I was deeply involved in covering the 2005 city council/mayoral elections. At the time, I strongly opposed Dave Ransburg, and I did back Jim Ardis. I liked his strong anti-crime message.

I was critical of the Journal Star for accusing Mayor Ardis of being mean to black people because he held press conferences in poor neighborhoods where police were making a ton of arrests.

But it’s time for the 2013 elections — eight years later. We have Republican State’s Attorney candidate Frank Ierulli running ads stating Peoria has a murder problem, and linking this to white flight. Ierulli is absolutely right. Almost everyone who can leave Peoria is doing so — to suburban white havens Dunlap, Bartonville, Washington and Morton.

Granted, Ardis didn’t go out and cause the crime problem. But he’s going along with cuts to the current police force, something I would have thought impossible from the man who gave us the anti-crime message in 2005. I blame the economy for most of this, but it doesn’t explain Ardis’s love for the Riverfront Museum project and the addition to the Peoria Civic Center. I am baffled as to why Ardis supports these projects.

I have no doubt that conditions in Peoria would today be worse had Ransburg won. We have no idea what horrible contractor welfare projects never made it to the council with Ardis as mayor that would have been quietly approved otherwise. But still…

Ardis has done a LOT of good behind the scenes, though.

What the Hell is wrong with the educators at Glen Oak Community School?

I have a friend who sends her young daughter to Glen Oak Community School.

This girl has been bullied before and after classes by other children in her homeroom this year. The friend’s daughter has been crying before and after school. Once, she was HIT by one of the other children, and it was video taped. What was done? Well, certainly not any punishment of the offenders. The punching incident went unpunished.

This sweet little girl walked out of homeroom to AVOID a fight and ended up getting suspended. This happened three times. How is a teacher so CLUELESS that this isn’t noticed?

They moved my friend’s daughter into a different home room.

My friend is a single mother. She cannot afford to pull her child out of this school of last resort and send her to a safer school.

Chick-fil-A is now safe for humane consumption

You know how all rational humanists who oppose discrimination against 10 percent of the population were supposed to boycott Chick-fil-A. Well, we don’t have to that anymore. The boss of that corporation decided to stop giving money to an organization that advocated all sorts of bias against homosexuals.

We won.