Sunday, October 12, 2014

Matthews Retires - How is the Hotel's Census Doing?

One of many questions by those of us paying attention and unanswered by local media is this. The deadline to complete the remodeling of the old Pere was March 1, 2013. The deadline was NOT met. The penalty for not meeting the deadline was $41,000.00 a month. Did the City of Peoria collect the penalty?

Since no one, including the local medias, did not report this addition (to my knowledge) to the financially strapped City coffers, my speculation is, no, they did not.

Why not? The developer ran into problems he didn't anticipate. In the priavate sector, you eat the losses. Maybe the City did collect. Anyone help me out here?

And by the way, why didn't any of the media and local "movers and shakers" comment on the $16 million in new business that the Cat Visitors Center and the new museum were to bring into the City of Peoria? Who made this widely publicized statement? Why, two economic gurus' from our own Bradley University.

City administrations recently noted that sales taxes were down by $1.5 million. I said at the time, these gurus' were wrong. But who was I? Just a guy that started a business in 1964 with $5,00.00; $2,500.00 borrowed, and built it to $11 million sales under harsh circumstances. I sold this business in 1992 with NO bank loans or any other loans outstanding.

The building still bears my name 22 years later. But "Mutt" and "Jeff" or "Frick" and "Frack", who write a Monday column in the JS print I'm just a .........

From 2000 through 2010 I served on the Peoria County Board, electing to to run again as I was 85 years old, and left my position with ALL County funds in a positive condition.

And yes, I was arrested once in my life, but never found guilty. Sorry to disappoint some of my detractors.

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