More than 10 years ago, a few friends and I were in the early stages of opening our own hookah lounge in Rockford. We met with a product supplier, found an ideal location, and even got a permit to operate in the city. Unfortunately, a financial problem forced him to withdraw from the plan. It sucks. However, many years later, others opened a location in downtown Rockford.

The location of this new hookah lounge is a vacant property that was once called Fatty's McGee's. This week, some Rockford City Council members agreed, but not everyone agreed.

Anyone involved (or involved in) hookah may agree that this is a prime location for this type of business. One person who would argue this is Rockford City Councillor Frank Beach. This is his quote shared by WIFR.

I think maybe because of its proximity to the college and shopping area, it may not necessarily be the most advantageous place for lounges in this area.

He certainly has the right to express his opinions, just like I did with this article. But here is the disconnect, this is a fast jogging from Rockford University (an important age group for this type of surgery) and downtown. The big problem is that older generations make decisions for young cities.

Don't take this as a personal attack on Mr. Beach, he is the beloved representative of Rockford residents. In his 41 years of service to this city, it is no secret that he played an important role in Rockford's development. I believe that new ideas are not always bad, and should be thoroughly reviewed by our elected officials before being rejected.

Any company that feels that they are inconsistent with the values ​​of city councillors may feel that they will be negatively affected in the future. Instead, a new business that will generate revenue from any long-term vacant property in Rockford should be celebrated.

JB Love is Lil Zim of Q98.5 and JB’s ½. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram from 5:00 to 10:00 on weekdays in the morning.