Latest news with #ChuckGrayeb
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
On the Record: Washington Mayor Gary Manier and Peoria City Councilman Chuck Grayeb
PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — Washington's longest serving mayor is stepping down after 24 years at the helm, and Chuck Grayeb is leaving the Peoria City Council after more than two decades spent around the Horseshoe. WMBD's On The Record recently sat down with both of them to get their thoughts on leaving public life. Gary Manier Many in the Tazewell County city of Washington can't picture their city without having Gary Manier with the mayor's gavel in his hand. Manier, who's held the position since 2001, became a defining face of the city's resilience during one of its darkest hours: Nov. 17, 2013, when an EF-4 tornado devastated parts of Washington. 'You don't really prepare for something like that,' he said in a sit-down interview on WMBD News: On the Record. 'Every city has a disaster plan on the shelf, but when it happens, you just go with it.' More than 1,100 homes were damaged or destroyed. Manier credits the emergency crews, volunteers, and aid organizations who pulled together to rebuild the city. (is this 1,100 or 11,000. I'm betting the first number). 'It's a very gut-wrenching experience. But people came together. The fabric of America is good, and the fabric in central Illinois was incredible during that time,' he said. Beyond crisis management, Manier points to several long-term achievements that helped shape the city's growth, including the development of Five Points Washington community center, road improvements, and economic revitalization along the Business Route 24 corridor. 'Our schools are second to none, but Five Points has helped attract people to to move to our community,' he said. Most recently, the opening of the $9 million Tangled Roots Brewing Company has breathed new life into Washington Square. 'It's been packed every night,' Manier said. Still, Manier says if there's one thing he wishes he'd done more of, it's economic development. 'It's tough when you're a bedroom community. But I think we're starting to see the momentum, and Tangled Roots could be the start of something like what happened in Peoria Heights's restaurant row' he said, referring to a several block stretch of Prospect Road in the village. On April 25, Manier received a warm sendoff surrounded by family, colleagues, and former officials. 'I didn't really want a big event,' he admitted. 'But when I saw everyone, people I've served with, local leaders, old friends, it made it all worth it.' As he steps away from public office, Manier says he's looking forward to a well-earned vacation and more time with his seven grandchildren. 'I'm proud of what we've accomplished. And I'm thankful for the people who made it possible,' he said. Chuck Grayeb After more than two decades of public service on the Peoria City Council, Chuck Grayeb who represents the city's 2nd district, will step down from the Horseshoe, but not from community life. Grayeb is tied for the most years spent on the council with Edward Nelson Woodruff who spent 24 years as mayor in nonconsecutive terms. He recently joined WMBD News: On The Record and to reflect on what was and what will be. 'It's not in my DNA to retire. I'll just be doing other things,' he said. He served as at-large city councilman for 12 years from 1995-2007, then returned in 2013 to serve as the 2nd district representative for another 12 years. When Grayeb was first elected in 1995, he said the city was too reliant on heavy manufacturing. Today, Peoria is a regional healthcare hub, a transformation Grayeb considers one of his proudest accomplishments. 'We needed to start cultivating other industries, especially medical,' he said. 'I'm proud of the fact that we did diversify. It made it easier when we had the shock of Caterpillar deciding to move its headquarters.' He has also seen the 2nd district, which now includes Downtown Peoria, transform into more than a business district. 'Our Downtown is increasingly becoming a residential neighborhood, and that's exciting,' he said. Despite his long list of achievements, Grayeb says the challenges of crime and delinquency still persist. Crime is no longer isolated to hot spot areas like South Peoria and East Bluff, but is spreading north. 'If we don't get a handle on that, we're going to lose our city,' he warned. 'More and more people will vote with their feet.' He said boosting police staffing remains crucial. 'At one time, we had 250 officers. Now we're hovering around 200. We need to get back to 250 to have meaningful patrols in our fragile neighborhoods,' he said. Grayeb has some sage advice for the next generation of public servants. 'Listen, listen, listen. But don't be intimidated by the loud voices. Remember, there's a great silent majority out there. Do what's right for the people, and everything will turn out fine.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Coffee shop proposed for busy Peoria intersection
PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — A new coffee shop is being proposed for the empty lot on the corner of War Memorial Drive and University Street in Peoria. After trial and error with other business development on this lot, a Dutch Bros franchise has been proposed and is awaiting approval. 'It's a very, very busy spot and that makes it very strategic and very profitable, potentially, with the number of cars that go by to make a coffee shop like that really go,' said second-district council member Chuck Grayeb. Dutch Bros is an Oregon-based coffee establishment that has never had a location in the central Illinois area, and would be competing with McDonald's and Dunkin Donuts for best coffee on the block. 'The developer is really wanting to get started,' said Katie Kim, CEO of The Kim Group, one of the listing agents for the site. 'As soon as we can get through that process and get started. So I think they're looking to get a shovel in the ground as soon as they are approved to do so.' The 1.5-acre land is currently up for $1,590,000 and is in a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) district. Manning McComb Chevrolet once operated on the plot, but it's sat empty for more than a decade. To see more about the plot of land, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Peoria residents stress the importance of voting on primary day
PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — Feb. 25 is Consolidated Primary Election Day, with several key local government seats being contested. Peoria Mayor, the 2nd district Peoria City Council seat, and Peoria City Treasurer are a few of the races, and will see the races whittled down to two prior to the General Election in April. Incumbent mayor Rita Ali will face off against 2nd district council member Chuck Grayeb and at-large council member John Kelly. The 2nd district city council seat will be left open due to Grayeb's mayoral campaign, and Alex Carmona, Estrella Diaz, and Krista Wresinski will compete for that seat. Brooke Petty Summerville, Asya Washum, and former Peoria City Councilmember Jim Montelongo will face off against each other in the Primary for city treasurer. The Peoria Township Assessor will be between Terry Grawey and Andrew Couri and will be decided by the Primary vote due to a lack of a Democratic opponent. Incumbent Pontiac Mayor Bill Alvey is being challenged by city council member Kelly Eckhoff for the Republican nomination for the mayoral race. Voters at the polls stressed the importance of voting in local races. Tracy Prescott is a retired social studies teacher at Reservoir Gifted Academy and said voting in a local election holds more weight than voting in a national election. 'I wish there were more people coming out to vote because your voice is important in making Peoria the city that it should be,' she said. Chase Brower moved to Peoria with his family five years ago, 'I think the biggest part in helping see a city progress is taking part in these votes, getting the right leaders in place and promoting your city. So, voting is the number one thing we can do, and I say go vote or don't complain,' he said. General Election Day is April 1. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
22-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Third time's the charm: Chuck Grayeb makes his case to be Peoria mayor
PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — After more than 20 years on Peoria City Council, Chuck Grayeb is running for the city's top job on a tough-on-crime platform. It's the 2nd District councilman's third time running for mayor of Peoria. Grayeb previously ran — and lost — in 1993 and 1997. Nearly 30 years later, he said his decades of government experience set him apart from the other two candidates, At-Large Councilman John Kelly and incumbent Mayor Rita Ali. 'I think my experience can make a difference in terms of pulling our city out of the ditch that it's currently in. We have many, many intractable issues here. Seemingly intractable, but they need to be resolved,' he said. City voters will go to the polls on Tuesday, Feb. 25, for the primary election. The two people who get the highest vote totals will then square off for a winner-takes-all in the April general election. Grayeb worked as a teacher in the early 1970s at Peoria High School and, later, as the Dean of students in the early to mid-1980s at Manual High School. From 1985 until his retirement in 2005, he worked with adult education with the Peoria Public Schools. He first ran for mayor in 1993 and failed to make it out of the primary. Jim Maloof was the winner that year. He ran for an at-large seat in 1995 which he won and held until he opted not to run in 2007. His second attempt at mayor was in 1997 when he lost to Bud Grieves. Grayeb came back to the council as the 2nd District representative in 2013 and has held the seat since. The city must tackle its issue with street crime, both by minors and adults, he said. 'We have the revolving door going on. Too many people commit too many serious offenses and are back out on the street preying on folks in our neighborhoods in the city of Peoria. It's unacceptable,' he said. 'If you want change, you're going to get it with me, and we're going to go after the people who are preying on our law-abiding citizens.' Among those changes was mandatory detentions for certain crimes, which isn't the case under the SAFE-T Act reforms that went into effect a couple of years ago. Last month, the council sent a list of legislative priorities to General Assembly, one of them being modifying the SAFE-T Act. They asked that some crimes that require mandatory imprisonment should have mandatory detention pending trial. Now, crimes eligible for detention must go before a judge, who will decide after a mini trial of sorts whether that person should be held or not. Even a person charged with murder could, in theory, be released, though so far in the Tri-County area, that hasn't happened. Grayeb says the key to the city's growth is curbing crime. 'If people don't feel that our city is safe, they're not going to invest here. I have met with people who are going to do investment, but one of the things they told me was, 'Councilman, we're not going to do it with all these distractions with the encampments Downtown and the crime.' So I got to focus on that if elected mayor,' he said. Keeping streets safe goes beyond crime, too, he said. 'We need to have more robust traffic enforcement. We need to beef up the size of our police department, which we're trying to do right now and get more people in,' said Grayeb. Developing Downtown Peoria, specifically the Central Business District, is another big priority. Grayeb says it's been through rough times and that he will slash red tape to attract investors. He said Peoria is in competition with its neighbors and if the city doesn't make things easier for business to invest, then 'they are going to go elsewhere.' Eliminate the 'red tape,' and things will get better. 'I know that we have certain codes that are related to public safety. Fine. Have to enforce those. Those are not negotiable. But some things require that which isn't public safety related. I think we could be a little more relaxed on it and work with developers to do it in more of a segmented way. Instead of all at once,' he said. He believes having more than 6,000 people living in Downtown will help its evolvement into a 'neighborhood unto itself.' On the topic of bringing a casino to Peoria, Grayeb is definitely on board. He pointed out that East Peoria, under the same agreement that City Hall says requires the casino to be here if on land, will get half the gaming revenue generated. Peoria, he said, would pick up more of the hotel and restaurant taxes if the boat comes over here. 'We love the people of East Peoria, we love the mayor of East Peoria. And he loves us. While we may have differences of opinions on this particular aspect, we will continue to work together as two great people on each side of the Illinois River,' he said. He also is in favor of using local but established community-based organizations that work every day in the trenches getting city dollars to help with poverty and anti-crime initiatives. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
