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Post by dog on Oct 18, 2014 7:07:51 GMT -6
Is that what our City is doing by requiring any and all outdoor sales to require a Special Use Permit, protecting us? They can't figure out how to write an ordinance that allows sidewalk sales and professional looking displays, so they go with the overly restrictive, turn the heads for certain people, selective enforcement policy to protect us? That is interesting. Yes, it is protecting us. If writing ordinances seem like an easy thing to do, present us an ordinance here on how to allow sidewalk sales and only professsional looking displays.
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Post by dog on Oct 18, 2014 7:15:33 GMT -6
The Streator attitude has been going on long before our current administration. They represent the views and mindset of the majority of voters in Streator. You want change,but if I try to look at it from your shoes, I cant understand why you arent running for office. If you got in, you would no FOR SURE how you would vote. If you just hope for change, then you also have to hope that someone else shares your viewpoint and hope they vote accordingly. I havent seen anyone come forth yet to at least start to become vocal about supporting things you believe in. Can you stand by for what, maybe 6 years, to convince people to put a council in place and then hope they make the changes you say we need? Have any of these people who say they support you, shown any interest in running for office? There is an election in just a few months another one two years from now as well, but yes waiting years for things to change and continuing to talk about the problems that I see is better in my opinion than the alternative of being silent and allowing the problems to continue to hurt business here. There is nothing that says that the entire council needs to change, the newest elected member has already been trying to get some things changed. With a new Mayor at the helm, it could be possible that many new ideas get presented and other current members develop a new attitude and change shines through. It will be interesting to see what does happen. Thanks for inquiring, but I will be too busy working in other places to run for office. There is already a new project in another state slated for me in December that could last months. I am hopeful that a good candidate could emerge though. It would be a shame to not have anything change and have to listen to me go on for several more years, don't you think? I am not sure, but it seems to me that you think the mayoral position has powers similar to the President. The mayor is just one vote, he cant just veto the vote of the council, like the President can do over Congress. You give the office of Mayor a lot more power than what it actually is. If you had a choice on who would make a good mayor, whether they are running or not, who would you select?
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Post by Kyle Mitchell on Oct 18, 2014 7:19:55 GMT -6
I had posted earlier that we would open the store for a couple of hours on Monday, but our work schedule has changed and we will not be able to be there then. Sorry for any inconvenience, we will be trying to plan another time in the future. If there is anyone who does have any concerns about their items, credit, or otherwise feel free to pm me or send a message on facebook.
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Post by Kyle Mitchell on Oct 18, 2014 7:20:44 GMT -6
From the Times: The sign committee is recommending the signage size change to 1.2 square feet times the frontage of the building.The ordinance now says 1.5 square feet per linear foot of frontage. Was that a misprint or does the City really have something against signs to further limit the tools of business? We obviously need more business here, being more restrictive on them will not help them create a business friendly perception, in my opinion. With all the supporters of the City here spending so much time attacking me for what I say, doesn't anyone follow what they are doing to be able to provide the correct information about the 1.2 sq ft printed in the paper? Could it be that they are not decreasing the allowable sign square footage, but saying that 1.2 sq ft of the allowable size can be on an overhanging sign?
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Post by Kyle Mitchell on Oct 18, 2014 7:40:29 GMT -6
Is that what our City is doing by requiring any and all outdoor sales to require a Special Use Permit, protecting us? They can't figure out how to write an ordinance that allows sidewalk sales and professional looking displays, so they go with the overly restrictive, turn the heads for certain people, selective enforcement policy to protect us? That is interesting. Yes, it is protecting us. If writing ordinances seem like an easy thing to do, present us an ordinance here on how to allow sidewalk sales and only professsional looking displays. I bet I could write an ordinance that would get the job done a lot better than requiring people to break the law to participate in a sidewalk sale. I have other things to do though other than take the time to write an ordinance for you and the other attackers on here to pick apart. It's not like I feel that our Mayor would be open minded enough to allow the introduction of any ordinance that I presented. He wasn't even open minded enough to give me a requirement for a business that was justified by our laws.
