tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58361506021598035862012-01-31T06:59:00.209-06:00John C. Ackerman, Tazewell County Board Member, District ThreeJohn C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.comBlogger1131100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-87320322005055322272012-01-31T06:59:00.001-06:002012-01-31T06:59:00.217-06:00

On this day, Pearl Harbor lies sleeping quietly. The winter storms that typically hit the island chain of Hawaii are at it again on this morning covering everything to the Northeast of the island with rain and low hanging clouds, obscuring the horizon. But the skies over Pearl Harbor are bright and clear.Most of the military and civilian personal on the islands are still working to get out of bed

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-28795205073603304612012-01-25T18:00:00.002-06:002012-01-30T19:28:23.200-06:00

First I want to thank the Illinois Department of Transportation for taking the time to address us on this important regional project and to seek our input on it direction. Further regional development and growth is a top priority for everyone and this project has the potential to be a large catalyst for further development.Overall, I have been impressed by the work of IDOT and the Citizens

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-40236571899161441792012-01-24T18:54:00.001-06:002012-01-24T18:59:09.166-06:00

Abraham Lincoln is Coming to WashingtonOn February 6th, 2012, Abraham Lincoln will once more be visiting the City of Washington, Illinois. Abraham Lincoln interpreter Fritz Klein of Springfield will be in town as the Key Note speaker for assembles at each of the four grade schools in Washington as well as other events around town. Some of the events are open to the public. Media coverage is

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-28133645404607870632012-01-24T08:25:00.002-06:002012-01-24T08:25:00.989-06:00

On February 6th, 2012, Abraham Lincoln will once more be visiting the City of Washington, Illinois. Abraham Lincoln interpreter Fritz Klein of Springfield will be in town as the Key Note speaker for assembles at each of the four grade schools in Washington as well as other events around town. Some of the events are open to the public. Media coverage is welcomed to all of the events.Here is the

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-91378411163631350392012-01-18T18:50:00.002-06:002012-01-18T18:54:00.046-06:00

Storm Shelter UpdateBack in 2009 I started talking about the danger of no Storm Shelters at the Tazewell County Tremont Facility, home of the Tazewell County Health Department, Tazewell County Highway Department, Tazewell County Animal Control Office, Tazewell County Resource Center and the Tazewell County Emergency Management Agency. Around 150 employees work every day at our Tremont Facility.As

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-62275430907187811622012-01-01T09:44:00.001-06:002012-01-05T09:47:08.933-06:00

The 2012 Primary Election has official started as the candidates turned in their petitions for elected office earlier this past month. This is a rare election in which every elected representative office is up because of the once-a-decade redistricting process. Here in Tazewell County, each citizen is represented by seven County Board Members. How many of you can name each one?Part of the issue

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-52267822051445466212011-12-13T21:30:00.005-06:002011-12-13T21:33:29.793-06:00

From our Family to Yours, we wish you and your family aVery Merry Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous New Year

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-76044395470193728182011-12-06T05:19:00.000-06:002011-12-06T05:20:52.516-06:00

This week marks the official start to the 2012 Primary Elections as candidates must turn in their petitions for elected office. This is a rare election in which every elected representative office is up because of the once-a-decade redistricting process. Here in Tazewell County, each citizen is represented by seven County Board Members. How many of you can name each one?Part of the issue may be

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-69960942258345319262011-11-28T15:40:00.003-06:002011-11-28T15:52:44.455-06:00

“Behold ye among the heathen, and regard and wonder marvelously: for I will work a work in your days, which ye will not believe, though it be told to you.”Habakkuk 1:5, the Old Testament prophetThis is the true story of the British Navy’s Project Habbakuk (note the miss-spelling is on the British part, not mine), an answer to the shortage of steel during the war. First introduced in 1942, the

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-33959256694761755442011-11-28T10:16:00.003-06:002011-11-28T10:20:28.300-06:00

Tazewell County Vehicle Policy Wisdom IllustratedIn the Pekin Daily Times last Tuesday, they reported on a upcoming Court Case and Tazewell County Disciplinary Action that will need to be taken against a Tazewell County Employee for wrongful use of a Tazewell County Vehicle. If you missed the paper that day, here is the link to the news report.http://www.pekintimes.com/news/x801979527/

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-25345625411498604232011-11-16T21:05:00.001-06:002011-11-16T21:07:42.784-06:00

As we get closer to the holidays, these Monthly County Board Meetings should get shorter. Tonight was a great example. Items 1, 9, 12, 13, 14 & 15 were pulled from the Consent Agenda. Item 1, 12, 13 & 14 passed with no objections. Item 9 was pulled by Member Crawford who had question concerning the mileage of the Regional Office of Education. After his questions were answered, the issue passed

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-17547633187189963852011-11-01T15:47:00.000-05:002011-11-28T15:49:38.705-06:00

“Did he really say that?”“Well he usually knows what he’s talking about. Let him go ahead and do it.”General Ulysses S. Grant, May 6th, 1864, responding to a challenge by a subordinateMany leadership lessons can be learned from the command of General Ulysses S. Grant. One of my favorite books is “Cigars, Whiskey and Winning; Leadership Lessons from Ulysses S. Grant” and the whole book consist of

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-14721839922300995922011-11-01T09:31:00.001-05:002011-11-01T09:33:01.553-05:00

