Joe McMenamin for Ward 7Retired 12 year alderman on Springfield City Council 2011-2023
Tim Landis
The State Journal Register
A group of residents and business owners along MacArthur Boulevard said Thursday they are concerned plans for a Hy-Vee supermarket have yet to be approved by the city nearly a year after the project was announced. City officials said the project remains on track, but negotiating a major development agreement, including financial incentives, takes time.
Deana Stroisch
The State Journal-Register
Springfield voters could get a chance to weigh in on the debate over whether future employees hired by the city should live within the city limits.
Ward 7 Ald. Joe McMenamin, who made employee residency a campaign issue, has suggested putting the matter before voters in November.
He called it an important issue with “significant economic and local impact.”
Partick Yeagle
Illinois Times
July 12, 2012
Springfield could raise money for infrastructure improvements from video gambling if the city council approves a measure introduced last week. Springfield mayor Michael Houston introduced a proposal to allow video gambling in Springfield, incorporating a 2009 state law that legalizes video gambling terminals in bars, hotels, banquet halls and other facilities. The state law and Springfield’s proposed ordinance are meant to regulate and tax the common practice of operating the machines semi-legally and paying out winnings under the table.
William McCarty, director of Budget and Management for the City of Springfield, says the proposal could help fund needed improvements to roads and other infrastructure. He said Houston has opted to “put off any type of bonding program for infrastructure so we can ascertain how much revenue this could raise.” That number is anybody’s guess, McCarty said.
The proposed ordinance would require operators, establishments and suppliers to register with the city and pay a $500 yearly fee. Each machine operated would incur an additional $250 yearly fee. That’s on top of fees paid to state regulators, which range from $5,000 to $50 per year. Manufacturers and distributors must pay the state up to $10,000 per year.
The proposal would give the mayor power of approval, and applicants would have to meet the same criteria as required for a liquor license.
While several aldermen have expressed support for lifting the ban for video gambling, Ward 7 Alderman Joe McMenamin says he’s uncomfortable with the mayor’s office having the exclusive power of approval for video gambling licenses. He says the full city council should vote on license approval. “I think in a democracy, it’s wise to have checks and balances,” he says. “That [the original proposal] strikes me as giving the mayor too much discretion.”
Asked why the city council wouldn’t vote on video gambling licenses as it does with liquor licenses, Mark Cullen, the city’s head attorney, said the difference lies in the number of licenses available. “The reason the council votes on liquor licenses is the limited number of licenses,” Cullen said. “The council has to vote to increase the number of liquor licenses. In this case, we weren’t considering putting a cap on the number of video gaming licenses.”
Without a cap on licenses, McMenamin predicts a proliferation of small gambling shops in Springfield, similar to payday loan shops. McMenamin says he also disagrees with the original proposal’s wording, which he says “pre-approves all futureforms of gambling which the Illinois General Assembly might authorize in the future.” He says he has asked Cullen to draft an amendment specifying that the ordinance only approves the 2009 video gambling law.
“I’m in favor of regulated video gambling, but I don’t want to open the door any wider than that,” McMenamin says. “Gambling can be a wretched vice, and it can destroy marriages. It can destroy families. It can create lots of problems. I think we have to be careful about a proliferation of gambling.”
At least seven establishments in Springfield have applied for state licenses to operate video gambling machines, including three bars, two veterans organizations, and two gas stations owned by the same company.
McCarty says Houston’s administration expects plenty of local establishments to apply for video gambling machines, but it’s impossible to know how many. “There’s been a pretty good amount of interest,” he says. “Until people start signing up, we just can’t say. Quite honestly, we’re all pretty convinced there is a lot of interest out there and a lot of people are just sitting back, waiting to see what happens.”
Read the full article at illinoistimes.com
In the past decade, Capitol Avenue has undergone a major transformation that officials say will enable it to link the Statehouse, downtown and the near-east-side with a decorative brick surface street. However, Alds. Sam Cahnman and Joe McMenamin say the city could still achieve that effect while having parking in certain spots, such as around Lincoln Library. McMenamin, of Ward 7, and Cahnman, of Ward 5, said parking would benefit businesses, churches and people who want to drop off library books while not taking much away from the overall look of the street.
“Hopefully we can fulfill practical needs like limited parking, while also beautifying the impressive Capital Avenue link between the Statehouse and downtown historical sites,” McMenamin said. “I think our seniors and those with health issues would appreciate 30-minute street parking close to the libraries, churches and other destinations.”
James Krohe Jr.
Illinois Times
June 28, 2012
A few days ago the Springfield city council voted 8-2 to replace Griffin Woods, the 20-acre patch of forest at Bruns Lane and Washington, with a parking lot with a building on it. The building will house yet another Schnucks supermarket. Neighbors, presumably, are delighted at the prospect of being fully serviced with convenience, freshness and quality.
The decision to rezone is notable less for its substance that for what it revealed about land use regulation in 21st century Springfield, which is, basically, that it is still done according to mid-20th century methods and assumptions. Ward 7 Ald. Joe McMenamin, for example, said he wished Schnucks had held a neighborhood meeting beforehand to address the concerns of people who live nearby. Such meetings are part of the planning process in virtually every well-administered city. Why isn’t a neighborhood informational meeting – not a hearing in city hall, mind you, but a proper after-supper-but-before-the-kids-go-to-bed meeting in the neighborhood – required for every major rezoning in Springfield? McMenamin also said he was worried about increased traffic in the area. That’s an appropriate concern; was a traffic study done? Why not?
