Leland J. Kennedy Memoir - University of Illinois Springfield

and talked to them before I got back in and told them what my plans were and they editorialized
me in that big 1962 primary, which was deeply appreciated. And young Paul - we
called him young Paul, he's a man my age - he's still active in the paper. They've had
their problems. Oh, I think they had several lawsuits against them, but I suppose they'll
be able to survive.
Q: Well now, you had this bond issue. Were there other issues that came up before you
left for the war with the . . .
A: Oh there were local issues, none that I recall that caused as much - oh, the street
sweeper! (laughs)
Q: Oh?
A: I wasn't involved with that too much, but some people thought it was a waste of
money. I know Geltz and I might have been on the outsides then. He was violently opposed
to it. But oh, it caused quite a bit of controversy. They finally bought it though, and maybe
Geltz might have eventually voted for it.
But there was one thing that, since you mentioned it, that - and you pass it when you
go down the River Road, not from Grafton to here, hut further down - the Alton waterworks
I think belongs to American Water Company. Oh, scveral overzealous people, citizens
I guess - and there was a movement on to buy the Alton Water Company. And now that's
been fifty years ago, and they haven't bought it yet. Their mains were old, they were old
then. I don't know whether they've changed their mains, they're still operating, and I think
they do a pretty good job quite frankly. But it generated some flak, but it never went
through. 1 was neither for or against it. I guess I would have been for it, but the condition
of the company at that time - it's still in the same place - was somewhat dubious to me. I
didn't know just how structurally strong they were. I'm sure they were financially
strong. I wouldn't dare say they weren't. But I helieve the fact that it's a privately-owned
company is alright. And that we get the water out here in Godfrey from them. Of course
I'm closer to it now than I was in Upper Alton.
There was four hundred dollars a ward ward money. Thcy each had two hundred dollars
to spend on alleys and cleaning alleys or cleaning the gutters in the alley. You could go
to your street superintendent and he had a crew. He was required to do so much work,
but you could get some extra cleaning done with your own ward money.
And, oh, things were pretty quiet, I guess, and then just before the war broke out, or when
it was breaking out, I think people were just trying to make a living and get by. 1 used
to go through my ward every Saturday, the Seventh Ward, and I used to walk it. Of course
the people - I lived in the Nineteenth - the people down there, you'd have calls. There
was the Upper Alton business district. It's a little different now. It's not any different
geographywise, but it's different - well it's changed some, on account of shopping
centers. You should go through there and walk through your ward and through the alleys
and you would spend your ward money and there was controversies and . . .
Q: What kind of controversy, do you mean one neighbor against another or something?
A: Well no, not - well you had that too. (laughter) But that never got to the council
floor. I've talked to Alderman Timrnermaire, he succeeded me. He's been in the council since
I left. He's up again this spring. He's not too much younger than I am. And there used
to be a lady down there that - she just - well, she'd just raise hell just for raising hell
you know. And I asked him onc time about her. I'd see him occasionally. And he said,
"She's still doing it but . . ."