January 22nd, 2008
Rockford can’t afford a repeat of last weekend’s barroom brawl at the COLICM. Efforts underway to rehab the aging retail strip from Fairview to Alpine, a priority of Ald. Frank Beach, R-10th, simply can’t withstand such mayhem. Investors, especially in this financially risky environment, won’t be willing to put money into a retail and entertainment area that people don’t consider safe.
Mayor Larry Morrissey has acted swiftly to send a message to the tavern’s new owners, and shut down the sale of liquor at the COLICM until the owners properly transfer the license from the old owners to themselves. The new owners had better concentrate on improving their behavior standards. The mayor, who is the liquor commissioner, an Ald. Beach, must keep a sharp eye on this establishment..
January 22nd, 2008
Congressman Don Manzullo, R-Egan, will not immediately endorse another presidential candidate now that Fred Thompson has officially quit the race.
Manzullo was an early-on supporter of the former Tennessee senator and Hollywood actor, but Thompson never captured the imagination of enough voters to catch-on. He certainly didn’t act like an enthused candidate. Thompson without a script to read turned out to be a very boring guy.
Manzullo, first elected in 1992 and a candidate for re-election, will be neutral on the presidential race for the time being, said Rich Carter, his spokesman.
“He’s going to take some time to evaluate the economic policies and records of the remaining candidates,” Carter said Tuesday afternoon.
So, who’s remaining? Mike Huckabee, John McCain, Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney. Thompson’s withdrawal could help Mitt, and it could also help Huck. I’m not sure Giuliani is really in the race, certainly he will be out of it if he doesn’t win Florida, the only place he’s been campaigning.
Right now it’s basically McCain, Romney, Huckabee race in the GOP.
Yes, I know Ron Paul, the white collar anarchist, is also a Republican candidate. While he has no chance of winning the nomination, he will eventually affect the outcome because at some point his supporters will migrate to other candidates.
January 22nd, 2008
Kudos once again to the city of Rockford’s public works department, newly revamped by Tim Hanson, for plowing Monday night’s snow effectively.
It figures that Hanson would know what to do when the snow falls, for he used to be the UPS site manager at RFD. Those two dozen big jets that arrive and depart each night must have clear runways — there’s no room for slush.
There, I’ve said something nice about City Hall.
