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Quincy City Council votes to deny public speaker

by Bob Gough, editor, QuincyNews.org

Along a party line vote, the Quincy City Council denied a written request to speak by a taxpaying resident of the city.

Steve McQueen, one of the organizers of the Quincy Tea Party effort, requested to speak on the recently approved $31.2 million budget and water and sewer rate increases.

When it came time to vote to open the floor to allow the speaker, a mixed voice vote took place. A roll call vote ensued and the seven Democrats denied McQueen's opportunity to speak while six Republicans voted to allow him to speak.

Alderman Mike Rein (R-5th Ward) was absent.

Alderman Mike Farha (R-4th Ward) said he had never seen anyone denied the right to speak in his 10 years on the council and called the vote "outrageous."

Farha spoke up after the vote, saying "We have never not allowed a member of the public to address this body."

Alderman Steve Duesterhaus (D-2nd Ward) countered by saying "A point of order here. This is an incidental motion and is not subject to debate." Mayor John Spring agreed and Farha finished with "I just want my objection noted for the record."

Duesterhaus (D-2nd Ward) said there had been ample opportunity to comment on the budget and the water and sewer increases before last week's votes had taken place.

"We had a public hearing on the budget," Duesterhaus said. "We had an unofficial hearing on the budget where the department heads talked about the budget. It had three readings at three meetings. We had three readings on the water and sewer rates. Anybody could have commented on them. They passed and now we're looking forward, not looking back."

McQueen was "dumbfounded."

"Freedom of speech was not the issue I came to talk about, but it is the issue I left with," he said. "I cannot believe what took place here tonight. This solidifies my beliefs."

Before the meeting, Mayor John Spring was sworn in along with four aldermen who were re-elected on April 7 and the two newly elected aldermen, Kyle Moore (R-3rd Ward) and Dan Brink (R-6th Ward).

In other action, Aldermen approved:

*A two-year contract for the Quincy Police Department to use of STARCOM 21 radios to communicate with the Illinois State Police.

*$405,577.35 on replacement water meters from Badger Meter Company of Milwaukee, Wis.

*$6,013.53 to the Illinois EPA for mandatory testing under the Safe Drinking Water Act.

*$5,625 for QPD firearms training through PASA Park Inc.

*$5,700 for police training with West Central Illinois Criminal Justice Council.

For more on the JRG Blog, click here.

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Showing comments 1 to 10 of 98 | Next | Last

Forseti
Posts: 4

WMDs!
Reply #98 on : Thu May 07, 2009, 09:15:11

I do remember them and I'm certain the Kurds & the Iranians do as well.... only in different terms.

I believe some of the alternative solutions that were going to be (& have been) suggested are: give the budget more time to be written, include the new alderman rather than lame ducks, take a closer look at expenses, poorly performing depts-programs and excessive personnel in admin positions and find out the real reason for the massive water & sewer rate increases.

jpmny333
Posts: 3

Re: Tspud1 and Sammy
Reply #97 on : Wed May 06, 2009, 19:59:06

Maybe you missed my point:

1. I have paid my taxes every time I have been asked, even when there were times I had to choose between feeding myself and feeding my child. They took my money, the same as yours (I assuming) to fund someone else's American Dream.

2. I didnâ€™t vote for Obama, I was only pointing out ridiculous associations between him and Chavez.

3. I am wholly against any sort of bailout. These ppl operated under risky business strategies, looking for a quick buck and they lost out. They knew what they were doing and what was at stake.

4. Do you like the fact that farmer's get your tax money, because one cant make a living farming?

5. Once again: all protest, no alternative solution.

6. It really is a shame when ppl take what they hear on the news as God given truth. The very essence of all these "populist" rallies in directly in line with what Marx said should and would happen. He said that the working class will eventually be fed up with the ruling class, the way the government spends their money, the alienation of the workers (who let's not forget allow these corporations and the government the means to prosper). If you havenâ€™t read it for yourself, in the author's own words (or at least a decent translation), then you have no frame of reference. Socialism is today what Communism was during the Cold War and before: a convenient rallying point that seems to threaten the almighty capitalist state and the American Way. You could at least know your â€œenemyâ€.

(Hint: The State does not refer to government. The State is defined as the working class in the
Communist Manifesto.)

For the record I believe capitalism can work, probably will eventually work.

It all boils down to this: no matter what economic system you subscribe to, there are going to be ppl that take advantage of it.

Forseti: Lies sure seem to be a popular topic when involving oneself with politics. Remember the whole Iraqi WMD thing?

Sammy: My brother just got back from his 2nd tour in Iraq in Mosul. Things have not changed there, the violence has slowed, but just wait until we withdraw. We shouldâ€™ve finished the job in Afghanistan before trying to expand the war to multiple fronts. Just because there isnâ€™t news coverage it doesnâ€™t mean that there isnâ€™t a problem, it only means that ppl have lost interest and that translates to bad ratings.

Okay Iâ€™m done. Iâ€™ve had my say.

Think for yourself, youâ€™ll be better off.