Last week at the Tazewell County Board Meeting, a response was proposed to address a recent Illinois House Revenue Committee’s vote in favor of using Personal Property Replacement Tax (PPRT) funds to pay salaries of the Regional Superintendents of Schools. I believe all members of the County Board feel these individuals need to be paid by the state and that the State should not be raiding local

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-59749155195975403252011-10-26T21:11:00.002-05:002011-10-26T21:14:40.993-05:00

The County Board Meeting tonight was very quick and easy. It was the Final Budget Meeting that took some more time.As far as the County Board Meeting, only item 18 and 19 came off the consent agenda for procedural reasons. All others passed without objection. Item 18 passed without any objections as well. Item 19 was pulled at the committee level and as such never made it to the full County

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-4320814384585071162011-10-04T08:30:00.006-05:002011-10-04T08:33:25.002-05:00

Today I want to announce that in the 2012 elections I will be seeking re-election to my current position of Tazewell County Board Member for District Three. While I have received strong support and encouragement to campaign for Tazewell County Board Chairman, in the end that position at this time would be step backwards and away from accomplishing the work I have tried to finish.For the past

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-13788453211356214842011-10-04T08:00:00.000-05:002011-10-04T08:37:14.409-05:00

Today I want to announce that in the 2012 elections I will be seeking re-election to my current position of Tazewell County Board Member for District Three. While I have received strong support and encouragement to campaign for Tazewell County Board Chairman, in the end that position at this time would be a step backwards and away from accomplishing the work I have tried to finish.For the past

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-58048445501200117452011-09-28T22:32:00.001-05:002011-09-28T22:36:20.235-05:00

Tonight’s Tazewell County Board Meeting was one of the most important meetings I have attended in the past few years.To start the meeting, the County Board recognized the achievements of retiring Tazewell County Coroner Dennis Conover. As I mentioned last month, Dennis has been a great Coroner for the citizens of Tazewell County and will be missed. I want to wish him and his family the happiest

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-61603576135108971502011-09-27T08:44:00.002-05:002011-09-27T08:50:59.293-05:00

Position on the Eastern BypassThe Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) held a meeting earlier this month to showcase the draft corridors that resulted from the meetings of the Community Advisory Group (CAG). These draft corridors are just for discussion at this time and are not in any way final projections of where the eventual corridor will be. At the same time, I do think it is an

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-63433313883051821632011-09-21T08:16:00.001-05:002011-09-21T08:20:50.485-05:00

Maria and I are proud to announce the birth of our second son, Dimitrios George Ackerman, yesterday at 3:59PM. Both baby and mother are healthy and recovering. Dimitrios was 9.5 lbs and 22 inches long.Our first son, Christian John Ackerman, was born on May 22nd, 2010, and was named after my first relative that came to America from Bavaria, Germany, in 1838. Continuing in that tradition, Dimitrios

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-89355629407997017612011-09-15T18:18:00.003-05:002011-09-15T18:21:42.914-05:00

The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) held a meeting today to showcase the draft corridors that resulted from the meetings of the Community Advisory Group (CAG). These draft corridors are just for discussion at this time and are not in any way final projections of where the eventual corridor will be. At the same time, I do think it is an important that these corridors are reviewed and

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-58556724569343208352011-09-14T17:51:00.001-05:002011-09-14T17:54:26.284-05:00

Yesterday in a News Release from the Associated Press, they reported that about one third of the money in the Stimulas Program authorized for an energy efficiency program has not been spent. "The Energy Department's inspector general said Wednesday that state and local governments have left as much $879 million unspent from a $2.7 billion program intended to boost energy efficiency and create

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-61360666757108770792011-09-01T19:55:00.002-05:002011-09-01T19:59:29.812-05:00

One thing I love about professional sports is how many subject matter experts are willing at a moment’s notice to speak up concerning what went wrong with their team. Just sit down on a coach and listen to any gathering of men go at it while watching a sports game on TV. Every single one of them would have made a better decision than the team manager or sports player. From the comfort of their

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-30846003405145582182011-08-31T21:29:00.001-05:002011-08-31T21:30:50.644-05:00

All of the action at tonight’s Tazewell County Board Meeting took place either in Executive Session or in the Announcements at the beginning of the meeting. As far as the Executive Sessions, as you know I cannot discuss. The announcements I can and will admit that several of them took me by surprise.The first was that Tazewell County Coroner Dennis Conover will be retiring on September 16th.

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-81780713388077358392011-08-30T05:57:00.003-05:002011-08-30T05:57:00.449-05:00

Below is a Press Release that went out late last week concerning changes that IDOT has made to the final construction plans for Illinois Route 8. I was happy to have a part in this construction project that is vital to the future development of this part of East Peoria and Washington.As always, I consider it an honor and a privilege to serve you on the Tazewell County Board and if I can be of any

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-87727608426369659852011-08-23T05:28:00.000-05:002011-08-23T05:28:00.721-05:00

Status of the Regional Superintendent of SchoolsYesterday I was honored to be a guest on the Scott Robbin's Show on 1470 WMBD radio. My update was concerning the current status of the Regional Superintendent of Schools here in Illinois and the cost that could be passed to the taxpayers of Tazewell County should the Governor's plan continue forward. I have posted the audio of this interview as

