some marathon in Lincoln that no one had told him about. By all accounts, the 35-minute drive from the executive office to LDC lasted longer than the governor’s visit. By all accounts, this executive "dog and pony show" would make the Animal Planet channel blush with envy.

The governor was quick to point out he saw a resident chewing on a pen. He went on to say the resident was unattended as he snacked on the Bic Click. It seems that "resident" actually was an employee of the institution. Cruising by, Ryan didn’t stop to ask, and the new director didn’t recognize the individual as a staff member of the institution.

Actually this error by both could be construed as a good thing for employees of the center. In the event Ryan wants not only residents but employees under constant supervision, LDC has a whole lot of hiring to do in the next few months.

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All the details of the visit were supplied by the governor, of course. Davidsmeyer, who was hired to replace an ill-suited corrections department official, has been as quiet as a church mouse through this entire ordeal. This constant silence and lack of openly defending her new employees asks this observer to wonder if part of her new job description wasn’t to remain mute while all around her was assaulted as a debacle of human consideration. The previous administrator received a promotion for her lack of activity. One has to wonder what has been promised to Davidsmeyer for keeping an open ear but a closed mouth to the outlandish accusations draped on the shoulders of LDC employees.

It seems a shame that a few of the clipboard carriers were not present as the governor and director made such a serious mistake as judging an employee as a resident. I would have loved to have seen that write-up hit the newspaper. Hey, maybe it just did.

[Mike Fak]

Reply to Fak (not for publication):

mikefak@msn.com

Response to Fak’s commentary:

ldneditor@lincolndailynews.com 

[NOV. 30, 2001]  There are times when my wife says I have too much time on my hands. Don’t most men? That being said, I thought I would put into words some recent thoughts of my past graduate school days when I really had too much time on my hands!

My recollection of those days was refreshed recently when watching a PBS program on urban renewal. Author Roberta Brandes of "Cities, Back From the Edge" was being interviewed. She spoke to the "rules of growth" which any city of any size should address if it wishes to grow and prosper. These rules of growth are nothing new, and it was in my environmental biology class in my graduate school days of 1974 where I first heard them.

I bring them to your attention hopefully to spark some debate on their relevancy to Lincoln! These factors, when just merely thought through, become common sense to the average person if one is willing to listen and open one’s mind. What I have always found interesting is that in all the political debates at our local level these issues are never brought up with any significant discussion.

There are seven basic factors why businesses or people move to communities. Having all seven is helpful but not mandatory, and any one of the seven may be why a person or business chooses to come or to leave a community. In no particular order of importance, they are the following: crime, education, transportation, taxes and taxing bodies, zoning and codes, amenities, and finally housing and housing costs, such as utilities.

The category of crime includes dollars spent on law enforcement and equipment. Is there an appearance that the community is safe? Has anyone really asked if this community is prepared for what the prisons have given us or their impact on us? Do we know if our city demographics have changed significantly to warrant any change in our tax structure or the crime in Lincoln? What does the five-year plan and 10-year plan forecast for these needs? Do we even have any five-year or 10-year plan?

Education: When a realtor promotes our community, is education at the top of the list? The interesting factions of multiple school districts are hurting our community’s growth. Let me suggest to you that if our school system in Lincoln were the ideal model, then the Department of Education and every politician would be citing it as an example of what education should be in America, and they’re not!

How does a realtor sell a home in our community when they virtually are on the edge of practicing "red lining"? (I believe this is the term used to show bias in the area of segregation and racism by telling a client where they should live based on color or creed.)

These factions place such a heavy burden on our high school, but no one seems to want to address this argument. In this area, education places a very interesting toll on our tax base. This lack of uniformity presents Lincoln, not as a community, but virtually a collection of villages.

On another note, it would be interesting to see if other towns our size offer the number of parochial schools that we do. Admittedly, it is nice to have the four schools, but this does paint an interesting picture as to what we are really saying about our public education! Someone looking at our town as a place to live might like the idea of having the choices, but they may ask why.

Districts have consolidated strictly out of financial needs and not out of academic needs. A recent survey shows our high school needs should be addressed. The report card issued by the state comparing our high school to others throughout Illinois reflects for the most part that we are at best an average school and that our dropout rate is no better than other historically weak schools in the state. Suppose these statistics were turned around and improved. In other areas it would be safe to assume that there would be a positive impact on growth.

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Transportation: This for the most part is self-explanatory. We are fortunate to have good roads throughout the area. The industries that require this asset need to be lured.

Taxing and taxing bodies: This category seems to have a life of its own in Lincoln, with multiple schools districts, fire districts that appear to overlap in function, a park district that allows for a non-district member to participate cheaper than a homeowner or serves some constituents and not others (I have a daughter and son in the wrong sport of choice), a library district that does a great job of service but whose district is not all-encompassing to its immediate service area. Did I miss anymore? Is anyone really in charge of assessment? How are the numbers configured? People discuss property values and taxes. In turn, these numbers all influence property and consequently growth.

Zoning and codes are actually fairly intertwined with the preceding topic. Variances must be the solution of the day around Logan County. It is the only way one could explain the lack of any organized scheme. Is there a plan? Then where is it? And who is enforcing it? We have subdivisions that are in both the city and county. We have subdivisons that split school district boundaries.

How can we leave unoccupied buildings unattended? Examples: the old Heritage Restaurant across from the Tropics; the burnt-out Kentucky Fried Chicken. It is easy to go on; take the tour with me… How inviting can this be to someone looking at our community for the first time?

