" It's not that people don't care what is going on in Mattoon. Some of us know it doesn't matter what we think or what we know given the current city powers that be. The winds of change will blow soon! Thank God for a free country with elections to boot out officials that do nothing for the people of this city! Except increase their water/sewer rates, raise taxes, cover streets in slag and spend more money fixing their mistakes (including the ones most don't know about!) When is the next election? I can't wait!!!! "

" Some of it is likely the 24 hr notice if that, for meeting agendas.

I am not sure if there was a fire, and someone were sitting on their hands, in a bench above it, would this reporter even notice either if it happened in a bully pulpit session. Finding facts beyond whats on the provided hand out, isn't being an agitator, verifying facts on the said provided information, shouldn't have you flashing back to wedgies and under garments being ran up flag poles.

As a reporter, you should question nearly everything, especially the bigger the likely impact on the taxpayer. Start listing the next weeks agenda by Fri edition, if not on the tail end of each weeks mettings coverage. Except for emergency agenda items, there should be more of a heads up for the next weeks items. Give folks a few days to get a sitter, make arrangements, or decide if they can go. Your shift to hey tomorrow at some time, they will discuss and vote on this, probably has directly contributed to turn outs being what they are. Besides, more folks have to work outside of the Mon- Fri 8am to 4pm flexible come and go as you please schedule.

Actually you should be quite familure with folks sitting on their hands. The depot project bidding, was some serious hand sitting, that should have been questioned. FutureGen is a handsitting project. Its evidently structured like a federal funding research grant proposal, to the tune of 2 billion dollars. I think that might be a bit out of the ordinary, and is begining to sound like one of them OMEGA too good to be true, kind of schemes. How is something this backed, and before the economy hit the tank, they are 1.8B before over runs short on getting it off the ground. Same with a convention center on its third draft of attempting to launch an I57 E tif district, in 7 or 8 years, to turn a corn field into a convention center, but this project is evidently viable only as long as it doesn't have to pay all of its taxes, to this city that just had to annex it to be able to throw taxpayers money in and at it.

Speak now or forever hold you peace, isn't quite accurate. If a lot of this stuff isn't done effectively, or by the letter of the law, Citizens can choose several options to confront it directly at a later point.

Your, I am often the only one carrying the water on the taxpayers behalf in these meetings, has so many holes in it, by the time you got to a fire under someone, if you actually noticed it, your water bucket would be carrying only a few drops. You would actually have to be openly questioning things, and bringing vague standard prepared explanations to being expanded, before you get more than just credited for filling one chair in a full or empty peanut gallery at a meeting.

Get your water bucket holes plugged, or invest in a new ergonomic bucket. Start being an open taxpayer advocate, and not a disinterested bystander to these events. If you notice the headcounts, try to notice how the decisions will directly impact the people you miss being there being engaged in the process. Ideally every decision at these meetings, would be based on whats best for the majority of taxpayers. We all know many have been made to benefit few and affect many, and they were done with you sitting back quietly doodling on your note book, or at least with you there representing the paper. If youaren't part of the solutions at all of the groups you cover and attend their meetings, you are part of the problem. Complacency needs to end, and a little devils advocate on everythng needs to be the norm. Stop taking their provided handouts as fact, verify and question things, and it might mean stepping on some of the bullies toes to do it. Some of your past and present coverage of the same things, doesn't even add up. If you want to do this and see it actually mean more than just being a fixture at these meetings, its up to you, to make it more. You've squandered opportunity for years, will continuation be more of the same, or will you begin to take this a bit more seriously, and take some ownership of this happening on your watch. "

" They don't attend because they'd rather write disrespectful comments on a stupid message board. "

" Hey Herby that is what several of us has been saying in these blogs also. But anyway great letter. It will reach way more than these blogs do.
What happens though when people do show up and voice their opinions is like what happened to Brad Metcalf. He stood to voice his opinion and Elmer"fud" Smith came across the room and started a argument with him. You guys wrote about it exept you had left out the part where Smith had started it. So everyone that read the article thought that Metcalf had started it because it was about Smith that was the topic to start with. So now when Metcalf posts in here everyone thinks he is a trouble maker, so no matter what he writes will be dismissed as so. When you guys write letters you SHOULD ALWAYS state all of the facts. If you would have added 5 more words then "Smith came across the room" everyone would have KNOWN that Metcalf did NOT start the troubles that the police separate. You people are supposed to tell the story, not just the parts that make the city officials look right. It is us normal folk that keeps you in a job. We buy and read more of your papers that the city does.
Its time for you to become a reporter not a dictation service. I am sure you guys read some of these blogs. You should be tired of the constant ridicule of this papers reporting.
"Report
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In writing, a report is a document characterized by information or other content reflective of inquiry or investigation, {which is tailored to the context of a given situation and audience.} The purpose of reports is usually to inform."
Tailored to a audience "US" not whats being reported "THEM". "