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-63579137878898539712011-08-02T08:13:00.004-05:002011-08-02T08:19:47.841-05:00

Update on 2012 Elections / Tazewell County Board Member District Three OpeningI wanted to update you on the upcoming 2012 Elections for the Tazewell County Board District Three. While it may sound a long ways off, candidates will start passing petitions in September with the 2012 Primary Election in February and the General Election will be in November. It is coming fast and candidate decisions

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-25769432080603493582011-08-01T05:03:00.000-05:002011-08-01T05:03:00.241-05:00

“Trust your gut, and don’t try to cover your butt.”Advice from Manager Paul Richards to a young Tony La RussaOn June 10th, 2010, St. Louis Cardinals Manager Tony La Russa became only the second individual to manage over 5000 professional sport games, second only to the great baseball manager Connie Mack. When asked for the best advice concerning managing he had received, the above quote was his

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-9405565902650591772011-07-27T22:06:00.000-05:002011-07-27T22:07:41.264-05:00

Very quick and nice County Board Meeting tonight. Before going over the events of the meeting, I want to let you know that a lot of upcoming issues were being discussed by a large amount of the County Board Members, and not just the upcoming departure of the County Board Administrator. Several of the members attended a recent conference for County Board Members throughout Illinois and the

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-48379446446172303752011-07-27T05:46:00.001-05:002011-07-27T05:46:00.157-05:00

State Treasurer Dan RutherfordState Treasurer Dan Rutherford was in Central Illinois a few weeks ago. I attended his stops in Washington and East Peoria and was proud of his commitment to showcase his Conservative Values now that he has been elected to a Statewide Office. While in office for just a short while, Dan has reviewed his new offices and has made the following reductions:A) As promised

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-39443587405707084482011-07-11T21:57:00.000-05:002011-07-12T21:58:50.988-05:00

Tazewell County Sheriff's Office Budget UpdateIn 2009, I worked with fellow County Board Member Melvin Stanford to begin talking with other Board Members and get their support to lower the excessive Overtime Cost being spent in the Sheriff's Office. At that time, for the three previous years the Overtime Cost of this office had averaged well over $640,000 with the highest water mark coming in

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-6149615149175197112011-07-01T05:23:00.000-05:002011-07-01T05:23:01.183-05:00

Built in 1840, the Courthouse in Postville (currently part of Lincoln, Illinois) was one of the places Abraham Lincoln would visit on his tours of the 8th Judicial Circuit. In the 1840’s and 1850’s, when Abraham Lincoln was a slim, tall, beardless young lawyer from Springfield with a family to support, he would travel for four to six months along the dusty dirt trails that connected the

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-12724064175523421572011-06-29T22:20:00.000-05:002011-06-29T22:22:38.838-05:00

Tonight’s County Board Meeting went really well.We started off the meeting recognizing the long record of service in Tazewell County Education of our Regional Superintendant of Schools Rob Houchin who is retiring at the end of this month. We also met his replacement in Gail Owen. Both of these individuals are great.On the Consent Agenda, items 1, 2, 3, 20, 25 and 27 were pulled. All others

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-27093925452183375862011-06-13T08:05:00.003-05:002011-06-13T09:05:05.463-05:00

In the coming months you will be hearing more and more about the 2012 elections and who is going to be campaigning for what offices. As you are aware, I will be up for election myself in 2012 and I have been and continue to be working with an Advisory Committee to help decide how I can best serve the citizens of Tazewell County. While I have not yet come to a final decision, all options are being

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-75546836767093613702011-05-25T19:45:00.000-05:002011-05-25T19:46:09.752-05:00

Very quick and good meeting tonight. All items passed on the consent agenda except item 16. I pulled item 16, which involved a $26,000 six month agreement with EJustice. EJustice is the computer system used by Tazewell County Law Enforcement, but the system has not lived up to the promises we received when we signed up with them. For the past several years, we have been talking about looking for

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-91425520634793148402011-05-23T05:22:00.000-05:002011-05-23T05:22:00.884-05:00

As many of you know each month I write a Political Column for Adventure Sports Outdoors Magazine, a regional outdoor magazine distributed throughout Illinois and parts of Indiana, Missouri, Wisconsin and Iowa. You can find the magazine online at www.ASOMagazine.com. Each month my column covers topics of federal, state and local politics as well as US History. I have also occasionally used this

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-48754601543112356272011-05-09T15:05:00.001-05:002011-05-09T15:06:55.588-05:00

Today I am honored to be joined here by six other local community leaders. Before going forward, I want to introduce myself and let these gentlemen and lady introduce themselves.A) John Ackerman, attended Beverly Manor from K – 8, Graduate of District 50 Schools, past Washington City Council Alderman, Currently serving on the Tazewell County Board.B) Scott Allison, attended Beverly Manor K – 7,

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-45332724583392635612011-05-01T06:00:00.000-05:002011-05-01T06:00:01.467-05:00

This month as we mark the 150th anniversary of the start of the American Civil War, I turn to focus on the ending of the War Between the States. In all of the history books, we send a great deal of time discussing the start of the Civil War but yet very little is spent looking at the complex way it ended. The ending of the war, and in this case the behavior of a defeated leader, is just as

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-78287650805969125332011-05-01T05:59:00.000-05:002011-05-01T05:59:00.218-05:00