JASON NEVEL
Ward 8 Ald. Kris Theilen said he understands people’s attachment to the woods, but they were never set aside to be a nature preserve. The action was only one of several steps still needed for the project to move forward, but the action indicated aldermen probably won’t stand in the way.
The Springfield Park District still has an option to purchase the property because Griffin Woods once was identified as a possible location for a city park. However, developers have said the park district is likely to waive its purchase rights in order to keep the Schnucks project moving forward. A new Schnucks is also planned for Dirksen Parkway and Singer Avenue.
Poll
Would you like to see at least some of the so-called “Griffin Woods” at Bruns Lane and Washington Street preserved in Schnucks plans to build a grocery store there?
JASON NEVEL
Once that happens, Williams said the police department would send the landlord a notification that the property is considered a nuisance. If the problem is not resolved, the city could take the owner of the property to court.
Ward 7 Alderman Joe McMenamin said the proposed changes Tuesday are directed at landlords who don’t take responsibility for their properties and their tenants. “This increases the number of triggers that are violations, so that’s a major change,” McMenamin said. “I think it will give good landlords a faster route to get rid of bad tenants.”
MOLLY BECK
A recent vote by the Springfield School Board would eliminate her position, and those of six other literacy teachers in the district. To reduce a $9 million budget deficit, School Superintendent Walter Milton proposed reducing the district’s literacy model by seven positions.
100 students a day
McMenamin is a literacy teacher for children at Butler Elementary School, 1701 S. MacArthur Blvd., who may be struggling with reading or are reading at a higher level than most students their age. She and literacy coach Sandy DeNotto see a steady stream of first- through fifth-graders in a classroom the two share. McMenamin estimates they both see more than 100 students per day. Their job is to help classroom teachers handle multiple levels of reading abilities within their classrooms. With some class sizes at Butler reaching 27 to 30 students, it’s welcome assistance and a chance for students to get some extra attention in small groups.
“Our classroom teachers provide the first tier of instruction, but many children need a second and sometimes a third dose of small-group instruction to make progress. Children thrive in a small group setting,” McMenamin said. She and DeNotto are busy throughout the day attempting to meet students’ needs with personalized lessons for each group they see, in order to improve the school’s reading scores on standardized tests. DeNotto also trains teachers, develops materials for students and monitors student improvement.
But the board’s vote in April would leave DeNotto on her own next school year. Three literacy teachers will be reassigned as classroom teachers, one position will not be filled, and three other positions — McMenamin’s included — will be eliminated through attrition. Though she’s retiring, McMenamin appealed to the school board to reconsider.
“In elementary school, we don’t have sports teams to rally support from the community. But we do get to appear every year in the news when they post (test scores),” McMenamin told the board at a recent meeting. “If we care about test scores, if we care about children, we cannot make this cut to our elementary literacy program.”
Less state aid
Seven elementary schools will have one fewer literacy teacher next year, saving the district about $400,000. That’s a needed savings in the journey to balance the budget — a goal that may not be reached until at least 2015. To address students’ needs, and because the district is required by law to devote resources to improving their word skills, 22 literacy positions will be retained. In most of the affected schools, the literacy coach who works with teachers as well as students will take on more work with students.
The Springfield School District receives federal literacy funding for Title I schools, or schools who have a significant percentage of low-income students. But In 2010, Gov. Pat Quinn canceled $68.5 million once allocated for reading-improvement grants for school districts. The Springfield School District received $567,916 the last year it received the grant, which funded six reading positions, professional development and materials.
“The district picked up (funding) the literacy teachers that that grant had funded,” Mary Jo Bangert, the district’s literacy and social science coordinator, said. “These are the schools that we helped with. Yes, it’ll be a loss for the school and it’ll be a loss to students in those buildings, and to teachers because the (literacy) coach will not be able to provide on-site professional development.”
Where to cut?
Cindy Baugher, principal at Dubois Elementary School, 120 S. Lincoln Ave., said her school will lose one literacy teacher, but her hope is that there will be fewer students in need of extra help because of how effective the literacy program has been. That success is why McMenamin asked the board to reconsider. Currently, only three of the district’s three dozen elementary schools are meeting required standards, or Adequate Yearly Progress. Two of those schools, Hazel Dell, 840 West Lake Shore Drive, and Owen Marsh, 1100 Avon Drive, will lose one literacy teacher next year. “All reading lessons are prepared by me,” McMenamin said. “A lot of classroom teachers don’t have the time. (Reading specialists) have the time and the expertise to target what these kids need.”
The school board could reconsider, vice president Bill Looby said. At the May 7 meeting, member Judith Johnson said she would be interested in finding the savings elsewhere. “I really care a lot about the reading programs, and I am concerned about these cuts,” board president Susan White said. “I’ve heard from a majority of principals about how much of a negative impact that will be on their students, and that bothers me a lot.”
Elementary schools losing one literacy teacher position:
Wilcox
Butler
Owen Marsh
Sandburg
Lindsay
Dubois
Hazel Dell
Estimated savings: $400,000
Joe McMenamin for Ward 7 