Amenities are like "beauty"; it is up to the beholder. I personally feel we probably get above average grades in this area, although I do wish the YMCA and the Rec Center would unite forces because, once again, it has all the appearance of fractionalization for such a small community. The Elks has certainly "stepped up" their facility, and I do think it fits the mold of not being too exclusive for our demographics if a person were to compare it with private clubs elsewhere.

Housing and housing costs deal with affordability and availability. Quality is only re-enforced by codes and zoning being properly enforced. Appraisal of property and the complicated impact of these values really have a tremendous influence on the growth of a community. One of the areas of popular growth is always moderate-cost housing. Only witness the fear of the west side expansion several years ago when moderate housing was chased away — because of fear?

Solutions:

•  Honest, objective assessment of these areas.

•  Committee formatting to look at these issues without some self-serving purpose.

•  A five-year plan that is properly reviewed. A 10-year plan that complements the five-year plan. (Please don’t tell me we have anything close to a five-year plan or a 10-year plan.)

Answer:

LEADERSHIP

[Daniel P. Freesmeier, D.C.]

Bird’s-Eye View

"Love is an exploding cigar which we willingly smoke." — Groucho Marx

[NOV. 1, 2001]  Walking along the city streets of Lincoln, there’s nothing greater than a man and a woman, hand in hand, alone, with only the company of warm smiles and fast-beating hearts to surround them. Nothing greater. Unless of course the above-mentioned man isn’t me… in which case: I hate them. And I hope "Captain Cupid" switches over to a pellet gun and starts chasing ’em up and down Woodlawn for at least eight hours.

Since the conception of love back in the early 1950s, many men had known no greater joy. Due to the fact that, that is when the remote control was invented. But this resulted in the sparking of a pivotal chain of events all of which lead back to the fact that men still forget to buy flowers on anniversaries. What happened first was in Webster’s Dictionary. People instantly removed the phrase "Extreme Male Bliss" out from under the word "Super Bowl" and over to a new word that was created by those friendly, non-bitter ladies at the National Organization of Women. That word was LOVE. Which, I should like to point out, stands for "Losing One’s Vital Enjoyment." Thus expiring the chain of events, along with those men’s ability to ever again watch televised sports with their friends.

This has not deterred me. I have found out through my time in Lincoln that the relationship process here goes as follows: Man meets Woman; Woman ignores Man; Man meets Emergency Backup Woman; Initial Woman smacks Man upside Man’s head; Man falls in love with Initial Woman. …It’s true. I actually know this couple. They are extremely content now, currently living more happily than ever in separate states.

So I decided that road wasn’t for me. Instead, I myself have taken on the role of Cupid, and here’s how it works. We’ll be dining out, my date and I, at one of Lincoln’s fanciest eateries. Then typically only a short while after I order our Happy Meals, she is suddenly overcome with an unexpected epiphany: that there has not been, nor will there ever be, any greater love in her life than that of her former boyfriend or any future prospect she may have been considering. Often prompting her to hail down a cab, right there in the Playland, leaving me behind in a cloud of love-dust, wondering if I spelled epiphany right.

But now I’m faced with two problems, coinciding. The first being that I have met someone in town that I, in the future, may consider being left by. The second is that I’ve been repeatedly identified by many highly paid therapists as being dense. A rare disorder, they tell me, that only affects me when I’m thinking. Although recently, I was more accurately diagnosed by a good friend of mine from Springfield, Greg Hoffman, who is both my life insurance agent and my banker (thus making him more than qualified to make fun of me publicly), as having two forms of "Colin-itis."

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The first form is "Normal Colin-itis." This variation causes me to (even though I am, by my own admission, in no way capable, or even willing, to maintain a relationship that involves any more depth than that of having random discussions on the vast, ethnical differences between the smooth and the crunchy peanut butter) think that every time I meet someone new, an enduring love is in the air. The second form is "Acute Colin-itis." This is when, 30 seconds after basking in the air of newfound enduring love, I happen upon somebody new, and for whatever reason, cannot for the life of me recall a single thing about the previous, potential-enduring-love person. …I have issues.

This is not something I’m proud of. In fact, at times, I can downright loathe it. Partly because as I grow older, I find myself enjoying less and less the prospect of potentially eating my Happy Meals alone.

Over the past few months I have seen an elderly couple walking Lincoln’s city streets, holding hands, redefining love. Perhaps you’ve seen them as well. Beautiful, aren’t they? Yes. Except I think they’ve been hired out by my mother, who has all but threatened me at gunpoint to get married and provide for her the World’s Record for number of grandchildren to spoil.

I admire that couple. I took a picture of them the other day while they were walking together at sunrise. It reminds me that this prospective "someone special" I’ve stumbled upon… well, just might be worth overcoming the fear I own. The fear of following these feelings I’ve slowly been allowing myself to experience. Is she the one? Is Lincoln where I’ll find her? Who knows? But one thing is certain: Captain Cupid is apparently packing.

[Colin Bird]

This is the em space, a staff writer’s section with observations about life experiences in Logan County and elsewhere. Enjoy your visit.

— Mary Krallmann

[Mary Krallmann]

Where They Stand

Where They Stand is a commentary section addressing specific issues in the community. Informed individuals present their position with facts, opinions or insights on the issue. The material is posted unedited, in its entirety, as 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.

Local teacher announces her candidacy for regional superintendent of schools

By Jean Anderson, candidate

[OCT. 31, 2001]  My name is Jean Anderson and I am announcing my intent to be a Republican candidate for the office of Regional Superintendent of Schools for Logan, Mason, and Menard counties.

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By the Numbers

Alexis Asher

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

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

How We Stack Up

Racial makeup of selected Illinois counties

What’s Up With That?

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