At this past month's Tazewell County Property Committee, which I am proud to be a member of, we received an update from Building and Grounds Superintendent Dan Gillette concerning the new boiler we purchased for the McKenzie Building. The funding for this purchase came from a grant we received in 2009 from the US Department of Energy as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Federal

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-7916772911139796162011-04-27T21:24:00.001-05:002011-04-27T21:28:37.814-05:00

Tonight’s County Board Meeting went very well. We had the pleasure tonight to have the Morton High School Honor Civic Class joining us for our meeting. They have been studying Redistricting at the all levels, including the County level, and wanted to see what Tazewell Counties end result was. It was great to have these future leaders at our meeting.Before the meeting, we held the third and final

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-69402657803337619892011-04-25T11:12:00.003-05:002011-04-25T11:17:59.878-05:00

For the third year in a row, I will be participating in a series of meetings with the Municipality and Township leaders of District Three. I originally started these meetings as a way of completing my campaign promise to increase county government communication and transparency. I am happy to see that these meetings have grown into a wonderful outlet for inter-governmental cooperation and a way

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-30348711643861621892011-04-25T11:11:00.001-05:002011-04-25T11:12:47.947-05:00

The last Public Hearing concerning the Redistricting of the Tazewell County Board will take place this Wednesday, April 27th, at 5:00 before the Tazewell County Board Meeting. This will be the last opportunity for the public to have a voice on this issue before the County Board.As published in the local newspapers last week, the Tazewell County Executive Committee voted to recommend Chairman

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-20594209430735087562011-04-15T21:50:00.003-05:002011-04-15T21:57:47.586-05:00

As you are aware, the once-a-decade Redistricting of the Tazewell County Political Boundaries is underway. At the end of this process, we will have a re-arrangement of the political boundaries of the Tazewell County Board. Currently, the Tazewell County Board is divided into three political districts which following township lines;District 1) Pekin, Cincinnati, Sand Prairie and Spring

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-77979844270924401942011-03-31T07:00:00.000-05:002011-03-31T11:17:15.391-05:00

Baseball's Sad LexiconThese are the saddest of possible words:"Tinker to Evers to Chance." Trio of bear cubs, and fleeter than birds, Tinker and Evers and Chance. Ruthlessly pricking our gonfalon bubble, Making a Giant hit into a double--Words that are heavy with nothing but trouble: "Tinker to Evers to Chance."Written by New York newspaper columnist Franklin Pierce Adams(The term "gonfalon"

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-51741384051650337162011-03-30T22:01:00.005-05:002011-03-31T14:46:09.113-05:00

Tonight’s meeting was really three separate meetings.The first was the Public Hearing concerning the Tazewell County Redistricting Process. This event was very poorly handled by the County Leadership. As of a week ago, I know this meeting was not planned because the County Administrator told me it would take place in April. I only found out about this meeting on Friday when I just happened to

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-37324419491937060632011-03-30T05:12:00.001-05:002011-03-30T05:12:00.429-05:00

Two years ago yesterday, March 29th of 2009, my website went live to the public. Released just months after being sworn in as a Tazewell County Board Member, this communication tool was just one method I used to work towards accomplishing my campaign goal of increasing communication. As I stated then "I believe that an unbiased, factual and accurate accounting of government is crucial in today's

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-35714708059254310542011-03-29T08:00:00.001-05:002011-03-29T22:57:07.547-05:00

On April 5th, 2011, the voters of Tazewell County will find a Proposition on the ballots addressing the idea of abolishing the Record of Deeds Position and reassignment of that office to the County Clerk's Office.It will read:"Shall the County Recorder of Deeds Office be abolished and its responsibilities assumed by the County Clerk's Office?"After researching this issue and the ramifications of

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-47701928583794701142011-03-29T07:00:00.003-05:002011-03-29T07:00:08.290-05:00

I do not envy the decision facing the citizens of East Peoria on April 5th. Eight young, successful, very well qualified candidates are running for four open seats. Even though I do not live in East Peoria, large parts of the city are in my County Board District and as such I have been following this election. I am finding it hard to only pick four and I believe this speaks volumes to the

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-56589766248083019002011-03-29T05:00:00.002-05:002011-03-29T05:00:03.386-05:00

I want to take this opportunity to request your support of my friend Brian Hibbert in his efforts to gain election to Trustee of Illinois Central College.Brian has been a very supportive Republican Precinct Committeeman and currently serves on the Tazewell County Republican Central Committee. He has gained a reputation of in-depth research of the issues and individuals he supports. This research

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-55188556376396714612011-03-26T05:00:00.000-05:002011-03-26T05:00:10.064-05:00

A public hearing will take place this Wednesday, March 30th, at 5:00pm in the Tazewell County Justice Center Community Room concerning the Tazewell County Redistricting process. This Redistricting Decision is the largest decision facing the Tazewell County Board and has long-term ramifications for the future look and make-up of not only the Tazewell County Board but Tazewell County itself. All

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-82427507644212489232011-03-11T08:06:00.003-06:002011-03-11T08:12:24.420-06:00

In September of 2009, I wrote a column to start the discussions concerning the mandated Redistricting of the Tazewell County Board. This once a decade event is now currently being discussed and the decision needs to be made by our May County Board Meeting. Back in September of 2009 I stated “Now is the time for us to sit down and look at our current districts and ask if we could do better.” I

