Mike Farha
QUINCY — After hearing the general managers of two Quincy hotels and a Quincy restaurant laud the benefits of the Bring Entertainment to Quincy (BET on Q) program, the Quincy City Council voted 8-4 during its Tuesday night meeting to give the program $100,000 for the 2023-24 fiscal year. Aldermen also approved by a 7-5…
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QUINCY — Quincy Mayor Mike Troup says he has no intention of asking 4th Ward alderman Mike Farha to rejoin the two committees he resigned from earlier this week, saying “his time’s up.” “He showed his true colors,” Troup said after Thursday’s special meeting of the Quincy City Council, during which aldermen passed a $50.29 million…
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QUINCY — The senior alderman on the Quincy City Council called Mayor Mike Troup “tyrannical,” believes the public is “fed up” and says the “best thing for our community” is for him to resign immediately as a deadline to pass a city budget looms. Mike Farha, a Republican alderman in the 4th Ward since his…
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QUINCY — The Quincy City Council approved Monday night a petition for a revocable permit allowing for the encroachment of the city right-of-way with temporary memorials. However, Stacie Sparks, who first brought the issue to aldermen on April 17, still isn’t happy. The petition was created by Assistant Corporation Counsel Bruce Alford and submitted to aldermen…
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QUINCY — Stacie Sparks says she’s received “hundreds” of compliments from Quincy Cleaners customers when she visits the memorial she created two years ago for her son, who died in a car accident at the northeast corner of 30th and Maine. “Every time I’m out there changing it, somebody stops me and says it’s beautiful,” Sparks…
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QUINCY — The Quincy City Council voted Monday night not to pay $4,000 to the Quincy Area Convention and Visitors Bureau for a hotel market study that was presented in February. The City of Quincy, the Oakley-Lindsay Center and the Quincy Area Convention and Visitors Bureau commissioned Core Distinction Group, a Wisconsin hospitality consulting firm,…
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QUINCY — Mayor Mike Troup provided the majority vote needed to provide $100,000 in Downtown Rental Rehabilitation TIF funding to Terrell and Vicky Dempsey for renovations of four upper-story apartments at 234-236 North Sixth. The Dempsey’s law office is on the first floor of the building. They are also putting in $159,740 of private financing…
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QUINCY — The Quincy City Council will vote Monday night on a petition to divide two lots into 35 lots on property at 203 S. Eighth and 218-224 S. Ninth, then it will vote on two resolutions to provide funding as part of a $7.5 million proposal to construct 34 two-story residential townhomes and a…
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QUINCY — Angela Caldwell gave her appointment to the Board of Fire and Police Commissioners one more try. “I had already decided that if it didn’t happen tonight, that was it,” she said. The third time turned out to be the charm. The Quincy City Council voted 7-6 to approve Mayor Mike Troup’s appointment of…
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QUINCY — Mayor Mike Troup’s appointment of Angela Caldwell to the Police and Fire Commission was rejected by the Quincy City Council Monday night as several aldermen spoke openly about what they perceive are inconsistencies and a lack of information flowing from the administration to the council. While many aldermen said they supported Caldwell and…
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QUINCY — Alderman Mike Farha, chair of the city’s Finance Committee, called the city’s recent insurance issues with Blue Cross Blue Shield a “failure of leadership.” Robert Megee, an officer with the Quincy Police Department and president of the PB&PA Unit No. 12, the bargaining union that represents all city police officers, says he believes…
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QUINCY — The Quincy City Council agreed Monday night to add 10 properties to the city’s the fix-or-flatten program. Four of the properties are in the city’s 7th Ward. Six of them are in the 2nd Ward. The properties are at: The original list had 12 properties. Director of Inspection and Enforcement Michael Seaver said the original list…
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QUINCY — The Quincy City Council’s unanimous vote on Monday night to approve a $7.112 million annual property tax levy ordinance, creating a tax rate around 96 cents per $100 of assessed value, was called “historic” by Mayor Mike Troup. The levy is approximately $588,000 less than was collected this year. Last year’s rate was…
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QUINCY — The Quincy City Council voted Monday night to approve a recommendation from the Plan Commission to subdivide (dividing one lot into eight) a property at 5100 Chestnut under the “small tracts” provision of the Subdivision Ordinance. The eight-lot subdivision is on a 10-acre tract of land east of the Lake Ridge Subdivision on…
