CANDIDATE QUESTIONNAIRE

PEKIN CITY COUNCIL

10. What, if anything, should the City Council do to promote tourism in Pekin and the region?

Pekin Area Chamber of Commerce: The City Council should continue to use the Hotel/Motel tax money to provide grants and reimbursements to organizations that bring visitors to our commuynity for festivals, events, and tournaments.

Rick Hilst: Did not respond to the questionnaire.

Karen Hohimer: Stop the negativity during council meetings. When I am constantly watching and reading the same complaints from the same people week after week, it is a turn off and I live here. Imagine if you were considering moving here and reading and hearing the constant barrage of complaints, you may change your mind. Address each complaint until it is solved.

John Abel: The Dome is a major draw throughout the year. With a new hotel giving us more visitors, money will stay in Pekin.

Help the dome build a "quad" of diamonds, the land is already there.

David Nutter: The City receives tourism assistance from non local organizations along with Pekin Tourism Committee and Main St. Committee. Funds are also budgeted for media sources to promote Pekin tourism. No additional Council involvement is required at this time.

Matthew T. Tucker (Tyler): (see #9) - The City Council should spend the remaining TIF Funds in the downtown area. In my answer to questions 3 and 4.  The neighborhoods I lived in Chicago always reminded me of Downtown Pekin.  Businesses like boutiques, restaurants, cafés, were on the bottom floors while the upper floors were apartments.  The neighborhoods flourished because of the people who lived in those apartments and the surrounding areas.  I believe if we get a “living community” in the downtown area, the surrounding neighborhoods will begin to flourish.  As the surrounding areas begin to flourish, the property values increase along with rents.  Once property values increase, so does the property taxes without The Council having to raise the rate.

These neighborhoods also held street fairs which brought in hoards of people from the surrounding suburbs and neighborhoods of Chicago.  If we held one street fair a month, we could have them start in conjunction with The Farmer’s Market.  These street fairs had many of the vendors you would find at The Marigold Festival, they had bands playing throughout the day and night.  I have seen the crowds the Car and Bike Shows bring in and I believe the more of these events the more interest will be given to Pekin from people outside of Pekin.

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