Gerard's Independent Claim Doesn't Hold Up

 Gerard's Independent Claim Doesn't Hold Up

Filed State Documents for his Mayoral Political Committee as a Democrat

Don Gerard, throughout his brief political career, has maintained that he is non-partisan. This is a stance that does not hold up in either actions nor in documents Gerard has filed.

On January 26, 2011, I asked Gerard what his party affiliation is and he responded, “Thank you for your note and interest in the municipal election on April 5. I am an independent candidate for a non-partisan position” Gerard wrote.

Unfortunately, the paper trail betrays Gerard's assertion that he is non-partisan and an independent. His very own Friends of Gerard Candidate Political Committee was created with Form D-1 submitted to the State Board of Elections on September 29, 2010 states on question 5B that his political party affiliation is “Democratic.”

For those who want to see the document, it is a matter of public record and a scanned PDF can be seen here: http://www.elections.il.gov/CampaignDisclosure/CommitteeDetail.aspx?id=22970&pageindex=1

Now I don't care if Don Gerard subscribes to a certain political leaning. What I do care about is when he is asked a direct question, that he answers it correctly and without side-stepping the issue. If he is a Democrat, like his documents state, then say so if asked.

No city Council Meeting but Little Information on City Website

I was interested in the city council meeting for July 31st but could not find any information on it. I search several areas of the website figuring it would be on the front page. It wasn't. I finally found it but only after doing a search for July 31st on the website.

http://ci.champaign.il.us/2012/07/26/no-city-council-meeting-for-july-31-2012/

No City Council Meeting for July 31, 2012

There is no City Council Meeting on July 31, 2012. The next Regular Meeting of the Champaign City Council will be held in the City Council Chambers of the City Building, 102 N. Neil St in Champaign, at 7:00pm.

 

Unfortunately, what date is the next regular meeting being held on? Everyone makes mistakes but when there is a change, shouldn't the information be better disseminated?

Thanks to Karen Foster who was the only one who informed me of the 5th Tuesday of the month rule via Twitter, but I could not find that in a search on the city's website. How can citizens be better informed about their city government when it is so hard to find information?

Fire Chief Confirms Watering Will Stop through Drought

According to Fire Chief Douglas Forsman the City will stop watering at all fire stations through the end of the drought. Champaign Liberty has really made a difference. You have made a difference.

In a personal e-mail he sent to Champaign Liberty Friday afternoon Forsman stated, "Todd, we had a discussion at City Hall today and your points are well taken.  In addition, it appears that with rare exceptions, our efforts to save landscaped lawns were failing.  I have just issued an order to our staff to cease watering any lawns at our 6 fire stations (a couple were never doing so).  We will continue to hand water the shrubs as needed.  Thanks for your input and patience."

So it is possible to enact change in your local community. Unfortunately, the City of Champaign has so much more that needs to be done but this is a good first step.

It was good that Chief Foresman confirmed this. I had heard that claiming that we had won this common sense argument but it is good that he came out and acknowledged it. It meant a lot.

Unfortunately, I have not heard from any of my communications with City Manager Steve Carter and Mayor Don Gerard or the City Council on this matter. They could use to learn a lesson from Chief Forsman. I may have been critical of some of his decisions in the past month or so but I respect the fact that he was adult enough to stand up and have a reasonable debate on the subjects and admit when a change in policy is warranted.

I encourage Chief Foresman, Mayor Gerard and Manager Carter to start to look at ways they can have water friendly landscapes. It is likely that the sod is not going to make it and it may not come back. Sod was a bad idea and of course money has been wasted on it. Lets challenge these leaders to come up with something better that will not fritter away water which is our most valuable resource next to oxygen. To go back to the same old sod, really isn't going to solve anything. We need bold new ideas in this avenue and the city should be leading by example in this situation. Only time will tell if lessons have been learned or not. This may not be a one year problem.

If you have some ideas or information on what needs to be changed in the Champaign area, let me know by e-mailing me at champaignliberty@gmail.com. All communication is anonymous unless you let me know you want your information submitted.

