" This has been brought up before. Why hasnt it been addressed? said Gullion, who presented complaints to the City Council last month on about two dozen rotting and eyesore properties in town.

For the same reasons it won't be addressed if you're elected. It's just something to talk about to get elected and nothing will happen after you, or anyone else is elected.

Sooo, you presented complaints to the city last month, how about the 30 plus years you worked for the city. "

" will eye sores include some of Hamilton's properties.. "

" Why is it hard to find out the owners of those buildings? Why haven't the been found & told to either fix them up to code or tear them down? It is their responsibility, nobody else's! "

" A copy of the notice of lien shall be mailed by the City Attorney and Treasurer or designee to the owner of the property or to the occupant or to the person or persons in whose name such real estate was last billed for property tax purposes.

(D) The real estate subject to a lien for such an unpaid assessment of such costs and expenses may be sold for nonpayment thereof and the proceeds of the sale applied to pay the charges, after deducting costs.

(E) The City Attorney and Treasurer may institute proceedings in the name of the city in any court having jurisdiction over such matters against any property for which such costs and expenses have remained unpaid 30 days after a statement of such costs and expenses have been mailed to the property owner, to the occupant or to the person or persons in whose name the property was last billed for property tax purposes.

Of course our nusance officer quit and the City Attorney and Treasurer are the same person... Wonder why we have a problem??? "

" Who is going to pay for the clean up of these properties? The law favors the land/home owners. The City is broke. The City has trouble fixing its own sidewalk let a lone fixing or tearing down eyesores. When I look out my front door the eyesore that I see is the City's broken sidewalks. The City should clean up its own property before they can accuse people of not fixing their property. Yes I believe people need to have pride in their properties and keeping them maintained. But how to you expect people to do anything when the City fails in the same manner. "

" Mattoon Resident:
How about the three hundred thousand they paid for one parking lot? How many dangerous buildings and sidwalks could have been handled? How about the 26 thousand they are going to pay NIU to tell them how to cut costs?(The first thing I would do is not spend 26 thousand when we pay two people over 75 grand a year each to do that all ready.) How about the money it took to clean up the oil and slag mess. That money was ear marked for sidewalk replacement but was diverted to damage control. How about all the money spent on that old train station? If the city is broke it is because they would rather spend money on pet projects than worry about public safety and health or property values.
Donald L. Osborne "

" will eye sores include some of Hamilton's properties

Good one. Maybe the old Hut Pit Barbeque with cars that have no license. "

" If people fail to keep up their properties, especially abandoned buildings that are public health hazards, the city should take them over, eminent domain. The city could then sell these properties to someone with the contractual agreement of bringing them up to par within so many months, or tearing them down and rebuilding. "

" The money the city makes in doing this could then be used for updating and fixing sidewalks and other projects the city has fallen behind on.

Why is it sometimes hard to determine the legal owner? Doesn't somebody have to pay taxes every year on every building that exists? If no taxes are being paid on them, why do those buildings exist? "

" Why would the city think that a home owner of a run down property would tear it down and pay $8,000 - $10,000 when the reason the property is in the condition it is,is because they don't have the extra $8,000-$10,000 to fix it up. And the old saying you can't get blood out of a turnip applys here. has any body here ever thought about donating some time to tear down some of these property's for the owners or is that to much to ask. Check out the movie pay it forward some time and maybe you will look at some of these issues differently. We have alot of business leaders who get involved with the kids projects around town and the Habitat for humanity projects, so why would it be so bad to jump in and help a neighbor in need who has lost a job or had a turn of bad luck. It doesn't matter why you help out another person, what matters is that you thought enough about the community to complain about some thing and then thought just maybe you could help a person in need and it made (OUR) city a better place.Think about it... "

" Medic 57
It seems you have a beef with Ray Hamilton. Anything you would like to share as to why? Or do you have an agenda against him for some reason. If you have been by the property you have mentioned you may have noticed that the property's on both sides are needing some work either with the yards or the structure. I have noticed that you seem to have a very negitive attitude about every body here,not just him.Just wondering where your head is. "

" Trashman

Maybe the people who are advocating cleaning up the city, should maybe, oh, I don't know, clean up their own trash pile, that by the way, has been there for a few years. The others on each side should be cleaned up to. The point was, he's running for council and part of his platform is to clean up Mattoon, maybe he should start at home.

Has any body here ever thought about donating some time to tear down some of these property's for the owners or is that to much to ask.