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-35799160713766682062011-02-28T07:00:00.002-06:002011-02-28T07:07:21.370-06:00

“The longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth – that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid?”81 year old Benjamin FranklinSpeech during the Constitutional Convention of 1787The Constitutional Convention of 1787 would become world famous for the Constitution that

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-38844357293180000902011-02-23T21:22:00.003-06:002011-02-23T21:26:07.616-06:00

Tonight’s Tazewell County Board Meeting had a lot of big action and discussion items tonight. Right at the start we accepted the resignations of Tazewell County Recorder of Deeds Bob Lutz and Tazewell County Board Member Jan Donahue. Both of these individuals have a long service record for the citizens of Tazewell County and both will be missed. Then we voted in their replacements; Sue Manuel as

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-46110340501633200012011-02-23T21:00:00.001-06:002011-03-23T15:39:50.857-05:00

At last month’s Tazewell County Board Meeting, fellow Board Member Mike Harris read a prepared statement in which he made allegations against me concerning a phone call he reportedly received from an unnamed employee. These allegations are: A) Intimidation of an Employee, B) Misrepresentation of the Tazewell County Board, and C) Violation of the Chain of Command.After last month’s meeting, I

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-40360751783977981222011-02-01T17:58:00.000-06:002011-02-04T18:01:49.142-06:00

“If you know what you believe, decisions come pretty easy. If you’re one of those types of people that are always trying to figure out which way the wind is blowing, decision-making can be difficult. But I find that I know who I am. I know what I believe in, and I know where I want to lead the country.”George W. Bush, August 23rd, 2001In the summer of 1862, President Abraham Lincoln was out for

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-21649403866648467532011-01-28T19:41:00.001-06:002011-02-04T19:45:33.835-06:00

Tonight's January Board Meeting went by quickly. All items on the Agenda passed on the Consent Agenda with no objections.On a sad note, County Board Member Jan Donahue resigned from the County Board. She has had some health issues recently and this was part of her decision. Jan has been an excellent County Board Member and I will miss her representation of District 2.At the end of the meeting,

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-89781267613069733222011-01-24T19:43:00.001-06:002011-02-04T19:46:18.971-06:00

County Board Chairman David Zimmerman called this Special County Board Meeting so we could vote to consolidate the offices of Recorder of Deeds and County Clerk. We had to have this meeting at this time in order to have the chance to get the issue on the next election ballet for the voters to decide. Our only action that is available on this issue is weather or not the voters should have the

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-20794193709779845782011-01-01T18:04:00.001-06:002011-02-04T18:09:24.839-06:00

“The American Founding Fathers believed deeply –in the ability of a human being to learn enough in order to take part in self-government;in the capacity of people to make sense of their lives if given reasonable conditions within society itself;in the responsive power of men when exposed to great ideas;in people to stand upright spiritually without ornate or complicated props;in man to live under

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-8021230449240966932010-12-23T08:03:00.001-06:002010-12-23T08:08:30.869-06:00

Our family would like to wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous New Year.2010 has been a very busy and exciting year. In what continues to be the highlight of the year, our family grew in May with the arrival of Christian John Ackerman on the 22nd (today he is 7 months old!). His daily growth and changes are truly an amazement. Children really are a blessing and

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-77111362042336711222010-12-16T19:50:00.002-06:002010-12-16T20:07:15.686-06:00

Tonight's Tazewell County Board meeting went very fast. These meetings usually are around the holidays.After several In-Place committee meetings, Items 12, 15, 16, 19, 20 and 21 where pulled from the Consent Agenda. The rest of the Consent Agenda passed.Items 15, 16, 19, 20 and 21 where pulled as they just came to us from the In-Place Committees. All passed with no objections.Item 12 was the

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-201344453589532902010-12-08T05:00:00.000-06:002010-12-08T05:00:07.831-06:00

Over the past few months I have noticing a growing new trend. Tazewell County Board Members Melvin Stanford and Russ Crawford have expanded their Facebook pages to cover political discussions with their constituents.Over in McLean County, my good friend Kathy Michael has closed her successful blog, McPundit, due to her election as McLean County Clerk but has started a new one aimed not at

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-49502950834439619742010-12-01T05:00:00.003-06:002010-12-01T05:00:13.518-06:00

It is the middle of November. Fall is winding down. Many are getting ready for the big hunt. Others are getting ready for the invasion of the in-laws that takes place each year around the holidays. And maybe the greatest thing of all; politics is over for the next two years!Not so fast.Here in the 53rd State Senate District, politics is just getting started. One of the great Republican victories

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-16433172781086873502010-11-24T05:00:00.002-06:002010-11-24T05:00:13.218-06:00

The other day I was watching a great local show, “At Issue” on WTVP. A section of the show addressed the success of the Rail Splitter Wind Farm in Southern Tazewell and Northern Logan Counties. An individual taking credit for this success was Tazewell County Board Chairman David Zimmerman. This is interesting since he is not the reason we have this success. Zimmerman was not present when the vote

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-33339795540382694372010-11-20T17:58:00.001-06:002010-11-20T18:04:15.352-06:00

