Adomite Blog

Troy Lions Homecoming

2006-07-22T10:31:00.000-07:00

After much clean up by many volunteers, the Troy Lions Club Homecoming will start at 5PM on Saturday night (July 22) at the Tri-Township Park.

Thanks to the Park District, the City of Troy, and (most importantly) AmerenUE for getting things cleaned up and power turned back on. Only the Rt 162 area of Troy has power, so HOT FOOD and COLD DRINKS will be a welcome sight for sore eyes.

Food will include Fish, Chicken, Brats and Burgers. Beer and soda will be served. Carnival rides will be up and running. And, music by the Shriners Brass Band and "Angel Heart" will liven a hard-hit town. Hopefully, the weather will cooperate better than on Friday.

Unfortunately, there will not be a parade this year. Maybe will make up for it next year...which will be Troy's 150-Year Anniversay.

Troy Storm Damage

2006-07-22T10:09:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos from the storm damage from Friday in Troy:

A tree fell at the Simon House on a neighboring garage...

The "other" side of the garage...

It also hit their van (thankfully, no one hurt)...

A tree limb hit a power line near the Times-Tribune...

Power poles were just snapped along I-55/70...

South of the High School, a house lost its siding...

Trampolines went flying (near Troy-O'Fallon Road)...

Parts of the Tri-Township Park are a mess...

An old tree on Spring Valley Road was "pushed" over...

Hundreds of trees were lost around town...

Oath & Ceremony

2005-05-02T21:30:00.000-07:00

Tonight was truly a wonderful evening...

It was an honor to have recently retired Supreme Court Justice Phil Rarick - a Troy native - to administer the oaths of office for the newly elected officials. Thank you to Justice Rarick for making the evening special for all of us.

Above, you'll see my oath of office for Alderman. City Clerk Tammy Mitchell holds the bible while Justice Rarick adminsters the oath. Also taking the oath this evening...Mayor Tom Caraker, Clerk Mitchell, Alderwoman Susan McTaggert, Alderman Sam Italiano, and Alderman Duane Hughes.

Below, you'll see the new Council...

(From left to right, Aldermen Daryl Hampsten, Jay Evans, Italiano, Mayor Caraker, Clerk Mitchell, Adomite, Gerald Lanahan, Jeff Soland, and Hughes...sorry to Alderwoman McTaggert, my photographer couldn't fit everyone the picture).

Final Results!!!

2005-04-05T22:00:00.000-07:00

The final results, as reported by the Madison County Clerk's website, for the Alderman - Ward III race:

Allen P. Adomite 401
Charles W. Lawrenz 104
William O. Eaker 57

Thank you to everyone who volunteered, contributed, and/or supported my campaign for Alderman. A special thanks to all of the residents who spent their valuable time talking about the issues important to our City. We have worked together to develop a plan for Ward III.

More updates will soon be coming to this Blog, so stay tuned...

Endorsement: Collinsville Herald

2005-04-03T08:13:00.000-07:00

Thank you to the Collinsville Herald-Journal for their endorsement!

From the Herald-Jounal:

For the 3rd Ward, we endorse Allen P. Adomite.

Adomite has expert experience in government on several levels and is well-informed concerning the issues Troy faces and the projects under way in the city.

Also, thank you for the continuing support, well-wishing, and endorsement from Obiter Dictum, aka Amy Allen.

St. Louis Post-Disparch Candidate Previews

2005-03-29T21:00:00.000-08:00

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch has its online candidate guide posted for Madison County. Scan down and find the Troy municipal races and you can click on my candidate profile.

Only a week until Election Day!

Candidate Review: Collinsville Herald

2005-03-16T11:10:00.000-08:00

The candidate reviews for Troy's municipal races has hit the news stands!

From the Collinsville Herald-Journal:

Allen Adomite, 29, is also running for alderman of Ward 3. He said he gained valuable experience as a legislative staff member for the Illinois General Assembly for four years.

"Communication is the key to making sure the job is done right the first time," Adomite said, "which is why I'm proposing the appointment of citizen advisors onto the Public Works Committee."

Adomite said advisors would create better dialogue between the city, its contractors and neighbors during street construction.

Throughout the campaign, Adomite has visited with numerous residents and has valued what he has learned through speaking with people.

"My commitment to meet with residents on their doorstep will not stop after Election Day," he said. "The citizens in Ward 3 have always valued the accessibility of their aldermen, and I plan to continue that tradition."

(An additional note: I'd like to quickly thank the 500+ people I've already had the opportunity to speak with on doorsteps in our Ward. I feel like representing you on the Council is much more than attending meetings, it's working to meet you at your home to talk about the things that affect your neighborhood and family. Hope to see many more of you for a first, second, or maybe even third visit by April 5th!)

More Signs: Taylor Lake Subdivision

2005-03-14T07:15:00.000-08:00

I can quickly answer the question as to whether or not Troy has a sign ordinance prohibiting political signs from the City-owned right-of-ways: Troy doesn't.

However, the ordinance doesn't seem to be enforceable in Glen Carbon, given the rash of signs that have continue to litter the public's land along the thoroughfares in our neighboring town.