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Post by Kyle Mitchell on Oct 18, 2014 7:43:24 GMT -6
There is an election in just a few months another one two years from now as well, but yes waiting years for things to change and continuing to talk about the problems that I see is better in my opinion than the alternative of being silent and allowing the problems to continue to hurt business here. There is nothing that says that the entire council needs to change, the newest elected member has already been trying to get some things changed. With a new Mayor at the helm, it could be possible that many new ideas get presented and other current members develop a new attitude and change shines through. It will be interesting to see what does happen. Thanks for inquiring, but I will be too busy working in other places to run for office. There is already a new project in another state slated for me in December that could last months. I am hopeful that a good candidate could emerge though. It would be a shame to not have anything change and have to listen to me go on for several more years, don't you think? I am not sure, but it seems to me that you think the mayoral position has powers similar to the President. The mayor is just one vote, he cant just veto the vote of the council, like the President can do over Congress. You give the office of Mayor a lot more power than what it actually is. If you had a choice on who would make a good mayor, whether they are running or not, who would you select? I believe that the Mayoral position has a lot more power than just one vote. I believe that he controls the meetings and has a lot of control over what is presented to the council and what staff works on. He is the head of our community. He is at City Hall more and much more of the go-to person for perspective businesses, etc. I think he is the one who sets the tone for what direction our community heads. For example, after gaining permission from and scheduling an event at City Park with the City Manager, when the Mayor got his invitation to participate, he said that he didn't think that cleaning up Streator and its image should be politicized and suddenly the event needed Council approval. At that Council meeting, where they didn't allow any public input, the Mayor lead the way saying that the subject should not be politicized(as if individual citizens can do anything to stop the bar violence and people pulling their pants down). The rest of the council followed along and use of the Park was denied, despite the First Amendment.
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Post by dog on Oct 18, 2014 8:11:03 GMT -6
Yes, it is protecting us. If writing ordinances seem like an easy thing to do, present us an ordinance here on how to allow sidewalk sales and only professsional looking displays. I bet I could write an ordinance that would get the job done a lot better than requiring people to break the law to participate in a sidewalk sale. I have other things to do though other than take the time to write an ordinance for you and the other attackers on here to pick apart. It's not like I feel that our Mayor would be open minded enough to allow the introduction of any ordinance that I presented. He wasn't even open minded enough to give me a requirement for a business that was justified by our laws. The purpose of the suggestion was not to pick your ordinance apart as an attack on you, but to show you that it isnt easy to write an ordinance that does its job, without seeming to be overly restrictive. You stated in another post that you thought that the focus on the public intoxication ordinance may be a result of your constant talking and signage in your window, so whats not to believe that he might consider your suggestion on an ordinance? Isnt there an option that allows sidewalks sales without breaking the law? Isnt that what the special use permit is for? As for the signage issue: Just put signage all over a vehicle and park it out front of your business like that guy down the street from you does as he advertises plywood for sale. Doesnt that look professional with scribbled-on writing on a ratty looking truck sitting on Main St all day.Truth be told, that is why we need restrictions, not restrictions for you to display some bikes or other merchandise in front of Flips. Unfortunately for you and others, you pay the price for displays like what is down the street from you.
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Post by dog on Oct 18, 2014 9:32:35 GMT -6
Thanks for inquiring, but I will be too busy working in other places to run for office. There is already a new project in another state slated for me in December that could last months. I am hopeful that a good candidate could emerge though. It would be a shame to not have anything change and have to listen to me go on for several more years, don't you think? Kyle you are full of excuses. An election would give you factual informationon how many really supports your causes and who doesnt. Dont be afraid to learn how significant or insignificant you are in this community. Who better to express your personal opinions by getting elected,than you? It would be a shame that you dont run yourself and create the change you desire,so you dont HAVE to talk about the problems for several more years, dont you think?