Fire Chief Forsman Admits to Using Public Space to Park RV

In June, I was out at the YMCA and saw an RV parked at the Champaign Fire Station Number 6. I wondered what that was about and did not think anything more about it till I was out there a couple of weeks later and saw it still parked at the firehouse.  An investigation alluded that it was the Fire Chief Doug Forsman who had it parked out there.

Chief Forsman confirmed via e-mail that it was in fact his, “You are correct that my personal RV was parked in a rear corner of the parking lot at Fire Station Number Six for about 2.5 weeks.”  When questioned about the rationale of that storage he stated, “.  As I am on call at all times, I much prefer being close to town and available during my after hours(SIC) time when I was accomplishing the repairs.  Thus I decided to work on it at that location. “

Forsman continues by saying, “However, it was parked at the far SW corner of the lot away from any usable areas and would not under any circumstance represent a hazard. I am unable to work on it at home since my driveway is too short.” Unfortunately, Forsman  has just unwittingly given anybody else who wants to do park their RV a broad opening to argue that they should be able to.

The problem is a working Fire Station the best place for RV storage and a repair depot? What if other fire fighters, city workers or residents want to do the same thing? Have we created a situation where a public servant can do what he or she wants just because he is in charge? Chief Forsman has created a situation where he has opened himself up to scrutiny and gives him limited recourse if some other employee tried to do the same thing. In this situation, I feel that he has overstepped his authority and needs to pay back the citizens of Champaign for his actions.

 “I don't pay for storage but normally store it outdoors at a rural property of a friend,” Forsman said. I suggest that Forsman does owe the city of Champaign rent for that time he was there.

”There were certainly no laws broken.  I agree that it was probably poor judgement(SIC) to leave it there as long as I did.  I certainly apologize if it offended you or anyone else.  It has been returned to its rural storage area for some time now,” Forsman said. A resident who wishes to remain unnamed stated to me when they heard about Forsman’s response and said, “A typical politician’s response. I broke no laws except those of common sense!”

As will see in the coming weeks, there are plenty of issues with the Champaign city government and particularly with department heads and departments. Mayor Don Gerard has had a year to try to clean things up and has been unwilling or unsuccessful. The common link between both the Schweighart and Gerard administrations is city manager Steve Carter. Ultimately, it is Carter who is responsible and whom needs to take the heat. Like Forsman, maybe it is time to retire. 

Chief Forsman Says He Backs Watering

Champaign Firehouse number 2 is at it again, draining our water supply as of July 17th in the morning.

Only as it turns out it is not the individual firehouses to blame. From what we have been able to figure out Deputy Chief Stephen Clarkson notified the firehouses and so far the response from Fire Chief Douglas Forsman made it clear that he supports watering:

“The City has made an effort to make the fire stations an asset to each of the neighborhoods in which they are located. Part of that is to install and maintain quality landscaping.  In an effort to preserve the investment and maintain the concept of a neighborhood investment, we are making an effort to keep the grass and shrubs watered.  We have been successful at some stations and not at others.  I understand that there are differing opinions on this and certainly respect those who differ.  We are not aware of any water rationing at this time, but would certainly adhere to any such rule.”

Let’s put more of our precious water on the grass in city areas. Yes, the city is wasting our precious water in an effort to keep grass green that is rarely walked on except to have a fireman and city workers waste time mowing it. Wouldn’t you rather them work on improving their firefighting equipment or skills?

Perhaps Chief Forsman and Deputy Chief Clarkson have not read the latest news and maybe you haven’t as well. The drought, despite some good rain today and over the weekend, has worsened for the country. We reportedly are entering territory that we have not seen since the depression era dust bowl as reported by the Atlantic Wire. All reports I have read is that the drought is likely to continue and worsen.