Yes, it is to much to ask. Tearing down a building is not a cheap thing to do. Large equipment and landfill fees alone can run into the thousands. "

" M Garlock have you been by the old hut building that was mentioned? I was by it yesterday and didn't notice anything looking bad there at all. But I did notice the new house next door and the yard that looks terible and that they have trashed the blvd.I don't think the property there looks bad when you can drive by propertys on Dewitt and 6th street that are boarded up.I have seen several buildings that are falling down in town and just was wondering why Medic seems to want to pick on Hamilton alot here. I was just wondering if he had a legitiment reason to be so negitive.Has there been a rift between them or some thing in the past. "

" Looks to me in the article that all hamilton pointed out was that the city has some buildings that need some repairs made on them. And the current commissioners have not addressed that aspect and are just saying what is needed to get re-elected. I think they are all full of it and will say what ever it takes to get elected myself. The incumbents have had plenty of time to do some of these things and are just now talking about it so it must not have been much of a concern before now. I did go up to 12th street and richmond and look at the citys building sat. and if the current council is letting the city street dept. Heat that building they are wasting alot of tax payer dollars. And Hamilton did point that out at the forum. I think this city has more problems than can be fixed... "

" We're not talking here about run-down buildings that families live in and cannot afford to fix-up.

Most of the buildings have nobody living in them and are abandoned and dangerous.

We know some people who live in near mansions, yet rent out rat-holes to people who cannot afford better, and leave other buildings alone just because nobody is forcing them to do anything. They own a lot of properties, and they should be forced to take care of them or get rid of them one way or another. "

" Wait until the legislation passes the new law proposals about properties that have been used for manufacturing methamphetamine.Landlords,abandon building owners,real estate companies,are going to be held responsible for the inspection,clean-up,and discloser to potential renters,buyers ect.When-ever a meth related arrest is made at any residence that has to do with a manufacter charge,conspiracy charge,or possession of any one precursor the property in question will be sealed inspected by the EPA then dealt with.There are alot of unsuspecting people just in this county that are becoming sick after moving into places that have had the drugs made there.Imagine buying your first dream home only to find out that its been used to make meth.Your children start getting sick you get sick your animals get sick.Then on top of that you find your self virtualy homeless with a house payment,dr.bills,a house that has to be completely gutted,including the plumbing.Then the cost to have a licensed watse hauler to dispose of the mess.I post this because of the epidemic that hit this area starting in 1997 and has been an ongoing problem since,with new one step manufactering instructions plastered all over the internet it will continue.So a friendly word of advise to renters home buyers ect for the safety of your family,pets and pocket books investigate the background of the property you find an interest in. "

" if i'm correct in the property you're talking about trashman, the yard on the new house doesn't need work, it needs a YARD. the house was just finished. there's no grass because it was all messed up when they were building it. that eyesore it was next to however really needs some help. "

" PJ its been a while since I been by it, but I think he is talking the way the yard is full of piled dirt. "

" Alright heres a reality check:

Average lot value in Mattoon = $4000.00-$6000.00 dollars.

Average cost to demolish a structure = $8000.00-$10,000 dollars.

A money making proposition for the city indeed. If the city could make money demolishing homes, it would be is my guess. I have been told typically the landfill fees account for 70% of the cost of demolition, so even if the city tore down houses on its own, with its equipment, your still losing money, not to mention wear and tear on equipment, and to my knowledge the city doesn't own a track hoe so you would probably be going through alot of heavy equipment tires...an even bigger loss. Oh yea, and the fact that the street department doesn't have enough manpower as it is, let alone to tear houses down.

Youngs radiator...the City has tried to buy it, but the owner wants 4-5 times the value...last I heard in the neighborhood of 2.7 million, if he would be reasonable, say 600,000, I am sure the city would buy it and clean it up...I know they want to.

The houses next to the Hamilton property...one is brand new...and you can't plant grass in snow, and even then it takes time to grow in...check back this summer.

The other house is occupied by a gentleman that refuses to sell...

Now the interesting thing is the Hamilton property looks pretty good, well as good as it can without being torn down...so I ask myself...where did all the junk go that surrounded it? Well I'll just say its amazing what gets done when someone runs for office.

I heard the City offered Mr. Hamilton a deal, they would give him the right of way between it and the older house to the west if he would tear the old building down...but he wouldnt take it...I don't know why but its a good question if its true for somone who knows him to ask him. I think someone said he would have had to rezone it like the rest of the neighborhood, but he wanted to possibly run a car lot off it...oh yes Mattoon needs another used/junk car lot...huge untapped market.

