NO FAVORS
So a guy buys a house for $1 and somehow racks up more than $40,000 in fines – do you expect that debt to ever be paid? That’s why $42,000 was waived by the city’s administrative court (“Twelve years later, vacant house comes full circle,” May 2).
Can Illinois Times explain to readers how the former mayor was in any way involved in the administrative court’s decision on any matter? If not, IT is manufacturing this as a “political football.” I believe as city treasurer Misty Buscher had access to who had debt waived and went on a fishing expedition through her opponent’s donations to get you to write a story on it, attempting to link the two.
If George Petrilli had the political connections this article claims, especially to the former mayor’s office, do you think he would constantly have inspectors at the house assessing it? Would he have even received fines if he was some good friend of the former mayor?
This story has too many holes in it to make sense, but good for Buscher, because it worked for her a year ago. I suppose that is all it was designed to do – try to damage Jim Langfelder and prop up Buscher right before the election.
Arthur Dunkin
READY FOR NEW NEIGHBORS
I’m very glad to see that the house at 820 N. Sixth St. has finally been relinquished by the owner. I moved into the Enos Park neighborhood in 2017 and purchased a house down the block in 2018. Outside of a few new windows, there have been hardly any visible improvements made to the nearby property in this time.
I’m hopeful this house will now be renovated, like many in the neighborhood. We look forward to having more good neighbors on our block.
Carey Smith
Springfield
DON’T PAY FOR CHICAGO’S PROBLEMS
The Democrats are at it again, wanting all of Illinois to pay for Chicago mismanagement on the backs of the rest of Illinois, and this time specifically, on the backs of small, family service businesses (“A state tax on services?” May 9). Let Chicago pay its own way. And if the Democrats really want to help, have them all donate part of their overpriced salary to pay for the Chicago mismanagement.
Cindy Ochs Backstein
MAKE REPAIRS AFFORDABLE
The farmers shouldn’t suffer because new and improved products require their own software and hardware for repairs (“Farmers want the right to fix their own tractors,” April 25). And people shouldn’t suffer because newer vehicles require the same. Bring back wing windows, hand-crank windows and lower-cost vehicles and tractors that not only work but you as an individual can work on and afford.
Not selling enough products so you force people to go to the dealer just represents greed to me. And earning $16.51 an hour for myself I can afford to complain about it.
Mike Dunne
Springfield
NO PUBLIC MONEY
The Chicago Bears and Chicago White Sox should not receive a dime of public money for their proposed new stadiums (“Sports team stadium drama,” May 2). For more than 50 years, the local and state/provincial governments of the U.S. and Canada have given tens of billions of dollars to sports teams wanting to build new stadiums.
Time and time again, proponents of subsidizing the construction of new sports facilities have touted the potential for job growth and economic development in the communities where they build their new stadiums. Studies show that the economic benefits do not materialize and sometimes even are unable to pay back the government which issued the bonds to build it.
With our state budget projected to run a deficit next year, the state cannot afford to give money to teams who easily have the means to pay for it themselves. After all, why should we have to chip in for new stadiums when the Bears are worth $5.8 billion and the White Sox $2 billion?
R. Higgins
Springfield
This article appears in Growing old gay.
