By Ron Ulmer
This is my 38th year as a landlord in Normal. People frequently ask me if I am a student landlord or not. I always answer that I am an equal opportunity landlord using the same criteria, lease terms and expectations for all prospective tenants. People frequently respond by saying mixing students and non-students won’t work. When I purchased the first building in 1978, about half the rental ad’s said no children. I started with the same noise criteria for all tenants. No noise that can be heard outside the apartment from 10 pm through 8 am regardless of source.
In my 16 rental units resides a diverse population. 5 minorities, 2 students, 2 ISU faculty, 2 State Farm employees with the remaining a mix of white and blue collar and service sector employees ranging in age from the low 20’s to 60’s. All are terrific people and residents. I am proud of my residents and ability to create a living situation that gives all people the opportunity to live in moderately priced quality housing without being disturbed by neighbors. This may surprise you. I am a conservative.
The proudly progressive Town of Normal is heavily subsidizing the last parcel of Uptown development on Constitution Circle which is to include upscale rental housing for millennial professionals or downsizing baby boomers. Sounds like utopia! Doesn’t it?
Let’s examine this grand plan. One of the informal conversations among Town officials includes how to keep students from occupying these apartments thereby scaring off the sought after tony residents that will bring housing diversity to Uptown. Discriminating against students to create housing diversity in Uptown, now that’s progressive, sounds like oxymoron.Perhaps they could learn how to learn how create diversity from a conservative who treats all equally.
Progressives desire to social engineer a utopian society even if it means discriminating or violating the rules and regulations they impose on private businesses and citizens because they believe the means justify the ends. For 12 years prior to the election of Governor Rauner,progressives ran Illinois with super majorities in both houses of the legislature and governor’s office. Therefore, Illinois became utopia or did it? If Illinois is utopia, why does it have the most debt per capita and the lowest bond rating of any other state, slow economic growth, large job losses, one of the highest tax burdens and a shrinking population caused by people voting with their feet to leave Illinois?
Ron Ulmer is an economist, have taught economics/finance at 3 central Illinois universities and employed by Illinois Power as a Senior Rate Analyst, supervisor of economic research, Market Program Manager. Now retired, Current member Normal Kiwanis, past 25 year member Optimist International Service Club, Property owner and manager in Normal for 37 years ongoing.
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