I just haven't heard from Mr. Gullion what his plans for dealing with these issues are? The "these have been an issue forever why haven't they been addressed" is not a solution, just more griping...I hear he's good at that. "

" Mattoon Rocks....Matt
You seem to have information that only a few people have access to so I have to assume that you work in a position that might have to be looked into. I just got off the phone with Mr. Hamilton and he explained why the city wanted to give up a part of 7th street. The city came to the Hamiltons who own the old Barbeque hut and offered to out of the blue dispose of the building and give them the property you speek of,because the city does not want to repave the city street that is in bad condition. The city has not maintained this section for many years and it would be costly to do this.So they wanted to rezone the proporty and change it to reidential or c1-c2 which would limit any use of the property.Why would any one want to go from c-4 property down to residential or c1-c2 when it will limit the usage? And why is this the only building being talked about here ? Do you also have a grudge to bear here?? The city has several buildings that are in bad repair and need alot of work to make them look decent. The city is suppose to set an example for it's citizens and hasn't been doing the best job here. and By the way you mentioned junk sitting around. define junk in your own mind. Junk can be anything that is old and has no value or should I say have no value to the indivdual who is making the assumption. Several people around the city have (Junk) in their yards in the way of what they consider antiques or crafts.What one person thinks is junk is not always junk in another persons mind. The vehicles that Ray and his brother restore are worth alot of money when finished and if you have ever seen any of the finished projects you would be amazed at what they are worth when finished. I believe you are to young to realize that the old muscle cars are worth more than the vehicle you are driving to work each and every day.So does that mean that your vehicle is junk? No it doesn't but you want to blog about some one who is creating or restoring relics into very nice drivable cars and buildings in a part of town that looked very bad for over 50 years while the railroad was in town and all of a sudden when the city starts building ball diamonds they think that they have the right to tell every body what they should do with their property. Its funny that the buiding in question has not been a problem until the last 6 months. This seems to be a very good place for people to deface others with no worrys about any backlash. But your job is to work for the good of the city not to bash candidates. again I will say don't throw stones when there is a stick in your own eye.We all have to live here when the election is over and we all want to work in the same capacity also. "

" To Medic57:

My 30 years with the city were not as a boss. I worked for the Water Dept and within that time we tore down four houses at Lake Paradise that were on city property. We dug a pit and burned the debris on city property at the lake.
As for the eye sores in the city of Mattoon, I complained for 20 years about a house in my neighborhood that had been condemned for 30 years. Finally the property owner removed the house not the city. We know the owners of most of the property and they have the revenue to remove them. The owners of the houses should be required to carry insurance in case of fire, etc which would require the demolition of the property. If the property is just not being maintained, possibly the city would have lake property where the debris could be burned and buried (THAT IS IF THE CITY HAS ANY LAKE PROPERTY LEFT WHICH THEY HAVEN'T SOLD).
You can go through the city court system with code violations and fines, but the city has to enforce them.
This is the only thing I have left to say, I care about all the city voting tax payers and not just the select few. That is the reason I was not a boss.
George (Butch) Gullion "

" I think someone said he would have had to rezone it like the rest of the neighborhood, but he wanted to possibly run a car lot off it...oh yes Mattoon needs another used/junk car lot...huge untapped market.


Yeah, especially in the 700 block of Richmond avenue. "

" Maybe we could get our illustrious fire dept to go do some demolition on some of these houses in town as they did quite a good job cutting through the roofs of several buildings up on broadway last week. maybe they could do training exercises on them and burn them down to show the city how they can control a burning house fire.They seem to have trouble saving them so we will just start burning them down maybe.Our city inspectors are doing a good job promoting a job they don't want anything to do with here. I like what George(Butch) Gullion has in mind...Lets demolish them and haul the waste out to the lake and fill the ponds with it and set it on fire,the fire dept can come out and cook hot dogs forevery body at the lake and have a good old fashion picnic.That is why we built the pavillion out there isnt it, Mattoon has disregaurded the lake property and doesn't care what happens to it.They only want the money for the property and don't want to do anything to help the people who buy it. So if we burn the old houses out there then we can cover them up with mud that needs dredged out of the lake so it will be deep enough for the city to get their drinking water out of it. GREAT IDEA GEORGE BUTCH GULLION "