Does anyone really think that the green oasis that nobody even really stands on creates anything for the community? Does it make you feel better to see green grass while you do the responsible thing and let your grass fend for itself? There is a push nationally to promote food not lawns (http://www.foodnotlawns.com/). Maybe turning some of this land into community food plots might actually be a better use of our resources. For me, one green lawn sticks out and definitely does not improve life for the residents. There is other low maintenance ways for the city to create that will aid responsible water usage and create an attractive landscape such as Allen Hall’s rain garden.

A few concerned residents and I have created a change.org (tinyurl.com/c4yn8mr ) to try to compel the city to change their mind on water usage on city properties. I suggest you write your city council people, the fire chief, the mayor and the city manager and leave the fire stations to do what they do best, fight fires and serve the residents of Champaign.

Not sure if it was directed at us or not but Champaign City Councilwoman Karen Foster tweeted, “Thought this was apropos(sic)! http://ow.ly/i/M1Qh”  Only if she could get Deputy Chief and the rest of the city to become more water friendly.

Citizens turning in More Wasteful Watering by Champaign City

Champaign Liberty has had its first submission from an anonymous person regarding the wasteful use of water by the City of Champaign no doubt spurred on by the previous blog article on the firehouse watering in the middle of a drought.

This concerned person reported to us that they had allegedly witnessed the city watering weeds on the 1400 block of Washington a couple of weeks ago. I cannot see any good this would do and of course it uses up our precious water resource.

Of course this does come back to the leadership of City Manager Steve  Carter and Mayor Don Gerard. They have to manage the city better especially when things like this are going on. If necessary, it may be time to look at replacing those at the top of the departments to ensure that this kind of issues do not occur in the future. In the case of Carter, it may be Gerard and the city council who needs to look at the leadership at the top of the city payroll.

We are getting more and more information coming into us. If you would like to submit any information that a local government is doing good as well as wrong, let us know here at champaignliberty@gmail.com.

Gerard and City Council Attempt to Claim Champaign Runs on Green Energy

Don Gerard and the rest of the City Council of Champaign, Illinois have decided that we are better off using a plan from a provider with 100% REC (Renewable Energy Credits) than one with a 12% REC’s and a resident option to opt-in for the more renewable energy credits. 

According to an article by Patrick Wade in The Champaign News Gazette, “The city has also purchased 100 percent renewable energy. Mayor Don Gerard said the program is an "outstanding opportunity" to save money and use renewable resources.” Unfortunately, Wade is wrong on the city purchasing 100 percent renewable energy.  They purchased 100 percent renewable credits which is not the same thing.

According to Ameren Illinois, the producer of the energy used by the City of Champaign, Coal fired was 75% of the production, nuclear was 14%. Wind was 4%, hydro was 1% and there was zero percent of solar. That is a long way away from 100 percent green energy Mr. Mayor. Ameren simply doesn’t produce enough green energy to provide it. As always, despite the City Council’s claims, Champaign will be mostly powered by coal.

To Mayor Gerard’s defense, he has bought into the liberal idea of “green energy.” What the city is trying to get you to do is to purchase Renewable Energy Credits. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency website, “A REC (pronounced: rěk) represents the property rights to the environmental, social, and other non-power qualities of renewable electricity generation. A REC, and its associated attributes and benefits, can be sold separately from the underlying physical electricity associated with a renewable-based generation source." 

So basically, we are not buying green energy production but a representation of one REC to a 1000 kilowatt hour of electricity being placed on the grid.  That all sounds great until you realize that the cost to produce a 1000 kilowatts is much higher than the amount to purchase 1 REC. 

Complicating matters further, not all REC’s are created equal says Think Progress.org website blogger Auden Schendler, who states that many of the REC are from already established wind producers and do not actually reduce any emissions. He argues that “forward REC’s” which cost much more environmentally friendly as they actually work to create new green energy.  Since the cost is 4.15 per kilowatt hour for 100 percent REC’s as opposed to 4.07 cents for 12% green renewable energy credits, it is obviously just commodities not new green energy credits that Champaign residents will be buying. 

