I will not respond to the Starbuck's, KMart, Shop N Save and Lowes portion of the post because in a nutshell, corporations are going to close the lowest performing stores whenever they do these group closings. That is a given. And when your city has morphed into an over sixty percent rental demographic, and the poverty level is enough so all children within our local school district receive free breakfasts, free lunches and free book rental...you can bet the stores in this community are not high performers.
The "lack of information" you cite should also include, lack of transparency in job openings for any of the taxing bodies in this town. City Hall, Board of Education, the Park District. For decades those jobs, if posted or advertised at all, have been specifically reserved for family and friends. I challenge anyone to deny that. I could cite just how appreciative those who receive those jobs can be. A few years back we had a City Works or Water Plant worker and his girlfriend who worked at the Police Department both arrested for illegal activity.
Why would anyone want to move here or remain here if there was zero chance at ever being hired into one of these many jobs?
You say "Lack of Vision" and mention yet another failure for action by our latest Economic Developer. Someone else described him the best, "fake it till you make it". Another display of nepotism by our mayor. Hiring a totally unqualified son in law of a former alderman as a favor. This kid was in way over his head, and in no position to motivate and supervise any type of city wide grassroots movement to improve Granite City, let alone head hunt or negotiate for new businesses. You can organize committees and hold unproductive meetings all day long which result in NOTHING, NADA, ZIP and that is exactly what he did. He and the mayor refusing to step foot inside any new business in this town, and on the outside chance you were graced with either of their presences, they were condescending and detached. Unless of course you were the Kool Beans business, which was in deep financial tax trouble a year or two ago. City Hall was all up in that mess, even Mr. Amos offering excuses as to what happened that forced them to close their doors. The owner actually mentioned City Hall's intervention in getting them back up and running again. I am paraphrasing, but it was clear they were involved. I don't recall the Economic Developer or Mayor of our town actively intervening on any other small business's behalf, ever.
Do you think the downtown cinema was Ed Hagnauer's vision? Do you think he pushed for that project? Think again.
If our mayor gave half a flip about this town, he would put his foot down and do something about the Crossroads Shopping Center. This place has been crumbling for well over a decade without a singe penny charged in fines to a neglectful, foreign owner who pays a property management company to rent out the store fronts, and to neglect the upkeep of the facility. OVER A DECADE! What does this say about his vision?
Absentee slumlords who go unchecked and given carte blanch to ignore their properties and allowing for nothing but low income to move in. How is that sustaining ANY BUSINESS in this town? Where are the city inspectors? Why aren't they pursuing violations, other than writing the out...follow it through the court, if the owner ignores it, lay a lien on the property. But we have selective property violation enforcement in this town, and have had it for years. And apparently cannot afford to pursue this to any resolution in the courts. I call bologna. Either hire a productive, experienced Economic Developer with a proven track record or use the funds to employ someone to file these things with the court and take care of business. But don't we have a City Attorney for that?
Why are three houses on any street keeping a beautiful lawn, landscaping and an attractive curb appeal when the other fifteen are allowed to look like a ghetto? Low income renters who have no real investment in the property and a slumlord owner whose only goal is to be paid by HUD or lowers the rent enough that low income residents snap it up. No pride. Just no pride anymore.
If we as residents don't start mixing this up and voting out those long standing family names who currently sit in City Hall, we are not far from that proverbial one match that will sure as hell break the city of Granite City camel's back.
on November 5, 2018, 6:16 pm, in reply to "