1) Question: Why are you seeking this appointment to the State Senate? Is there a particular issue that motivates you, and if so, what is it? What will be your main priority in office?I am seeking the appointment to the State Senate in order to serve a larger section of the citizens of Central Illinois. I consider it an honor and a privileged to serve the citizens of Tazewell County. Over the

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-2722672338317986202010-11-18T21:37:00.004-06:002010-11-18T22:30:21.238-06:00

Really long meeting tonight. On the Consent Agenda, items 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 24 and 25 where pulled. Items 15 and 16 where removed at the committee level for further review. All others passed.Items 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17 and 25 where pulled only for procedural reasons. They passed with no objections.Item 24 was concerning the County Administrator's pay increase. This has been a very

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-84644939038162885272010-11-04T19:36:00.001-05:002010-11-04T19:39:07.043-05:00

For some time now I have been questioned by several individuals concerning talk on the street of my direction concerning the 2012 Election. I want to get on top of this early and thus my reason for writing to you.As you will recall, this is similar to what happened in 2009 when the talk focused on me running for County Treasurer. As you will remember I chose not to campaign at that time due to

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-47963244038031738282010-11-03T20:58:00.004-05:002010-11-16T20:35:54.326-06:00

Tonight was the first of two of the most important County Board meetings of each year; one being Tentative Budget Meeting and the other being the Final Budget Meeting. I have placed the Tentative Budget on my website for your review. I had several questions concerning this years Budget I brought up tonight.On page 33, under the Sheriff's line item, I was happy to see that the Sheriff is planning

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-58233221195853146992010-10-30T07:28:00.001-05:002010-10-30T07:30:34.812-05:00

“Me and all my friends, We're all misunderstood, They say we stand for nothing and, There's no way we ever could, Now we see everything that's going wrong, With the world and those who lead it, We just feel like we don't have the means, To rise above and beat it, So we keep waiting, Waiting on the world to change, We keep on waiting, Waiting on the world to change,”“One day our generation, Is

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-21731515287721118802010-10-28T14:00:00.003-05:002010-10-28T14:00:03.617-05:00

Tonight's meeting was very quick. Not much discussion with everything on the agenda passing on the consent agenda. Member Paul Hahn asked me to help me by getting the Health Department Fee increasing that passed at last months meeting revisited. If you remember, Member Greg Sinn, Member Melvin Stanford, Member Paul Hahn and I objected to raising the Fee cost for Food Inspections on all

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-64125497836100017522010-10-28T07:23:00.000-05:002010-10-30T07:26:42.749-05:00

As we move closer to the end of this election season, I wanted to take this opportunity to send you some 'Letters to the Editor' you may see in some local newspapers concerning candidates. While you cannot write letters for every candidate, I want to take this opportunity to also mention my support of Russ Crawford for the Tazewell County Board and Dan Rutherford for the Illinois State Treasurer.

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-73654045897519792072010-10-27T21:32:00.001-05:002010-10-27T21:34:00.721-05:00

I wanted to take this opportunity to ask that you support my good friend Melvin 'Dutch' Stanford in this upcoming General Election in his race for the Tazewell County Board for District Three. Mel has been very active as a Board Member in watching out for the Taxpayers of Tazewell County and has been a great representative for the citizens of District Three.Mel's most recent action has the

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-66945620368437481392010-10-24T20:05:00.001-05:002010-10-24T20:08:26.441-05:00

Our family is proud to be supporting our friends John Vespa and Bill Brady in this upcoming election. We are asking you to join us in supporting both of these qualified individuals on November 2nd.John Vespa started out as a Peoria County Jailer, and then became a Peoria County Sheriff Deputy before finally making a career as a Lawyer. He is unique in this election in that he is the only

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-5716798957499125202010-09-30T21:11:00.005-05:002010-10-30T07:35:20.687-05:00

Most politicians are honest folks; those who are dishonest are the exception. But unfortunately sometimes they get the visibility. And again we need to make sure that people recognize those that are doing a good job and also help them to do a good job. Jim Edgar, September 2010Its election

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-87216459766050194842010-09-29T21:19:00.003-05:002010-09-29T21:37:51.092-05:00

Very quick and quiet meeting tonight. As far as the Consent Agenda, items 3, 8, 12, 14 and 18 where pulled. Item three was the only one with much discussion. Items 8 and 14 where pulled for questions and comments and passed with no objections. Item 18 was pulled due to its first reading and passed with no objections.Item 3 was pulled by Member Paul Hahn who objected to the timing of this fee

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-35459654013656345732010-09-29T14:00:00.001-05:002010-09-29T14:00:03.526-05:00

On February 15th of this year, I released a Position Update concerning the need for Tazewell County to adopt a Vehicle Policy similar to what the majority of the other counties already have in place, including our neighboring McLean and Peoria Counties. I cited sections of the current McLean County Vehicle Policy that needed to be adopted in this much needed Tazewell County Vehicle Policy. I

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-19061111452722569252010-08-26T06:30:00.005-05:002010-08-26T08:32:14.759-05:00

Tonight’s meeting was a complete breakdown of proper protocol at our board meeting. The first part of the meeting went well, but the ending was crazy and sad and in the end completely inappropriate. More on that in a bit.The County Board Meeting itself went on with little fanfare. Items 1, 12, 13, 17 and 18 were pulled from the consent agenda and then the rest of the consent agenda was passed. As

