Fact Checking, politics, Quality of life, Urban Renewal

We can’t afford 4 more years of Walker – the facts

I am placing my support behind David Goins for Alton mayor. Please vote early at Scott Bibb Center, or at your polling place on Tuesday April 6th.

A public servant for years, pastor David Goins is an honest family man who wants to revive the city he loves. He has run a civil campaign focused on the issues. Walker has once again run a deceptive campaign.

Walker lies and twists the facts because he cannot win your vote based on his record. Here is data collected and fact-checked to demonstrate his record.

In 2017, Walker said “no privatization, period” (of the sewer system), and falsely claimed that I wanted to double our sewer rates. Shortly after getting re-elected, he more than doubled the sewer rates and pushed through privatization. Now the water company’s profits will be added to your sewer rates, and the city still has a huge unmet pension liability.

Walker said “crime was down” even though crime reversed course and started rising as soon as he took office. Walker said there were more businesses than ever, even though the city’s own reports showed that the number of businesses declined.

Walker has had 8 years, yet Alton is worse off by virtually all key measures. Even looking at Alton’s pre-COVID numbers from 2019:

Alton’s population losses have accelerated; our unemployment rate is among the 1/3 worst cities in Illinois, already significantly higher than our neighbors and getting worse;

Alton’s household income has fallen behind our neighbors and we’re now 10% poorer than Mississippi, the poorest state.

Alton’s poverty rate grew 2% while it fell significantly in our county, state and nationwide. Over one-fourth of Altonians now live in poverty.

Alton’s violent crime rate has increased 158% from 2013. Our violent crime rate now equals East St. Louis and is higher than Chicago; murders and rapes have quadrupled since 2013. Alton had zero murders in 2013 when Walker took office mid-year, but we’ve had at least 19 murders since then.

Alton’s retail sales have fallen since 2013. When adjusted for inflation, retail sales are down -8.9%, at a time that our region and nation experienced vigorous economic growth. Walker likes to boast about the total number of business licenses he’s issued since he took office, but fails to mention that the number of businesses in Alton has actually fallen. Retail sales are down; the city’s annual lists of business licenses given to me so far shows fewer licenses than in the past; the city’s revenue from business licenses issued to individual businesses has been on a downward trend; retail sales are down. Yet Brant Walker is trying to spin the numbers to imply that the local business community is stronger than ever. Alton’s retail sales are measured by looking at sales taxes collected on those retail sales, as reported to the state every month.

Alton’s budget deficits: Our city has struggled with millions of dollars in budget deficits, despite Walker claiming a “balanced budget every year.” Audits on the city website prove that’s another lie.

We cannot afford 4 more years of Walker managing decline. Alton needs a leader with a plan, a vision for the future, and a dedication to the common good. Walker once again accuses his opponent of having no plans, despite elaborate plans laid out on GoinsForMayor.com. Walker’s campaign website still has zero plans.

If we re-elect Walker, taxpayers will be on the hook for Walker’s huge pension liability: Walker will become eligible for a lavish pension benefit 2 years into his third term, and it could total a million dollars or more. Is 4 more years of Walker really worth an extra million dollar pension liability?

Alton has so much going for it, a diamond in the rough waiting to be polished by someone who is humble enough to listen and wise enough to learn to work together. Yet we see Alton’s abandoned homes, empty storefronts, our friends and family moving away, people struggling to pay bills, and Walker’s costly mismanagement, while the region all around us has enjoyed unprecedented growth and prosperity. After 8 years of Walker, are we any better off?

It’s time Alton says “enough!” Vote David Goins for mayor on April 6th.

Under Walker:

  • Alton’s population loss has accelerated, losing almost 1,200 residents. More than one in 25 Altonians have left Alton since Walker became mayor!
  • Alton’s unemployment is in the bottom 1/3 of the worst cities in the state. Walker’s failed COVID response meant our current jobless rate (Jan 2021), at 9.1%, is a whopping 2.8% higher than Madison County, a gap versus our neighbors that has grown by 75%. Walker bragged that “pre-COVID Alton’s unemployment was lowest in decades,” but he failed to tell you that Alton had significantly more unemployment than Madison County, the state of Illinois, the US as a whole, and all of the nearest cities except for East St. Louis.
  • Alton’s household income has been losing ground to our neighbors under Walker. The county’s median income is now 50% higher than Alton’s, and we’re now 10% poorer than the poorest state, Mississippi. The county and our neighboring cities enjoyed income growth 2 to 4 times that of Alton under Walker. While the nation and Madison County enjoyed a more than 3% drop in the percent of people in poverty, and Illinois’ rate fell 2.6%, Alton’s rate jumped 2%. More than one in four Altonians are now in poverty!
  • Alton’s violent crime rate as of 2019 had risen to that of East St. Louis, and exceeds Chicago’s rate! After falling almost 2/3 under his predecessor, violent crime has risen by almost 50% since 2013, when Walker took office in mid-year. Rape and murder have quadrupled since 2013. Alton had zero murder in 2013, when Walker took office mid-year. Since then, we’ve had at least 19 murders.
  • Retail Sales, adjusted for inflation, are down almost 9% vs 2013 when Walker took office. Pre-COVID, retail sales were down by a similar amount.
  • Alton’s home values have fallen by $4,700 while they have risen all around us, yet Walker has claimed he’s protecting our home values.
  • Alton’s homeownership has fallen 2.0%, and rental units have increased 7.2%, since Walker took office in 2013. Meanwhile, for Madison County as a whole, the opposite happened: homeownership increased 1.2% while rentals were reduced by 6.0%.
  • Alton has suffered from millions of dollars in budget deficits in the general fund since Walker took office, despite Walker’s claim of “balanced budgets every year.” That’s simply a lie. Take a look at the audits on the city website.
  • Sources for above:

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scottdixonforalton

This blog is for sharing ideas for making the city of Alton, Illinois a better place to visit, live, and work, for the benefit of all its citizens.

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