" Maybe when our fire fighters retire after 20 years and they are all stressed out they could release their frustrations on these homes that need torn down and since they are getting a retirement check from the city,Getting paid so to speak, They could demolish these homes for the city and save Mattoon some money. We have never understood why the claim they have such high stress levels,They thrive on the excitement of the job and yes they have some adreniline spikes but that is wy they do the job.And if it is so stressful why do they have second jobs when they make a better wage than most of the rest of the city??Maybe we can have Randy Ervin talk them into becoming demo experts for the city upon retirement.Rosa Binum "

" Hey George it would be illegal to burn and bury the debris now, and probably was then also. "

" Poorboy, you're not pulling the wool over anybodys eyes here. I am very familiar with restoring vehicles. Yes, the Hamilton bros do restore vehicles but I have seen the same old beaters sitting out in that yard for years. Apparently there has been some recent cleaning since the last time I was by there (hows that for irony with Ramon running for office), however I am smart enough to know that they had several 'parts' cars sitting there for years. Doing nothing but collecting rust. I just can't believe how hypocritical it is for him to make such derogatory statements about 'eye soar' properties when he is the owner of that dump! "

" I know both Butch and Ray, and I find it laughable that they are running for council in Mattoon. Is this honestly the best our city can do? Both of these gentlemen have seriously checkered pasts. Both of these guys know exactly what I'm talking about and are just hoping that I don't go into details on this public forum. Don't worry, I wouldnt do that.

To the voting citizens of our beloved town...... Please look into these gentlemen before casting your vote. If you advocate these candidates agenda then you will be in for a lot of the same garbage (if not worse) for years to come. "

" Sister try to calm down.If that ole ticker should start to fail.... you are talking about the first responders hmmm. "

" I don't think he had anything bad to say about any propertys or made any derogitory remarks about any (EYE SOAR S)Did he I think he just pointed out that the city had some propertys that needed some work. He has been advocating trying to save wasted tax dollars on heating buildings with major holes in them. This is a place where the city could save valuable tax dollars. I only wish you had what it took to go talk with him with the same attitude you have here. But cowardly people have cowardly ways. So go ahead and do your thing here if it makes you happy then think about running for council your self and see what kind of man you are to stand up and try to better the city with people knifing you at every turn. LOL.I for one respect what Ray Hamilton has said he wants to do for this city and what he would like to accomplish here.If more people had the same intentions we would be alot better off. "

" Poorboy,
You obviously know nothing of Ray Hamilton. If I were asked by either of the fore mentioned candidates I would have ABSOLUTELY no problem with telling them exactly what I thought. "

" LOL... "

" LMAO...HA HA HA HA "

" There are places in Mattoon that were eyesores when my Mom was a child here in the 1950's. What is really sad is that nothing has ever been done about them. As mentioned it has been a talking point among candidates for years, but when push comes to shove more time and energy is spent on excuses than on doing anything.

Some buildings here in town only need a little elbow grease and a few gallons of paint while others need torn down.

IMHO if the owners can not afford or are unwilling to make the repairs needed, even if that means tearing down the building, then the property needs to be sold to someone who can and will.

I wonder how many of the biggest eyesores in town are actually owned by the people living in them, assuming they are occupied to begin with. "

" It is funny how threatened the rest of the candidates are by Ray Hamilton,they have all their friends trying to beat him down here on these blogs and to see that is hillarious. there must be a lot of people pushing for the 4 fire depts. candidates that want to run others down and can't find a better place to do it. If the others were working as hard as Ray Hamilton is to get out a talk to as many people as he has they might have a chance,but they are spending all their time here chatting to the maybe 50 people who play on this playground.So his hard work will pay off in the end.I just wish I was able to walk with him and talk with people and help get his name out to more people.Rest asured I will be on the phone this week doing all I can for him and I have only known him for about 4 weeks.He has made an impression on my family that we won't forget. "

" Poorboy,
You've known Ray for 4 weeks???? LOL!!! now that has me rolling on the ground. You dont know this guy yet you proclaim he is the next coming. What a joke you are. Thank you for confirming my suspicions. You truely have no clue. "

" Mattoon_is_dying:

I hope you are having fun with this as it is a good place for people who are cowards to trash some ones character. If you are seriously interested in telling me exactly what you think or how you feel about me or the election then lets meet for breakfast tommorrow morning at pagliaccis say 7:00am. and we can discuss how you feel.If that doesn't fit your schedule then call me at 246-2132 and we can arrange another time.Again for any one who would like to hear what I have to offer the city of Mattoon you may reach me with any questions or concerns at RayHamilton3@yahoo.com feel free to email me at any time. I assure you I will be available and open to listen to the community. Ray Hamilton "

