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| Galesburg Council Tables GREDA Contract; Hear Full Council Discussion Here |
It took almost two hours for the Galesburg City Council to decide to essentially do nothing with its annual contribution to the Galesburg Regional Economic Development Association -- at least for now.
Aldermen, following over an hour and a half of discussion Monday night, voted five to three to table a proposal to terminate the city's $75,000 a year contract with the organization, until a date to be determined.
A who's who of GREDA members spoke to aldermen, and addressed concerns they had including a lack of communication with themselves and the public.
And GREDA board member Kit Wilcox says they might just be right. "The key, I think, to having a good team, you gotta be able to communicate," Wilcox said. "Are we doing a good job at it? I don't think so. I think that we're trying very hard. I think, like everybody, once in awhile you get working so hard at something, you sort of get your blinders on and you don't pay attention to what other people's perceptions are of what you're doing."
Several GREDA members and even aldermen scolded the media for allegedly negative coverage of GREDA, claiming things like that could adversely effect business retention and recruitment.
The proposal to terminate GREDA's contract came from Sixth Ward Aldermen Wayne Allen, who claims he's heard from a state source that funding from the state for operation of the local entrepreneurship center was being pulled because of alleged misappropriation of funds.
GREDA Board Chairman Bob Fulton defended the organization, and said while funding was being pulled, allegations of misappropriation of funds is "invalid."
To hear the entire city council debate on GREDA from Monday night's City Council meeting, CLICK HERE (mp3 format, approximately 1 hour, 38 minutes long)
(Bob Fulton, GREDA Board Chairman, speaks to aldermen Monday night at Galesburg City Hall.)
(A packed Galesburg City Hall watches as Bob Futon, GREDA Board Chairman, speaks to the Galesburg City Hall. WGIL News Story and Photos by Will Stevenson.) |
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| 11 04 08 by Newsroom |
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