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QUINCY — Chief Bernie Vahlkamp and Deputy Chief Steve Salrin with the Quincy Fire Department couldn’t convince the Quincy City Council not to make three changes to an ordinance to adopt the 2018 series of the International Code Council model code for the city’s building code. Aldermen voted at the end of the meeting to…
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QUINCY — A public hearing to discuss a proposed monthly $9 surcharge on utility rates for Quincy homeowners provided a review of the finances and circumstances leading the creation of the ordinance. While Jeffrey Conte, director of public works, presented other options to offset a projected $3 million increase in operating expenses to a small…
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QUINCY — Near the end of a relatively benign meeting of the Quincy City Council on Monday night, Jeff Bergman, R-2, expressed dissatisfaction for how a comprehensive housing study, rejected three weeks ago by alderman, is going to be paid for. Aldermen rejected by an 11-2 vote on Oct. 3 a resolution to spend no…
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QUINCY — Quincy Mayor Mike Troup was asked after Monday’s Quincy City Council meeting if negotiating sessions are scheduled between the Police Benevolent and Protective Association Labor Unit 12, which represents the officers and supervisors with the Quincy Police Department, and the city of Quincy. Troup simply replied, “There are none.” The PB&PA filed a…
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QUINCY — After more than a year of study, review, concern and debate, an ordinance to eliminate the city’s curbside recycling program came down to one vote. After City Clerk Laura Oakman announced aldermen voted 7-7 on the issue during Monday night’s Quincy City Council meeting, Quincy Mayor Mike Troup quickly cast the deciding vote,…
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QUINCY — Two ideas about the future of recycling seemed to rise above all the rest during Wednesday’s community forum about the city of Quincy’s proposed recycling ordinance. About 100 people filled the City Council chambers, offering suggestions and questions about recycling. Quincy Mayor Mike Troup served as the moderator of the forum, and near…
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QUINCY — The debate about the demolition of the building at 649 State continued during Monday’s meeting of the Quincy City Council. Aldermen voted 10-1 at the July 5 meeting to accept a bid of $79,500 from Blick Construction Company to demolish the three-story brick building that was gutted in a fire on May 18. …
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QUINCY — Quincy Mayor Mike Troup says he’s talked with Jonathan Lewin about the offer made Monday to become the chief of the Quincy Police Department. However, he doesn’t yet have an answer. Troup said after Monday night’s meeting of the Quincy City Council that he needed to speak with Barry Cheyne, one of the…
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QUINCY — The Board of Fire and Police Commissioners sent a request to the Quincy City Council to approve at its Monday meeting the expenditure of $9,000 to the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police to assist on conducting a police chief search. Alderman instead chose to send the request fo the police aldermanic committee.…
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QUINCY — An amendment to the Code of Ordinances for the City of Quincy that would call for the mayor — instead of the three-person Board of Fire and Police Commissioners — to appoint and terminate the city’s police and fire chiefs raised a few eyebrows. The City Council chambers were filled for Tuesday night’s…
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QUINCY — Jeff Butler may finally have found a place for his business. The Quincy City Council voted Monday to accept the Plan Commission’s recommendation for a special permit for an office and shop for a water and fire damage restoration service at 3120 N. 12th, formerly the home of Outdoor Power Inc. Aldermen will…
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QUINCY — Michael Seaver, director of inspection and enforcement for the City of Quincy, brought Monday night to the Quincy City Council a proposed ordinance to establish a residential rental registration program. It wasn’t met with open arms. Mike Farha and Tony Sassen, 4th Ward alderman, both said they couldn’t support the proposal. Jeff Bergman,…
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QUINCY — Mike Farha looked at the nearly $2 million cost for sewer replacement for a three-block stretch on Oak Street, quietly shook his head and rubbed his eyes. “The reason I voted yes for it is that it has to be done,” the 4th Ward alderman said after Monday night’s Quincy City Council meeting.…
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