" Is it Ray or Ramon, guess it depends on which part of town your signs are in. After reading all of these posts, one thing occured to me, you are the only one who called anyone a name (coward). Now that would make a good commissioner. "

" Ray, I guess that a good way to go about getting votes. Calling your voting segment cowards. They call this 'blogging'. Millions of people do it. It's a means of communication just like a phone call, email or face to face conversation. Heck Ray, our president blogs on a regular basis. Yet you see it fit to call me a coward for post my concerns about you and other candidates. How about this? How about you come on here and write to the people disclaiming my fears of you? Instead you call me a coward for voicing my opinion. Interesting approach. Not all people are able to make a 7 am breakfast or a evening town meeting. For some, this is the easy and most convenient (and sometimes only) way to communicate their issues. Sorry if that doesnt meet your approval.

Why dont you tell me how hypocritical it is that you are speaking out against certain eyesores, and buildings that are not up to code in Mattoon, yet you own the the 7th and richmond. Yeah, yeah you restore cars....... Was that boom truck that sat out there for years part of any resto project???? What makes you think you are qualified for this position Ray? Are you educated in local government (Butch, the same question goes to you)? Do you have any local gov't experience? Here is what I see... You know people. You know street dept workers, you know fire fighters, you know police officers. I am so sick and dog gone tired of seeing people in positions of power in this town because they 'know' people, and not because they are 'knowledgeable' on the subject matter. Folks, that is the cause of this towns slow, spiraling dissent down the drain over the last couple of decades. I dont see any end in the future. I challenge the voters to force a change!!! "

" Mr. Hamilton,
As councilman would you support a city wide gambling night? (might win some votes).

I think Mr. Hamilton's blog post personifies how poor of a councilman he will be. If you do not agree with his ideas or challenge him he will fly off the handle and resort to childish name calling. What a great representation of our city he would be! "

" Sister Rose: Sounds like you are an agry uninformed person. You have NO idea what you are talking about. I bet the fire department would love to train in those houses and burn them. But unfortunaltley the EPA frowns on this. Asbestos and other toxins in these old building would poison the air that you breathe and tearing them down and filling the ponds?? Are you crazy? There is so many chemicals in this stuff you would be creating a bigger problem than the old buildings. You obviously have no clue of what you are talking about. And you obviously have no clue of fighting any kind of fires. The holes they just cut all over those roofs are to vent. Not venting can be disasterous. I really wish all you people who criticize these people who put their life on the line to save you and your property would be able to do their jobs just one time. You have no idea what you are talking about. It really makes you look stupid Sister Rose. "

" The biggest reason the building at 2215 Western is still standing is Mr. House has better attorneys than the City hires. LMAO

He is far too smart for our City Councils, past and present. When the time is right, just before a court date, he spends a few bucks on repairs, not complete repairs but enough to get by. As soon as the Judge hands down his ruling the work stops.

This very complicated plan has confused the City's attorneys for years. Until we elect some councilmen with brains and they hire a real attorney these problems (the vacant buildings) will continue. "

" Slap, you will not get an argument from about how important the fire fighters of our community are. I have friend who are fire fighters and have immense respect for them. I will say this. Do not over complicate the position of fire fighter in Mattoon. 97%-98% of the calls are non-fire (ambulatory calls). They keep very busy but it is not as demanding as a metropolitan FD position (constant fire calls). If you are a fire fighter then yes, with the proper training (that all fire fighters receive), I could easily do your job. Regardless, thank you for your service to our community. You are appreciated by the greater majority. "

" Hey Ray are you buyin?? lol,Anyway seriously its quite obvious that you have spent a lot of time and $ in your campaign efforts just looking at your custom made signs,wich is good.Since free enterprise is one of Mattoons biggest sources of income and you know how things work around here I think you stand a good chance of winning,BUT I have seen possible other local elections lost by people trying to defend theirselves on these ripp ya apart spit ya out blog sites.If you really are sincere about winning you stand a better chance campaign the way you have been instead of here.That meet me at the pizza place comes off to me as a somewhat meet me after school challenge and by knowing you and knowing how you defended yourself and others by scool bullies you should know after most of the cowards where confronted most ran,others got whupped.Dont let this hick town blog page ruin all your hard earned efforts.(: "

" Who is looking for the Arsonist. I understand that more than one house has been burned during the last year by vandels. "

" Perhaps if the Police can do it, maybe the Firefighters ought to consider a "Citizens' Academy"? "

" Strange how the people who have known Ray and Butch the longest are the ones that don't want them in office. "

" So far, 5 candidates seem likely to be more of the same, or worse. There may be more, in this field of 10, but 5 stand out right now. Some want to expand further what has been mishandled in the last term.