" I don't know how these things work in Mattoon. In Charleston, however...being told we are not addressing that issue right now, sit down and wait your turn is bad enough. Then when time is running out and you bring up a question again, you are told to sit down and shut up. If brought up again before closing of the meeting, you are then reprimanded and told we already addressed that. Who would want to be keep being treated so badly by primitive savage beasts?
(This was before Mayor John Inyart, don't know if it's still that way.) "

" Very nicely put Mr. Meeker! I have experianced the same lack of no shows at our public meetings lately.I"m a member of the Coles County Meth Awareness Coalition,and have personally invited public officials,school board members,general public,firedept personell,clergy and have very little if no response to the efforts put forth.So I feel your frustrations. There still is a serious problem in our community and its not just gonna go away.Ive found that unless somebody is directly effected my something around here they have very little interest until they either experience a death,fire,or find out their responsible for the toxic waste left behind in their rental property,or buy a house that once was used to manufacture meth in and they become violently ill.Then there may be a concern.Anyway I will also continue to go to the town meetings with hopes that I may some day be able to make a positive difference in our community ,hopefully sooner than later.Id like to sincerly thank you,and the JG staff for all the great coverage ya"ll have given the Coalitions efforts.THANKS!! "

" I don't know what the public comments policy is for Mattoon and I suspect many others (including residents) don't know either. If you want to present an issue in Oakland a person can contact the clerk and ask to be put on the agenda. If someone shows up at the meeting unannounced (or if the clerk forgot) the mayor chats with them to find out what they are there for and her first item of business is to put them on the agenda. Then there is usually a public comments space on the agenda. For special meetings where advanced notice is given well ahead of time very few other than council members show up. People forget that our form of government is called participatory, and that means that you have to get involved. "

" Maybe we are all working our behinds off there Mr. Meeker! Maybe most of us have to work several jobs in order to pay our CIPS bill, water bill, property taxes, doctor bills, food. You know all those luxuries that we like in our lives. When and if we get some time to stop working....WE SLEEP! "

" ((BECKY WROTE)) "Maybe we are all working our behinds off there Mr. Meeker! Maybe most of us have to work several jobs in order to pay our CIPS bill, water bill, property taxes, doctor bills, food. You know all those luxuries that we like in our lives. When and if we get some time to stop working....WE SLEEP! " ((TO WHICH I ADD, OR WE READ JG-TC.COM AND POST COMMENTS, A LOT. CHEERS.)) "

" BECKY; Im sorry you feel that way! "

" What Becky said. "

" Becky your point is well made AND it is also part of the problem, why participatory democracy has often been relegated to the social elites, those that can afford to participate. AND that creates problems, like no one looking out for YOUR interests. If the current financial mess doesn't make the point clear, I don't know what will. "

" Shumphreys, will free birth contol help the current financial mess? "

" Lurker I haven't suggested FREE birth control as a way out of the financial mess BUT it will help peoples budgets, it will help stop unwanted prenancies, and it will help prevent the spread of STD's, and it will keep the population down and keep parents from having more children than they can afford....so yes it will help us out of the financial mess. "

" If you post more then three paragraphs, you have to much time on your hands.... Mike P.....lol

sorry, no offense. "

" yeah right wrote on Feb 16, 2009 10:31 PM:
" If you post more then three paragraphs, you have to much time on your hands.... Mike P.....lol

sorry, no offense. "

LOL I say the same, yeah right! "

" yeah right, I doubt that Mike P takes your "no offense" comment seriously. Your comments are reasonably brief and I agree that Mike is almost always too wordy. Could that be a reliable indicator that Mile's attention span is much longer than yours? LOL "

" shumprie,Whats that got to do with the price a rice in china? "

" Fascinating that this letter is still here, but the Recycling one is in the archives.
And it still has people posting. "