TheBard
Posts: 4

Re: Quincy | tea | party | organizer | denied
Reply #96 on : Wed May 06, 2009, 14:47:28

Worried, it is precisely through this kind of "community comment" that people DO get motivated to get involved. Without this people would quite literally have no place to vent, and there would never be any change at all.

This is a starting place. God forbid that this kind of discussion should ever be quashed, whether by political powers that don't want to be challenged, or by well-meaning young people who want to see some action and mistakenly think the discussion is pointless and will accomplish nothing.

Independence was won in this country by starting with....letter-writing, complaints, comment, articles, handbills, then Congress formed, piddling, twiddling, resolutions, then finally debate and voting on the actual notion of severing ties with Great Britain. In amongst the Congressional action (or inaction depending on whom you study) physical action became necessary--Concord, Lexington, Bunker Hill, Brooklyn Heights.

It's all of one piece, this fabric that is democracy. These comments, backyard fence griping, coffee cup bitching, all these lead on to the next level, and the next, and the next until change is begun and, hopefully, carried through.

But don't despair because people spend a long time griping and grousing or just yakking. After all, even the Ents in Lord of the Rings spent many long hours deciding....whether the hobbits were orcs or not. :)

And having brutalized history AND literature, I shall sign off.

Don't despair, worried, but also don't leave. Stay and help us by giving us (and your peers) motivation to move to the next level of action.

Tspud1
Posts: 6

Re: Quincy | tea | party | organizer | denied
Reply #95 on : Wed May 06, 2009, 14:42:18

Another non voter speaks their mind, the American way. Did you go down to the Tea Party on the river and see how many people came out? Isn't that called "start a coalition, be a force in this town" The mayor must think it is not mature to speak at the city council.

worried
Posts: 1

what a waste
Reply #94 on : Wed May 06, 2009, 10:52:14

im a 17 year old student of the public schools in this city and let me tell you what, this is sick.
all of you are complaining about our local government but im wondering where you've been the past few months when we could of actually made some change instead of having to deal with these crooks down here in little chicago. do you wonder why quincy doesnt grow, its because most of my peers including myself cant get out of this lame city fast enough. we're sick of the complacency, the lack of political and economic leadership, and an old city that can only think of retirement and put no thought into young adults.

im not here to argue and debate, im just saying its this crap, the arguing and "rallying" that you are all doing on these COMMENTS(these are simply comments on a news story, they are MEANINGLESS). Why dont you grow a pair and organize, start a coalition, be a force in this town and state instead of letting the same crooks control this potentially amazing city we are in. we dont care if you're liberal, conservative, rich or poor. we just want action, real mature action so this junk that continuously happens at city hall can stop and progress can begin...

...good job bob quincy news is an oasis for me and i look forward to more in the future

Tonga dude
Posts: 1

Petty
Reply #93 on : Wed May 06, 2009, 10:27:18

Did not like him being a pro active person. If everything was a done deal what harm? Afraid of something I guess. Do they realize how childish it gives the council? Oh I'm sure they have a lame statement of why. PETTY PETTY

Tspud1
Posts: 6

Re: Quincy | tea | party | organizer | denied
Reply #92 on : Wed May 06, 2009, 10:24:17

Hey jpmny333, did you see that the banks need more bailout today? http://finance.yahoo.com/news/BofA-and-Citi-need-capital-as-rb-15148699.html?.v=3
No one even knows where the money has gone and 7 out of 10 congressmen skipped the meetings on oversight. Nice transparency. Did you like the fact some of us(probably not you) had their taxes, 7.2 billion, spent on Chrysler to bail them out and now they are in bankruptcy anyway? Nice game plan!
By the way...Marx can piss off.

Whizzpopper
Posts: 3

Read here....
Reply #91 on : Wed May 06, 2009, 10:19:16

to understand the liberal mind:

http://hotair.com/greenroom/archives/2009/05/05/the-other-side

http://www.heritage.org/Research/Thought/hl1020.cfm

GG Liddy
Posts: 2

I admit I stole this line
Reply #90 on : Wed May 06, 2009, 10:19:09

I thought the concept of a narcissistic, mustached ruler and his henchmen denying the right of citizens to peacefully petition for redress of grievances ended in a Berlin bunker sixty-four years ago.

Forseti
Posts: 4

Lost sight
Reply #89 on : Wed May 06, 2009, 09:07:45

jpmny33 has lost sight of the fact that the "Right Wing" did not have 8 years and did not vote. I would call the previous administration far from being the "Right Wing".

The Executive branch votes on nothing & the legislative branch was clearly not controlled by the "right wing". If it had been federal spending would have been cut rather than increased. Like when Republicans took over Congress in the 90s. They CUT spending, the budget got balanced, the deficit was reduced and the President took the credit for the results.

A lot of voters, Republicans included are fed up with the excessive spending by congress over the last 2 decades. More so for part of the last 8 years when they mistakenly thought a Republican controlled Legislative & Executive branches would actually act like the principals they espoused.

The roots of the present economic problems go back far further than the last 8 years. If excessive spending got us into this mess, gross excessive spending will not get us out.

As for being a defeatist, the war has been won. But some (now in charge) want to repeat a mantra of the opposite.

â€œIf you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it."
Joseph Goebbels

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Quincy City Council votes to deny public speaker

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