Many have ideas and schemes to spend even more tax dollars. Not one of them has discussed being more responsible with them, or how to generate more, lower sales taxes, and still pay the bills, without looking to the taxpayers to cover now yearly gaps.

Either this council is effective and on the right track, or they aren't. If they are, there are obvious choices to continue and possibly expand those directions. If they aren't, picking at least 3 to try to fix their legacy is going to be hard in this field. I am not yet sure there are 3 of a different mind set, not tied to benevolent benefactors yet again.

I wonder if for a little extra, the NIU think tank, will give some fiscal responsibility, true economic growth, fundamentals in a class or seminar, when they present their findings. Not sure why this council chose NIU specificly, but I am sure it will become more clear. Perhaps the study can also evaluate the ambulance proposal.

Until folks are there, and not constantly spending money they know they don't have, cost evaluations and staffing levels, are rather moot points. If it becomes part of a plan, to be more responsible top to bottom, every dime stretched as far as it can go, boom or bust, it will be well worth the cost.

If it is just a 25k justification for making a decision they have simply avioded, because it is so questionable, it will be another pile of money thrown at solving nothing, and creating more expense for taxpayers. If they cut too deep, everyones insurance rates are likely to be impacted. They are based partly on the local emergency services rating. Not to mention public safety, and likely development will also face some new obstacles.

Instead of finding ways to enhance their current responsibilities, they have undermined, cut, and teatherd them. Leaf collection, could have been a community service job. Simple inexpensive masks, can solve the breathing issues. They should have been required, and not waited for breating problems to develop. They sold off expensive assets, bought with tax dollars, and want you to now buy bags or take care of it yourself.

Three departments, water, public works, and parks, could be combined. Many positions could serve all 3. Budgets could stay seperate, but resources could be combined, including managing them. Just doing that, would reduce the number of trucks, mowers and other equipment needing regularly replaced. Each could simply have city of Mattoon, and not need 3 different logos, parked running around town. Turn 3 non effectively performing departments, into 1 diversified cooperating unit.

Things seem as bad or worse, since they went to the hired administrator. If any of the issues that led to creating the position were solved, I missed it, and evidently others were created or allowed to become more prevalent. It may be time to soon revisit that decision. "

" Justwatchin,

hick town blog page???? Thats nice! It is this "hick town" that Mr. Hamilton is running for office in. "

" Mattoon: I am not a firefighter I am in the medical community. I do come from a fire and law enforcement family. 3 generations. And I agree that the firefighters do not fight huge fires every day. Thank goodness. But they do train for it. And I am grateful for that. I just really get tired of hearing people complain about the people in fire and law and how they do their jobs. Everyone is a critic until their house is on fire or they have to be extricated from a smashed vehicle. Or someone is assaulting them. Then who is their hero? And they are pretty happy that the person helping them are well trained in what they are doing. So when people make stupid comments without the knowledge or experience to back their ridiculous comments up it gets my blood boiling. I have had a relative shot and one burned, seeing the skin peeling off his face. So try people, to appreciate what the fire department does to help you. They may not save every house. But when they get there and the building is fully involved because someone didn't watch the garbage they decided to burn or didn't pay attention to the wind that was blowing when they decided to burn the leaves and dead grass, don't expect them to save your building. Alot of the time it is human error that started the fire in the first place. Talk trash about lazy people that don't care about their jobs and do a lousy job all you want I don't care but when you talk trash about the ones that are there to help you I have a problem. Especially when those comments are ridiculous. "

" I don't know Mr Hamilton or Mr Gullion, but they can't be any worse than the free spending Hall and Ervin.

But I would respectfully suggest that Hamilton refrain from posting on these threads. Calling names and arguing with people doesn't seem to be a way winning people over.

To this day, I believe it hurt one of the candidates running for states attorney.

The city attorney seems to have been muzzled from that unwise practice too.

For those who seem so intent on putting Hamilton and Gullion down, I would ask could they possibly be worse than what we have now?

