Comments on: Keepin’ it Kleen: Crime smothers economic recovery

By: Paul Gorski

Paul Gorski — Mon, 21 May 2012 17:00:30 +0000

Parking is the reason many people don’t eat downtown, and population growth is to the east, no mystery there. And we don’t have any “expensive” restaurants in Rockford, not compared to other communities.

Store fronts are vacant, occupancy is down even on E. State Street. My point is that we don’t have the same tax base as the other communities you referenced. That’s a fact. We simply don’t do enough to bring better paying jobs to the area. We need to focus on crime and education, then companies with better paying jobs might be willing to relocate here. Unfortunately, we need to create the jobs here, and can’t rely on residents traveling to good paying jobs, unlike the other communities you referenced.

By: Makleen

Makleen — Sat, 19 May 2012 02:09:58 +0000

If your point is that Rockford is just too poor to have a thriving economy (along with a thriving downtown), I don’t buy it. On the far east side of the city, where I live, I see plenty of people at stores and restaurants both expensive and inexpensive. The Stone Eagle is almost always crowded. Now, why don’t all those people go downtown and mob great places like Octane, Chocolat By Daniel, or the Irish Rose? It isn’t because they can’t afford to go there, and it isn’t because those places lack good food.

By: Paul Gorski

Paul Gorski — Fri, 18 May 2012 19:05:41 +0000

No, Rockford and Aurora aren’t that close. If you check the details, the median incomes for males and females are higher in Aurora, which means more people are working in each household in Rockford to achieve the same household median incomes. Rockford’s numbers of people living in poverty are higher. Aurora has a high number of new people in the region, the city is more widespread, and nearly three times as many people commute to their jobs outside their county than Rockford residents. So the earn, live and work differently. The biggest difference is Aurora’s median home price of almost $171,000, compared to Rockford’s $93,000. Since property taxes are the major source for police funding, Aurora simply has a larger tax base to pay for more police and fire services.

By: Makleen

Makleen — Wed, 16 May 2012 18:52:28 +0000

I didn’t look at the most recent census numbers when I included Aurora in that list, but the point is still valid. According to the data, Rockford has a median household income of $55,667, vs. Aurora’s $54,861, although the per capita income in Aurora is higher, so I would say the two cities are comparable. The real difference is that crime in Aurora is at 30 year lows.

By: Paul Gorski

Paul Gorski — Wed, 16 May 2012 18:02:43 +0000

I’m not sure what the tone of the public works employee’s response regarding “to rent a light from ComEd” was, but yes, local residents can choose to create a local lighting district and essentially rent lights for their neighborhoods. That said, the city of Rockford’s decision to turn off all those lamps was short-sighted and will only complicate the crime issue.

Also, Aurora is substantially larger than Rockford, and Naperville a tad smaller. Both of which have a higher median income range than Rockford as they are largely commuter cities, residents taking advantage of the Metra train line to work in Chicago, and the better paying jobs in Chicago. Higher household earnings lead to more disposable incomes which can keep local business districts alive.

However your key thought that “crime and the economy are intimately connected” is accurate, please keep reminding folks of this.

By: Joe Zingher

Joe Zingher — Wed, 16 May 2012 07:27:18 +0000

Under reporting crime is a bigger problem than people realize. It is always in the politician’s interest to keep bad news from the public, lest they start to think the politicians shouldn’t be in office. A very concrete example of this just played itself out in Springfield with the death of House Bill 3914. HB3914 would have made a forced ATM withdrawal a distinct felony under the criminal code, thus allowing the police to track and more easily solve cases like the triple homicide of Natasha Cleary and her two small children. It also keeps the bankers happy because it keeps the extent of the problem out of sight and out of mind.