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-43151904598642279452010-08-18T22:41:00.000-05:002010-08-18T22:41:11.314-05:00

In the Spotlight: County-owned vehicles in Tazewell need rules - Peoria, IL - pjstar.com

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-63129355441535631002010-08-18T20:52:00.002-05:002010-08-19T03:04:33.480-05:00

Personal UpdateIt has been a while since my last newsletter and for that I am sorry. I have been busy getting set with my new schedule at work and, more importantly, at home. My newborn son is everything I hoped for and more and he has two very loving and proud parents.I have come to find three separate categories of my life; my business career, my political career, and my personal life. While

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-75712189049387706432010-08-02T06:21:00.003-05:002010-08-02T06:25:08.065-05:00

First off, I want to apologize for not writing for you last month. My wife and I were blessed with the birth of our first child, Christian John Ackerman, on May 22nd. As such, we were (and still are) busy adjusting our lives and I did not give myself enough time to sit down and write. I appreciate this opportunity to write for you each month and for the many of you that read this column and

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-72516946790236035112010-07-28T21:27:00.001-05:002010-07-28T21:28:31.185-05:00

Tonight’s County Board Meeting was straight forward. Items 1, 9, 10 and 18 were pulled from the consent agenda, but all passed with no objections and very little conversation. Item 1 was pulled to correct it by adding an amendment for clarification. Items 9 and 10 were pulled for public attention of the actions the County Board is taking to work on next year’s budget. Item 18 was pulled as since

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-70198549805397225522010-06-30T22:28:00.002-05:002010-06-30T22:33:08.202-05:00

Tonight’s Tazewell County Board Meeting was mainly straight forward with a little item of interest at the end. As far as the agenda, after three In-Place Committee meetings the Consent was approved minus items 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15. Of these, items 10, 11, 12 and 15 passed with full approval.Item 13 was discussed at this month’s Tazewell County Property Committee Meeting. Member’s Brett Grimm

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-38010743503729712152010-06-10T06:59:00.002-05:002010-06-10T07:02:50.290-05:00

A question was recently placed on your News Column Blog concerning why I choose to use my name rather than a pseudonym when I am making comments. The blogger pointed out that I am the only County Board Member who communicates via blogging to the residents of Tazewell County. First I want to point out that while I am the only County Board Member who use his/her name when blogging, I am not the

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-56646802215984110722010-06-04T07:07:00.001-05:002010-06-04T07:09:36.503-05:00

Baby Update...Okay, here is the big announcement!!! My wonderful wife Maria gave birth to our son, Christian John Ackerman, on May 22nd! He was 7 pounds, 8.6 ounces and 19 and a half inches long. The name Christian is very important to the Ackerman family as this was the name of our original ancestor who immigrated to America from Germany in 1838. Since then, there has always been a Christian

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-87278118013982051032010-06-01T11:09:00.000-05:002010-06-04T07:11:37.826-05:00

The time after each election gives those of us is politics an opportunity to sit back and review the events and upgrades in technology and strategy that have just taken place so we can watch for them in future campaigns. One that sticks out to me this time happened to a close friend of mine; the charge of being a Professional Politician. First, let’s review what the historical role of

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-16245727675423686712010-05-26T21:05:00.003-05:002010-05-26T22:07:03.714-05:00

Great Board Meeting, but then again I am in such a great mood with the birth of my son that it would be hard to bring me down from this high! As far as the Consent Agenda, items 1, 4, 6, 7, 8, 14, 15 & 16 where pulled. Items 6, 7 & 15 where pulled because they where new additions to the agenda and it is procedure to do so. They all passed with no objections. Item 4 was pulled from the agenda.Item

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-38104670758569604842010-05-02T11:05:00.001-05:002010-05-02T11:07:22.383-05:00

Last week, Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Bill Brady called for an end of Personal Use of State Vehicles. He said "The sense of entitlement that the ruling class in Illinois feels has got to end. Every mile forward in a State Vehicle has to be in advance of the people's interest. It’s common sense. Every taxpayer dollar spent must serve the public, not the insiders. That will be the rule on

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-85772906377262080372010-05-01T01:00:00.001-05:002010-05-01T01:00:04.730-05:00

We have all grown up with the comforting knowledge that the United States Navy that we have known is the most elite, best equipped naval force the world has ever known. But today I want to take a look back at the very humbling beginnings of the Navy. By the time we end this story, you will be able to see for maybe first time one of the largest Twist of Fate episodes in the History of the United

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-85270356246373477312010-04-28T21:43:00.002-05:002010-04-28T21:46:08.886-05:00

Tonight’s Tazewell County Board Meeting was very long but very, very important. Two big items took up the majority of the time. During the Public Discussion portion of the Board Meeting, Rev. Mark DuBois of the Judah International Ministries in Mackinaw made a presentation to the full County Board concerning the church purchasing the 50 acres the county currently owns in Mackinaw and is in the

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-7143907163272938952010-04-01T05:00:00.001-05:002010-04-01T05:00:00.806-05:00

For one year now, the Citizens of Tazewell County have had a website available to them with information concerning Tazewell County, the Tazewell County Board, Local Events and Festivals, and lots of other valuable information. When www.JohnCAckerman.com went live to the public on April 1st, 2009, it was the only website for much of this information. While the Tazewell County Board has since taken

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-79636696505654809212010-03-31T20:33:00.004-05:002010-03-31T21:09:07.891-05:00

“Tell me what brand of whiskey that Grant drinks. I would like to send a barrel of it to my other generals.” Abraham LincolnWe all know the quote above and the story that this was Lincoln’s response to individuals wanting to remove General Ulysses S. Grant from his leadership position because of his rumored over-drinking. And while this is a great story, the actual truth is somewhat different.