Lastly, anyone else notice that as we get closer to election day, Hall and Ervin are talking more and more like fiscal conservatives?. LOL! "

" mattoon dying: my point exactly,why should Ray waste his time on blog pages with faceless people that A.either have a grudge against him because they got beat down for being a bully in school.or B.lost their crap to his pawn shop because they couldnt pay their pawn ticket,after given repeated chances or C.just plain jealous because they can't get their own legitimate hussle going on.Don't hate the player hate the game. "

" LOL! http://alturl.com/nnjr "

" I was just stopping by to see what the general opinion was for the city candidates. If you want someone on the city council that sits and complains about everything and does nothing, vote for Gullion. "

" Harry Potter,

It will just be more of the same garbage with these two. I suppose we will be forced to choose our poison come election day. I wish I could contribute to this city in this capacity however I know my limitations. I know that my expertise is NOT in local gov't there for I will not stick my nose into something I know little about. I know these gentlemen and I can honestly say that their knowledge of local gov't is poor. I just wish they would make the realizations that I have. "

" I don't know Mr Hamilton or Mr Gullion, but they can't be any worse than the free spending Hall and Ervin.


That's what some said about Dave Carter.

That meet me at the pizza place comes off to me as a somewhat meet me after school challenge and by knowing you and knowing how you defended yourself and others by scool bullies you should know after most of the cowards where confronted most ran,others got whupped.Dont let this hick town blog page ruin all your hard earned efforts

I really wish that some people would learn how to punctuate. "

" Medic 57
I can't believe you are over here on this thread when your beloved fire dept is taking all the heat on the other threads. You firemen are all over this computor all day spinning your little webs and you havn't fooled anybody here. You bash one person then another to try and keep the heat off of your selves,We all know about your fancy little computor room and your plush chairs and your flat screen tv's and your fancy weight lifting gym that you have.It is just funny that so many of you have the time to be here doing this when you are doing so much for the community.My retired friend has told us all about how you firemen think you are the citys heros all the time and it is funny that you guys really believe that crock. If you really want an extra job with the city why not start out as a janitor for public works and the police dept. and the sewer dept. and the Burgess building and help out the park dept. some this could all be done during the day and you would still get to drive your pretty red trck accross town and be seen by the citizens in town.And be productive. Oh I forgot you guys are to proud to do that kind of work to help the city out of the bind it is in. Ok well then if you are to proud then I guess we will have to lay 6 of you off and see if that is enough. Rosa Binum "

" Sister Rose

Can I assume that you assume that I work for the Fire Department? Most of my life has been in retail except for the 11 glorius years I worked at Donnelleys. I did sit in a Fire Truck once, I think I was 4. Can I assume (nasty little word) that you are putting 2 and 2 together and getting 3 because of my moniker? "

" Poorboy

I don't understand how I bashed Mr. Hamilton, I am just stating the obvious...the "junk" or "classic cars" what have you are gone just in time for election. I also want to agree that you have a point...the City has a few buildings that are, from what I understand not in great shape.

How do you know what I drive, or my age...truth be told I remember those gas guzzling "muscle cars" I remember us walking alot because we couldn't afford gas during the embargo as well. Yes, I have fond memories of these detroit "classics". Dad bought a foriegn car and never looked back. I am not sure who you are referring to but whoever they are they must have a sore eye from that stick?

Anyhow I think being an well informed citizen of Mattoon, that happens to vote isn't a crime. I simply live here, and observe things, I get alot of information off of these blogs, and the paper, attend meetings ect... and then if I have time, or run into somone I feel is "in the know" I ask pertinant questions. Sounds like you have more information than I do.

I have to admit, I do like to stir the pot on hot topics, its just my sick nature...

The troubling thing about your post is it seems to infer that if certain individuals get elected and offended during their tenure, they may exact vengance, or grind an axe with the phrase " We all have to live here when the election is over and we all want to work in the same capacity also"

Surely your not implying that anyone running would take anything personal...it politics. I also gather from that phrase you work for the municipality possibly? Your quite an enigma sir/ madam, an enigma indeed....as if this blog is going to sway anyone's votes anyway. "

" Mattoon rocks ::
You have been found out and this time. and it wasn't that you thought you were using one name and were really logged in to another,like last time. The fire dept didn't fall for that one and neither did any body else. This time I believe people will know who you are here and then they will be able to see exactly who has been stirring the pot. I really thought you had disappeared knowing that you had been figured out. Should be interesting to see you soon. "

" As for property "eye sores"...what about some of the property in the old Grant Park area. I know of property that had pictures published in the paper about it & then after it was sold & demolished--rather partially demolished & left for almost two years, there have been no complaints or current photos published about the new owners. Go figure... "