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Post by Kyle Mitchell on Oct 18, 2014 9:55:10 GMT -6
I bet I could write an ordinance that would get the job done a lot better than requiring people to break the law to participate in a sidewalk sale. I have other things to do though other than take the time to write an ordinance for you and the other attackers on here to pick apart. It's not like I feel that our Mayor would be open minded enough to allow the introduction of any ordinance that I presented. He wasn't even open minded enough to give me a requirement for a business that was justified by our laws. The purpose of the suggestion was not to pick your ordinance apart as an attack on you, but to show you that it isnt easy to write an ordinance that does its job, without seeming to be overly restrictive. You stated in another post that you thought that the focus on the public intoxication ordinance may be a result of your constant talking and signage in your window, so whats not to believe that he might consider your suggestion on an ordinance? Isnt there an option that allows sidewalks sales without breaking the law? Isnt that what the special use permit is for? As for the signage issue: Just put signage all over a vehicle and park it out front of your business like that guy down the street from you does as he advertises plywood for sale. Doesnt that look professional with scribbled-on writing on a ratty looking truck sitting on Main St all day.Truth be told, that is why we need restrictions, not restrictions for you to display some bikes or other merchandise in front of Flips. Unfortunately for you and others, you pay the price for displays like what is down the street from you. A public drunkenness ordinance was a suggestion that I had years ago. The ordinance being drafted now is not a result of my request at all, it is others talking about the problem being in their yards. A Special Use Permit seems like a pretty extreme hoop to make retailers jump through for a once a year event, or even to just set some mums outside, don't you think? How can I argue with the plywood for sale sign though? I think other communities are able to craft ordinances that work better, don't they?
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Post by Kyle Mitchell on Oct 18, 2014 9:55:48 GMT -6
Thanks for inquiring, but I will be too busy working in other places to run for office. There is already a new project in another state slated for me in December that could last months. I am hopeful that a good candidate could emerge though. It would be a shame to not have anything change and have to listen to me go on for several more years, don't you think? Kyle you are full of excuses. An election would give you factual informationon how many really supports your causes and who doesnt. Dont be afraid to learn how significant or insignificant you are in this community. Who better to express your personal opinions by getting elected,than you? It would be a shame that you dont run yourself and create the change you desire,so you dont HAVE to talk about the problems for several more years, dont you think? I certainly don't need to know how many support what I talk about or not. I will continue to talk about what I think is right and wrong, regardless of what other people think. I have no problem knowing that I am not significant at all, it doesn't bother me one bit. I'll just keep talking about the change that I desire and hope that more people start talking about what they desire for our community instead of feeling like they have to accept whatever our City leaders do.
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Post by dog on Oct 18, 2014 10:24:01 GMT -6
Kyle you are full of excuses. An election would give you factual informationon how many really supports your causes and who doesnt. Dont be afraid to learn how significant or insignificant you are in this community. Who better to express your personal opinions by getting elected,than you? It would be a shame that you dont run yourself and create the change you desire,so you dont HAVE to talk about the problems for several more years, dont you think? I certainly don't need to know how many support what I talk about or not. I will continue to talk about what I think is right and wrong, regardless of what other people think. I have no problem knowing that I am not significant at all, it doesn't bother me one bit. I'll just keep talking about the change that I desire and hope that more people start talking about what they desire for our community instead of feeling like they have to accept whatever our City leaders do. Many of us ARE talking about what we desire for our community and accept what our leaders do. Many actually not only accept it openly but actually ENDORSE what they do. Wouldnt it be important to know if you had 100 people voted for you, compared to 4,000 who voted against you, that it would tell you that the majority of THIS city DONT want what you want? I am not telling you that you dont have the right not to fight for what you believe is right, but in that case, wouldnt it make more sense to move to an area that actually has the same beliefs that you do? You may never change the view of Streatorites in your lifetime. You seriously want to spend the rest of your life trying to accomplish that?
