by: Diane Benjamin
You can read the minutes of the 2 day retreat here: http://cityblm.org/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=6221 Start on page 105
Culture change and more taxes were hot topics at the 2 day retreat of the Bloomington City Council last November. The minutes don’t say what culture change is except the Council is supposed to “have David Hales’ back” on whatever he wants to do! Evidently the Council now works for David Hales instead of the Council representing the citizens with David Hales as a Council employee. Of course, it’s obvious at Council meetings the 7 potted plant members on the Council already buy in to this, questions asked by Alderman Stearns or Lower are typically an annoyance. Questions like: “How much is this going to cost?” are usually answered with “we don’t know yet”.
Hales has been in charge of the City “culture” for over 4 years. Morale among City employees is low, many fear for their jobs. (inside information!) Hales was charged with cleaning up the downtown drinking problem, but nothing has changed. Is it difficult to tell bar owners they will lose their liquor license if patrons leave bottles and cans outside their establishment, throw cigarette butts on the sidewalk, or urinate outside? Is the City making too much money from the bars to really make any changes? The police suggested closing some streets on the weekends so patrons can walk without risks, no response David? Then there was the long drawn out cart fiasco culminating in cart requests being sent to renters who don’t pay the bills! How about the multi-year discussions on manged competition? City employees were left wondering how long they would have jobs, great for morale. If City business is not getting done, the guy to blame is the one who has been in charge for over 4 years.
Bloomington needs a culture change – David Hales! The 7 potted plants just gave him a big raise and another 4 year contract. The culture change is evidently more of the same, but just faster. A big theme in the minutes is “MOVE FORWARD”. Is that a good thing? Move forward to what? Rebuilding downtown, expanding the library, getting a hotel in downtown, all of the above, even more spending? Numerous discussions of how to raise revenue (taxes) took place. Spending money looks like the Renner and Hales idea of Moving Forward.
Some of the more interesting points:
Mayor Renner noted that each ward consisted of 9,000 citizens. The whole was not equal to the sum of its parts. He expressed his interest in productive meetings. He cited a recent Illinois Wesleyan University (IWU) and Illinois State University (ISU) internship program. From the students’ perspectives, it appeared that the Normal Town Council members worked together while the City Council appeared to not like nor respect each other. (page 107)
Normal elects all At-Large Alderman. They are all hand-picked to support the agenda. Renner wants the same for Bloomington! Seven potted plants isn’t enough – hence his support for the Modified Ward system on the March ballot. Elected officials on the Council that question the City and represent the voters are not welcome!
Then there’s Fazzini showing his true colors:
Alderman Fazzini cited four (4) main ways to increase revenue beyond economic development: 1.) sales tax which was regressive; 2.) property tax, which no one wanted, the Town of Normal planned to increase property taxes by eleven percent (11%); 3.) utility tax, a small increase to same; and 4.) local MFT (Motor Fuel Tax) which would raise $1.4 million. He estimated that thirty percent, (30%), of the individuals, who purchase gasoline, were not City residents. He did not believe that implementation of this tax would have any impact on the price per gallon. This tax should be acted upon first. He restated that it was important to the citizens that there be no increase to the property tax. (Page 106)
Fazzini is a big pusher of Modified Wards. Now it’s obvious why you should vote NO! Who elected a guy who thinks adding taxes doesn’t increase prices?
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Yeh, City Council has 7 potted plants, !! loco weeds !!
To have a retreat on “Culture Change” and not explain what it is sure seems like beating around the bush to me. I hope it does not mean destroying our city’s Heritage that those who has grown up in Bloomington have loved and enjoyed. Unfortunately Normal has taken a very ugly turn in that direction with it’s “sustainable development” turning it into a “sustainable community.” The term “sustainable community” is a product of “sustainable development” which was actually developed by the World Commission on Environment and Development back in 1987 and is a major part of United Nations Agenda 21. The UN Agenda 21 was adopted by 179 nations, including the United States, at the UN Conference on Environment and Development back in 1992. Among the first recommendations found in Agenda 21 is the recommendation that each nation establish its own program of “sustainable development” to implement ALL the recommendations in the 40 chapters of Agenda 21. President Bill Clinton complied with this recommendation when he issued an Executive Order to create the President’s Council on Sustainable Development. What the term “sustainable development” really means is development that is controlled and dictated by the government and not private citizens. There are three major problems with “sustainable communities,” the initiative for a community to become a sustainable community always comes from outside that community, the local community rarely knows anything about the plan until it reaches the final stages and is implemented, finally and to my thinking is the worst of all, the complete plan through which a community is transformed into a sustainable community always infringes, and in many instances completely destroys, private property rights! As I was researching some of our Founding Father’s quotes of warning I came across one by Thomas Jefferson to James Madison on December 20, 1787 that gives some what of a warning to this UN Agenda 21 being implemented around US in most all of our cities, “I think our governments will remain virtuous for many centuries; as long as they are chiefly agricultural; and this will be as long as there shall be vacant lands in any part of America. When they get piled upon one another in large cities, as in Europe, they will become corrupt as in Europe.”
As one more who has studied this subject matter at length the WARNING that we are JUMPING UP AND DOWN trying to bring to the attention our representatives being the Bloomington City Council is that sustainable communities leads to sustainable communism. You heard me, COMMUNISM! No joke, it’s what your parents detested for good reason. Wake up, do the research for yourselves! This town, this country, YOUR CHILDREN’S FUTURES DEPEND ON YOU understanding and fulfilling the Oath of Office you took to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States of America, against all enemies, foreign and domestic!
Being a major fan of the late Charlton Heston, when I have studied the UN Agenda 21 and there end-game goal, I am reminded of a movie from 1973 called Soylent Green. The government has screwed up everything and nothing works right because of their failed policies. It is where all the people are pushed on top of each other in large cities and not allowed to live in the country causing crime to run rampant. The old people are exterminated by death panels, much like Obamacare has it. Food is so scarce that the hidden secret is, the old people are “humanely” murdered by Big Brother government and becomes the food to feed the enslaved public!