In addressing a similar situation with his college students paying fees to purchase these REC’s, Daniel Press, professor at UC-Santa Barbara in this article states,

But prices for renewable energy certificates, as negotiated by brokers and power producers, are very low — 10 percent of the difference between the cost of producing nonrenewable and renewable energy, and far too little to actually spur production.

By harnessing the power of the word “renewable” for spin and gimmickry, certificate brokers have persuaded hundreds of colleges to buy the “environmental attributes” of wind, landfill gas and solar energy — but not the electricity itself. “Environmental attributes” is the sort of mumbo-jumbo that’s hard to explain in news releases and on

Web sites, so thousands of certificate buyers simply say that 100 percent of their power is green.

Jay Hancock, reporter for The Baltimore Sun, states in this blog, “Are wind-energy contracts a scam? Or will they save the world? Neither, actually.” 

I agree with Mr. Hancock that these are neither a panacea for a greener planet nor are they evil incarnate. My problem is with the lack of choice that Gerard and the rest of the Champaign City Council gave their constituents. In the end, it is less about the environment and more about this city council becoming a further nanny state and ridicules anyone who is in opposition.  

The lone nay vote, Karen was rebuked by the mayor in a kidding way that she was always the first to be in line to get her parade for the Champaign Freedom Celebration referring to her patriotic comment during the no vote.

In the end, the Mayor gets a hollow victory to claim 100 percent green energy is powering Champaign, when it is actually lower than 5 percent and we get stuck with an additional $10 we could have used to offset the taxes and fees raised by Gerard and the Champaign City Council. Score another victory for government control and a loss for our liberty and freedom.

Champaign CIty Waterning Lawns in Drought

On July 13, 2012 Fox News looked at the floods in Texas and contrasted that with the worsening drought in much of the country. The city they showed was none other than Champaign, Illinois.  Yes, our drought is making national news.

So what does mayor Don Gerard and city manager Steve Carter going to do about a real environmental concern in the City of Champaign? Let’s put more of our precious water on the grass in city areas. Yes, the city is wasting our precious water in an effort to keep grass green that is rarely walked on except to have a fireman waste time mowing it. Wouldn’t you rather them work on improving their firefighting equipment or skills? Watering was occurring as late as the evening of the 13^th.  The rumor is that the firehouses were told not to let their grass go brown.

Over the 4^th of July, my father and I saw and were shocked that Fire Station Number 2 on Prospect Avenue was watering their lawn. I was in western Indiana later that day and was shocked at the extremely low level of the Wabash River. When our rivers are running dry, maybe it is about time to change stop watering the lawns.

I came back later on the fourth to see the other side of the lawn at the firehouse being watered. Why do we even have lawns in the city buildings such as fire houses? Shouldn’t they be more water friendly? Shouldn’t the city be setting an example? Why are our city leaders wasting our hard earned tax dollars on this even if a good year? Obviously we are not getting our monies worth from the folks who are running our town at this point.

Water and water shortages are becoming a worldwide problem. This is one of the biggest environmental concerns we have to face. While I believe that at least now we have the water supplies to sustain ourselves and our crops, we really don’t have the water to spend watering lawns that have no purpose other than to give city workers something to mow. Lawns are increasingly becoming a luxury that we cannot afford

Not only is there an environmental impact, there is an economic impact as well. How much water is being wasted not only at Champaign Fire Station number 2 but all fire houses as well as other city property? I encourage all residents of Champaign to stand up to our city leaders and request change to this insanity. If not maybe it’s time to change our leaders.

Welcome to Champaign Liberty

Welcome to the first of many posts from Champaign Liberty, a blog about preserving the republic by promoting limited constitutional government by keeping an eye on what is going on globally but acting locally.

If you wish to write an article, please let me know. We encourage writing and if you need to remain anonymous, there are ways to ensure that. My e-mail is tspinner@gmail.com.

Please note that submissions are often scheduled and may come in at different times.

Gerard and the Bag Ban

Don Gerard and the rest of the Champaign City Council so far have agreed to pursue a  plastic bag