Which begs a bigger political question...

Who should enforce sign ordinances? It's a political lose-lose for any incumbents running. If the city were to enforce the ordinance, the Mayor of the town would be on the chopping block for being "too political" with the office during an Election year.

After hearing from supportive homeowners in Taylor Lake subdivision that the subdivision has an ordinance (more likely, a "covenant") that prohibits posting of signs in the subdivision, I'm going to refrain from putting my signs up IN the subdivision. I've asked the property owner across the street for permission to put a sign in the field across from the entrances, and he has graciously allowed me the space. Thanks to Scott Howard (the Taylor Lake Neighborhood Association President) for clarifying the rules so we can follow them.

I guess that answers my first question...

The candidates should police themselves when working to observe sign ordinances and restrictions. The public notices when signs are placed without permission. It goes to show, if a candidate can't follow the rules DURING the election...well, I'll leave the rest up to your imagination.

Yard Sign Debate

2005-03-09T08:00:00.000-08:00

In the past week, I've seen much debate in the newspapers about problems with yard signs over in Glen Carbon. Specifically, the debate is centered around the placing of yard signs in the "right-of-ways," which is the area that is often between the sidewalk and the road, or perhaps around a major street or stop sign.

The Belleville News-Democrat reports: "Glen Carbon, like most communities, has an ordinance that prohibits private signs being placed in public rights of way. But usually those rules aren't enforced at election time."

I thought I'd weigh in on the issue by letting the people of Troy know that, as a voter, I generally dislike the placing of signs in right-of-ways. Many times, signs can disrupt the view of traffic in and around intersections, making the use of right-of-ways for this purpose potentially unsafe.

Plus, I strongly feel that you should get PERMISSION from a property owner for putting a sign on their property. This means, for right-of-ways, you would need to get permission from the city or the state. Obviously, this isn't feasible or fair, so the practice of signs in the right-of-way should be discouraged.

I enjoyed the News-Democrat's editorial take: "We hope that other communities in the metro-east will follow Glen Carbon's lead and enforce their sign ordinances. Doing so isn't taking away the right of political speech. Candidates and their supporters can still put up all the signs they please on private property with the owners' permission.

However, it shouldn't take the threat of enforcement action to convince candidates to remove signs from rights of way. If private businesses can't set up their signs, candidates shouldn't, either. Candidates might actually gain some votes if they showed they believe the rules apply to them, also."

I wholeheartedly agree. While I'm unsure if Troy has a right-of-way ordinance (I'm going to check this week and report back), I wanted everyone to know that I'm working very hard to make sure my signs avoid the right-of-ways, and are only placed in people's yards. I have strived to seek out the permission of property owners for 100% of my sign locations. If you feel one of my signs has crossed into a right-of-way boundary, or has been improperly placed by myself or one of my volunteers, please e-mail me to have the issue quickly resolved.

Candidates ask the community to bear a great amount by having "political speech" color the city's landscape for the month before an election. Thank you for that opportunity.

Troy Ward 3 Boundaries

2005-02-25T12:00:00.000-08:00

Many people have asked me, "Am I in Ward 3 and can I vote for you?" Thanks to the City of Troy, a map of the ward boundaries is available online.

As you can see below, Ward 3 encompasses everything on the east side of Staunton Road and Main Street to the eastern City limit. More specifically the line goes from the northern boundary of the Taylor Lake subdivision, follows Staunton Road to Market Street, follows Market Street to Main Street, and then follows Main Street to US Hwy 40, and then to the edges of the Creekside subdivision. There are approximately 1500 or so registered voters in the Ward.

A full ward map with the other three city ward's is available at the City of Troy's website. It's also available in .pdf format.

Welcome to Adomite Blog

2005-02-24T22:00:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the Adomite Blog, the Blog for my campaign for Alderman in the City of Troy. Over the next six weeks, I plan to post information about my candidacy, the issues facing the future for the City of Troy, and events pertaining to the City's municipal election on April 5th.

I also hope to provide an ongoing informative dialogue about City issues post-election. I'm glad that you visited my Blog and I hope that you'll visit again soon. There are/were no fees for providing this blog, however any future fees that might be involved will be Paid for by Americans for Allen Adomite, 494 Lower Marine Road, Troy, IL 62294. A copy of our report is/will be filed with the Illinois State Board of Elections, Springfield, IL and is available on the ISBE website.

Wristbands Support RFL

2004-12-07T20:20:00.000-08:00

This post is left over from the OLD format of Adomite Blog. However, the fundraiser is still proceeding (with lots of positive results), so I thought that I'd better keep it posted.

Our Relay For Life team (Mark's Minor Leaguers) is selling special wristbands to benefit the Gateway RFL event this next June 17, 2005. The Relay benefits the American Cancer Society.

The bracelets (pictured below) are purple and say "HOPE". They are available for $3 from any of our team members or by calling (618) 667-9548. You can e-mail my mother, Lois Adomite, to purchase one (or more). They are also available at several Troy businesses, including Main Street Barber Shop.