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Post by dog on Oct 18, 2014 10:35:12 GMT -6
A Special Use Permit seems like a pretty extreme hoop to make retailers jump through for a once a year event, or even to just set some mums outside, don't you think? How can I argue with the plywood for sale sign though? I think other communities are able to craft ordinances that work better, don't they? I would agree that it is an extreme hoop to make retailers have a once a year sale or just to sell mums. Once again you miss the basis of the argument and dont give any solutions to the problem. All you say is other communities are able to craft ordinances that would work,or you dont have time to create an ordinance yourself, so as not to require a permit in the above cases.Do these other communities actually have an ordinance that will address the issue of turning their downtown into a used appliance junkyard, while still allowing for a once a year or very small display, or do they just enforce their ordinances selectively, like you rail the city about doing? Show me an ordinance that doesnt burden a retailer, but still protects the integrity of the downtown area as a whole, and of the other retailers. That is how you solve problems. Not by rehashing the same thing over and over, but by putting forth alternatives. I will support your effort if you put forth a logical,feasible alternative, and I would bet many of the people in Streator would too.
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Post by dog on Oct 18, 2014 11:00:05 GMT -6
A public drunkenness ordinance was a suggestion that I had years ago. The ordinance being drafted now is not a result of my request at all, it is others talking about the problem being in their yards. [/quote] Wasnt it you that said this a few posts ago: "I feel that the years of the turning of the heads to the problems has not produced good results. I believe that the more people who are talking about the problems, the more chance of change there is. What made it to where all of the sudden people are complaining about others passing out in their yards to prompt our City to introduce a public drunkenness ordinance? IS IT POSSIBLE THAT AFTER SEEING IT POSTED ON OUR WINDOWS that we also see people passing out wherever they like as not THE START OF A TREND and maybe our next election could find us with more new leaders doing even more to create a better business environment? being a problem, that they decided that it was time to start speaking up? I don't know, but by the same token CAN YOU SAY THAT IT IS NOT HELPING TO CREATE CHANGE?" Arent you implying that you feel it was a result of your efforts?
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Post by dog on Oct 18, 2014 11:11:43 GMT -6
A Special Use Permit seems like a pretty extreme hoop to make retailers jump through for a once a year event, or even to just set some mums outside, don't you think? How can I argue with the plywood for sale sign though? I think other communities are able to craft ordinances that work better, don't they? Ottawa has a 3 page permit app for temporary or seasonal use of a sidewalk. They require insurance, descriptions of merchandise and display. They require a $10 fee for up to a 10 day use or offer a $30 a month for a minimum of one month and up to 10 months. The city retains the right to revoke the permit at any time. Here is a link to the web page. Scroll down to find the permit for use of sidewalk: www.cityofottawa.org/government/permits-and-formsWould you consider THIS permit too restrictive for Streator?
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Post by Kyle Mitchell on Oct 18, 2014 14:49:23 GMT -6
I certainly don't need to know how many support what I talk about or not. I will continue to talk about what I think is right and wrong, regardless of what other people think. I have no problem knowing that I am not significant at all, it doesn't bother me one bit. I'll just keep talking about the change that I desire and hope that more people start talking about what they desire for our community instead of feeling like they have to accept whatever our City leaders do. Many of us ARE talking about what we desire for our community and accept what our leaders do. Many actually not only accept it openly but actually ENDORSE what they do. Wouldnt it be important to know if you had 100 people voted for you, compared to 4,000 who voted against you, that it would tell you that the majority of THIS city DONT want what you want? I am not telling you that you dont have the right not to fight for what you believe is right, but in that case, wouldnt it make more sense to move to an area that actually has the same beliefs that you do? You may never change the view of Streatorites in your lifetime. You seriously want to spend the rest of your life trying to accomplish that? You may think that many people endorse the condition our City is in as a result of what they do, but I think there are many people who do want better. I'm happy with my perception of how many people want better, but it doesn't matter to me what others want, it won't keep me from talking about what I want. That is how change is government comes about. Why should I go somewhere else? This is where there are a lot of other things that I like and where I own a building that I have put as lot into, but where real estate is not worth enough to even consider selling because so few people are buying. It makes more sense to me to try to correct the problems to create a better environment for business in hopes that some day the situation will be different. What do you care what I spend the rest of my life doing?
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