7am News, Sports and Obits
Latest WGIL news
Click to play or
Right click and "Save Target As" to download
Click for Galesburg, Illinois Forecast
Home - Cancellations - Community Events - Contact Us - Mornings - News - Obituaries - Pictures - Programs - Special Events Audio - Sports - Weather
Residents Sound off at Council Meeting on GREDA
If the City of Galesburg wants to bring new businesses and manufacturers to town, they're apparently going to have to do it themselves.

That's after the Galesburg City Council, for one, voted to reject a newly-reworked deal with the Galesburg Regional Economic Development Association Monday night -- and, for another, voted to terminate the current deal, which, with a 90-day notice, would expire March 15th.

Aldermen spoke of communication problems and other concerns in terminating GREDA, but residents had other thoughts on their minds.

One, David Roknich, told aldermen that the $75,000 GREDA would still receive annually under either deal sends a real bad message. "Among the voters of Galesburg, it's emblematic of the secrecy, failed policy, and lack of direction that has characterized a lot of our economic policies in this town for the past decade," Roknich said.

Roknich urged the city council to vote against spending the money on GREDA, and to "vote against any further capital expenditure until budget transparency is assured," he said. The city budget was available at City Hall prior to its approval last month.

Local resident and candidate for Treasurer, Mike Kroll, claims the city isn't attracting the types of businesses the city needs to survive, and also says the wrong message is being sent. "We sell Galesburg -- our current effort to sell Galesburg -- is 'this is a cheap place to do business and hire people at low wages,'" Kroll said. "And frankly, I think that is a disservice to the community."

Kroll claims the city isn't doing enough to improve infrastructure and other needs, and says GREDA constantly is asking for one-last chance to do a good job, when it shouldn't get one.

City Manager Dane Bragg says the process to figure out a self-economic development strategy will come up with the new year.


(Former Galesburg Mayor Bob Sheehan, lower left, and Galesburg's 7th Mayoral Candidate, Eric Delawder, seated top center, look on at Monday night's Galesburg City Council Meeting. WGIL News Story and Photo by Will Stevenson.)
12 15 08 by Newsroom
News management powered by Xpression News

Click here for the WGIL News Archive

Click here for national news

The following provision applies to all visitors (which shall include persons and representatives of legal entities, whether such representatives are persons or digital engines of a kind that crawls, indexes, scrapes, copies, stores or transmits digital content). By accessing this Web site or digital service, you specifically acknowledge and agree that: (i) Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium; (ii) No Associated Press materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for personal and non-commercial use; (iii) The Associated Press will not be held liable for any delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions therefrom or in the transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages arising from any of the foregoing; (iv) The Associated Press is an intended third party beneficiary of these terms and conditions and it may exercise all rights and remedies available to it; and (v) The Associated Press reserves the right to audit possible unauthorized commercial use of AP materials or any portion thereof at any time.