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-55208917735086469832010-03-31T20:31:00.001-05:002010-03-31T20:33:48.254-05:00

Very good and very important County Board Meeting tonight. On the Consent Agenda, Items 8, 9, 18, 19 and 20 where pulled. I pulled 8 and 9 to bring more public attention to the status of the Copper Road Project. This is a Tazewell County/Deer Creek Township Road Upgrade project that is being paid for with a $300,000 grant from Senator Dan Rutherford’s Office. The Tazewell County Transportation

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-13931159791807130702010-03-05T15:42:00.000-06:002010-03-05T15:43:36.413-06:00

Please note that the location of Gubernatorial Candidate Bill Brady's stop in Peoria has changed to the Pere Marquette Hotel in Downtown Peorio.The Peoria County Republican Party Lincoln Day Dinner is that night and they have arranged to have a seperate room available to the general public to welcome Senator Bill Brady to town for the first time as the Republican Party's Gubernatorial

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-49747199146916905082010-03-05T08:18:00.002-06:002010-03-05T15:44:53.593-06:00

Illinois State Senator and Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Bill Brady will be in Peoria on Monday as part of a Statewide Thank You Fly-Around. This will be a great opportunity to help celebrate a long awaited end to this 2010 Primary Election and help build momentum towards victory in November!They will start in Chicago at Ogilvie Transportation Center this evening, March 5th. On Monday then,

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-19638875999665905332010-02-24T21:42:00.003-06:002010-02-24T21:52:15.563-06:00

Very quick meeting tonight. After a presentation from Ann Fox and a Board Member of the local American Red Cross, the County Board passed a Proclamation recognizing their efforts. As far as the Consent Agenda, items 1, 2, 8, 13 and 20 where pulled.All but item 1 passed with no issues and with full board support. Item 1 also passed with full board support, but has some continuing action and more

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-15025967564091189632010-02-14T14:39:00.002-06:002010-02-14T14:48:49.945-06:00

In the coming months, the Tazewell County Board will be discussing and considering a Tazewell County Vehicle Policy concerning all of the vehicles operated by Tazewell County Staff. I have been pressing for this issue to come forward for the past several months and look forward to a healthy conversation concerning the usage, responsibility for and overall decision making of whom and for what

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-63333890956444120872010-02-13T20:09:00.003-06:002010-02-13T22:07:17.725-06:00

Okay, Maria was having me clean the house today and while re-organizing our massive movie collection, I decided to make this listing of my top 50 movies. This listing is just for fun and please let me know your thoughts.By the way, this list started out to be a listing of only 25. O'well, here we go...1) Blues Brothers: this movie has it all. The music, the action, the stars, the laughs, just

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-90298142537740394062010-02-05T13:30:00.004-06:002010-02-05T13:48:46.780-06:00

Normally I do not post newsletters, but in this case I wanted to show you what the newsletters are all about. If you currently do not get the newsletter, you can sign up for it on the website. I do not share email addresses with anyone else, so privacy is not a concern.Unity BreakfastThe Tazewell County Republican Party will be hosting a Unity Breakfast on February 13th starting at 8:00AM at the

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-43184634598890049332010-02-01T08:00:00.000-06:002010-02-02T13:40:29.341-06:00

As we have closed the door on this past decade, it provided an opportunity to look back and reflect on the changes that have occurred. In doing so, I realized that I have recently closed the door on my first decade of public service to you. Beginning in 1999 with my election to the Washington City Council, continuing into 2000 when I was the Republican Candidate for Tazewell County Recorder of

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-42874407715267810462010-01-27T20:17:00.004-06:002010-01-27T20:42:19.468-06:00

Meeting was very short and to the point tonight. The meeting started with an update from Christal Dagit from the Tazewell County Historic Places Society. She discussed the great work they have done and the fantastic future possibilities. A few months ago I wrote about the tour my wife Maria and I received of their facilities and my strong support of the organization. I encouraged her to come to

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-84276860510934496552010-01-21T08:46:00.003-06:002010-01-21T09:34:08.746-06:00

Great column by Lee Newcom of McLean County, who I do not always agree with but always respect and listen. Leadership picking an individual they think is the best candidate did not work for us last time (Alan Keyes) and will not work for us this time. When will they learn...12 days for IL GOP leaders to wise upPosted using ShareThis

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5836150602159803586.post-45005563749091903232010-01-18T17:32:00.001-06:002010-01-18T17:45:25.501-06:00

Over the past several weeks, many have emailed me or stopped me when they have seen me and asked questions about who I am supporting in this primary election. With such a large amount of request, I thought it may be helpful to post my endorsements for this Primary Election. I have had the honor to meet everyone on the ballot at one time or another and based on these experiences I have come to

John C. Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368875164011591477noreply@blogger.com0