" Sister Rose:
I am not a firefighter but I think you are full of it. You keep making ridiculous remarks about the fire department and every time you post you just show more and more how you have no clue. Id like to know what you do for a living. (If anything) I know whatever it is I wouldn't want to work around you. You make uninformed comments about things you have absolutely no idea of. And what is wrong with the F.D. having a TV? Or anything else? What would you have them do, sit in the trucks all day and wait for a call? Their fancy little computer room? Yes, by law they have to do fire reports with the State Fire Marshall who no longer accepts those reports by anything other than computer. And that is just one of the things they have to do. Like I said before, you haven't a clue. There is a lot more to firefighting than sitting around waiting for a fire. They have to have a certain amount of training hours in. There are so many rules and regulations now that they spend a lot of their time just trying to be compliant with all the rules and regulations. Continuing education etc. etc. Maybe you should educate yourself about some of the things you are trying to complain about, you just keep digging yourself a deeper hole. I don't know what experience you have had to make you so bitter towards Firefighters but you are definately angry. They are humans also, try to remember that. Why should their place of work be uncomfortable? There are a lot of nice places to work. With exercise rooms, computer rooms and some with much more than that. They may be comfortable when they are at the station. But its not very comfortable when they train in extreme conditions and when they work in those conditions. And they do have to be physically fit to do their jobs so I don't care if they work out if they have some spare time why should you? "

" Sister rose, "medic" & "medic57" are 2 different posters - if this needs to be stated.
:-) "

" I am outraged by the blogs that are on here. To think that I call some of you friends. It upsets me that you have the nerve to say that paramedics who work for private ambulance services dont give the same care as paramedics who work for the fire department. I have had the same training as several of you and even went through the same class. What do you base your opinion on? I feel bad that your department has to go through budget cuts, but to make comments about the care that I give my patients in order to keep your job is WRONG. If I remember right Mattoon Fire had an ambulance in the 1990's. What happen to that ambulance that the City of Mattoon purchased? You make comments about other ambulance services leaving town, what is gonna keep the fire department from selling their ambulances again? So is Mattoon Fire going to run calls out in the county. Are they going to transfer patients from Sarah Bush to other facilities. How many ambulances are they going to staff and at what level. What about the training how much will that be, for the paramedic class, and over-time associated with the class (class time, ride time and clinical hours). If there is no money to retain firefighters now, then where is the money going to come from to pay these expenses. Maybe Charleston Fire Department is going to pay for it, sense they are they ones giving you all these figures. Who are the seven paramedics that are on the department now. I can only count six, and I recently heard one of those were going to another department. Why the long wait in starting a service, if it had been on the table for two years. Dunn's Ambulance will have only been in Mattoon for a year in May. I have also heard that Charleston Fire is interested in a county wide fire department; if this is the case then will Mattoon Fire still have a Chief and Assistant Chief and if so why, when these two positions could be eliminated. So before you start using Charleston Fire figures, maybe you should ask what they are hoping to gain in all of this. One more thing, I don't do my job for the money. I do it because I love what I do. I give the same care to every patient no matter what the emergency is, I don't base patients lives on the amount of money that I make and I'm sorry to the citizens in Mattoon and surrounding communities that you would have to make a comment like that to justify keeping your job. "

" Does anybody realize that the City is facing a $660,000 deficit that is going to be $1,800,000 next year ? This is due to the fact that the Fire Dept. has a minimum manning clause in their contract that is sinking the city. Mattoon has 36 firemen Charleston has 27 and they cover EIU also "

" Despite all the claims to the contrary, it appears the the MFD is bloated. No wonder so many of them are so desperately posting on here. Looks like it all about job security.

Thanks for the numbers, Primo. That says it all in a nutshell, especially since Charleston is now bigger than Mattoon, population wise. And I would add, the Charleston Fire Department does all the ambulance work. Obviously, something is wrong in Mattoon.

I wonder how the other departments compare, such as police and public works? Does anyone know?

Interestingly enough, the Charleston school board does a better job with their money than the Mattoon board does as far as total staffing numbers. For some odd reason, Charleston gets by with having to have all those assistant superintendents and a full time curriculum coordinator, that Mattoon has to have.

The one exception to this is the fact that the Charleston library seems to be so overstaffed that they have people standing around talking to each other all the time. The Mattoon library, will no doubt go on a hiring binge if they get their expansion ideas crammed down the voters throats.

Must be something in the water in Mattoon that requires excessive staffing for any public entity. "