Tazewell County, Illinois, was formed in 1827. As of the 2000 census, Tazewell County has a population of 128,485, 15th largest in the State of Illinois.
Tazewell County is currently divided into three county political districts:
District One
District Two
District Three
In 2008, John was elected to the Tazewell County Board as a District Three Board Member. John received the highest amount of votes in both the Republican Primary and General Election, both of which had the highest voter participation in the past decade. His totals showed strong support throughout the district and also among not only Republicans but Independents and Democrats too.
The 2008 campaign’s message was John’s commitment to: A) be an advocate for Tazewell County Farmers and Outdoorsmen, B) be an advocate for Conservative beliefs and values, and C) be a supporter of contiguous, planned community growth.
Politically to date, John has managed or actively participated in ten political campaigns, including four in which he was the candidate, and has lost only once. John has a reputation for in-depth research of issues before he votes and for strong customer service to his constituents. The Peoria Journal Star said of John "...Ackerman is knowledgeable about county issues and full of ideas..."
The Bloomington Pantagraph said“Give Tazewell County Board member John C. Ackerman a "sunbeam" award for his role in improving access to public information for his constituents.” They went on to say, “Normally, we wouldn't promote a single board member's site…But it contains useful information - information that should be, but isn't, on the official government site…we commend Ackerman for filling in the gap and for following through with his campaign pledge to improve communication and access to information.”
John is currently serving on the County’s Transportation and Property Committee.
Tazewell County’s District Three is not only the largest district in Tazewell County in population but also has a population larger than seventy percent of the counties in Illinois. Inside its borders are the Cities of East Peoria and Washington and the Villages of Deer Creek, Tremont, Mackinaw, Minier and Hopedale.
In 2008, John was elected to the Tazewell County Board as a District Three Board Member. John received the highest amount of votes in both the Republican Primary and General Election, both of which had the highest voter participation in the past decade. His totals showed strong support throughout the district and also among not only Republicans but Independents and Democrats too.
The 2008 campaign’s message was John’s commitment to: A) be an advocate for Tazewell County Farmers and Outdoorsmen, B) be an advocate for Conservative beliefs and values, and C) be a supporter of contiguous, planned community growth.
Community Links
• Deer Creek
• East Peoria
• Washington
• Mackinaw
• Tremont
• Minier
• Hopedale
• East Peoria Chamber
• Washington Chamber
Media Links•
Adventure Sports Outdoors
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Illinois Review
•
McLean County Pundit
•
Blogging While Republican
•
Washington & Morton Courier
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Washington Times Reporter
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East Peoria Times Courier
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Peoria Journal Star
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Pekin Daily Times
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WMBD 1470 AM
Very quick meeting tonight. After a presentation from Ann Fox and a Board Member of the local American Red Cross, the County Board passed a Proclamation recognizing their efforts. As far as the Consent Agenda, items 1, 2, 8, 13 and 20 where pulled.
All but item 1 passed with no issues and with full board support. Item 1 also passed with full board support, but has some continuing action and more decisions that need to be made. The item involved the County Property, 50 acres, in Mackinaw. Late last year the Property Committee and County Board took the steps to sell this property. In the coarse of this process, the land needed to be rezoned Residential, which is what we voted to do tonight.
As this rezoning proceeded, it came to several Board Members attention, including mine, that the Church adjacent to this property is interested in purchasing some or all of the 50 acres. Tonight's action had nothing to do with who would buy the property, but was a step at being in a position to sell the property.
After several exploratory questions from Member Harris, I made mention that I had talked before the meeting with Property Chairman Carroll Imig and that this issue will come before the Property Committee next month, which is the proper committee to review these options. At this committee level, we will be able to take a closer look at what would be the best options for the county and what we may be able to do to assist the Church. Look for more information concerning this in the coming months.
The only other action was a formal request by Member Mel Stanford that the Sheriff attend the next County Board meeting and discuss with the board questions that have arisen concerning the County Jail. Member Stanford and I made a similar request last month.
Meeting was very short and to the point tonight. The meeting started with an update from Christal Dagit from the Tazewell County Historic Places Society. She discussed the great work they have done and the fantastic future possibilities. A few months ago I wrote about the tour my wife Maria and I received of their facilities and my strong support of the organization. I encouraged her to come to the Finance Committee and make a request for financial support.
As far as the Consent Agenda, only items 4, 5, 13 and 14 where pulled. Item 4 was also pulled because of not enough information available. Item 4 concerned the request by the Village of Morton for the Tazewell County Board to endorse their PPUATS funding request involving the upgrades to the intersections of Detroit and US 150 and Detroit and Muller Road / Jefferson. Over the past decade, the County has done this with the City of Washington and City of East Peoria on the Summit Road Extension and Centennial Road Upgrades and with the City of Pekin on the Broadway Upgrades. This is a great way for the County Board to assist the municipalities.
Item 5 was an Traffic Sign Upgrade Program involving the townships and municipalities. The County Board will be receiving financing from the state to upgrade all of the traffic signs in the county with more reflective material that will make them easier to see at night. The townships and the municipalities will upgrade the signs they have and turn the bills into the county, who will be the "bank" for the state grant money.
Items 13 and 14 where pulled for procedural purposes. All items passed with no objectors.