by: Diane Benjamin Number one complaint of citizens: roads falling apart. So the City borrows $10,000,000 and plans to budget another $4,000,000. The budget comes out and the $4,000,000 is cut. The City can’t find a way to keep your car from getting damaged dodging potholes. Guess what they can find money for? Golf paths. […]
by: Diane Benjamin It’s common knowledge that government pensions are MUCH bigger than anything offered in the private sector. Teachers remind us they don’t qualify for Social Security, which is true. But what about local government employees? Below is a list of City of Bloomington employees where the City is paying into both the pension […]
Lawmakers and special-interest groups across Illinois are trying to dupe Illinoisans into paying higher income taxes. They’re trying to convince Illinoisans that a progressive income tax hike is only a tax hike on the rich. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. Need proof? Look at both progressive tax proposals on the table in […]
As a country, we are not to be trifled with or treaded upon… A blogger added up the deer license sales in just a handful of states and arrived at a striking conclusion: There were over 600,000 hunters this season in the state of Wisconsin .. Allow me to restate that number: 600,000! Over the […]
by: Diane Benjamin One guy running on the GOP ticket is making a mockery of his position. Precinct committeemen are the “boots on the ground” for the Republican Party. It is their job to promote GOP candidates to citizens in their precincts. Many take their job seriously, some don’t. If you are a GOP primary […]
by: Diane Benjamin Being a CPA, I like numbers. Frequently they reveal interesting things. Here’s my latest: The information listed about employees is now really good on both the Champaign and Bloomington websites – thanks to the Illinois Policy Institute. All expenses per employee are listed, so I decided to see how much Bloomington pays […]
by: Diane Benjamin Being a CPA, I like numbers. Frequently they reveal interesting things. Here’s my latest: The information listed about employees is now really good on both the Champaign and Bloomington websites – thanks to the Illinois Policy Institute. All expenses per employee are listed, so I decided to see how much Bloomington pays […]
I’m hearing some of those low electric rates, that were supposed to be locked in by aggregation, may not be so locked. If you live in Bloomington, the rate signed with Homefield Energy (Ameren) was $0.04539 per kilowatt hour. It was signed in May 2013 and lasts for 22 months. In Normal the rate is $0.04099 per […]
by: Diane Benjamin At last Monday’s City Council meeting Mayor Renner admitted to committing a FELONY. Below is the archived video from the City’s YouTube channel. Start watching at 1:33:00 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8kkBwBCGEA Mayor Renner proclaimed a new Art Gallery is now open – in his office! A citizens hung paintings on consignment on Public Property. His […]
by: Diane Benjamin The Council decided their job was to entertain citizens way back when they built the Coliseum and bought the BPCA building. They have been on a spending spree ever since – with your money. The Parks & Rec budget includes golf, Pepsi Ice Center, BPCA, Zoo, pools, and all other summer activities. […]
by: Diane Benjamin Yesterday I posted the Bloomington Salary ranges by employee. Below is how Champaign compares to Bloomington. Obviously Champaign hires more part-time and seasonal staff.
February 25, 2014 Edgar County Watchdogs In numerous recent interviews and debate settings, State Treasurer Dan Rutherford has denied there is anything to the allegations of sexual harassment of his employees to include pressure to campaign for him on state time. Even after a federal law suit was filed against him, denial has been the stance. Denial backed […]
by: Diane Benjamin In 2012 the population of Bloomington is listed at 77,733. Champaign’s population was 82,517 This is a link to the City of Champaign salaries: http://ci.champaign.il.us/cms/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/2013-Compensation-Report-Final.pdf This is a link to Library salaries in Champaign: http://ci.champaign.il.us/cms/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/FY-2012-13-ACTUAL-TOTAL-COMPENSATION-LIBRARY-POSTED-ON-CITY-WEBSITE.pdf Champaign numbers are fiscal year ended 6/30/13 Champaign City Manager Salary: $194,905 Total employees for City and Library […]
In honor of Bloomington’s $180 M proposed budget
by: Diane Benjamin At last night’s Council meeting, David Hales claimed the 619 City employees were over-worked and under paid. The salary information is now listed on the City website: http://www.cityblm.org/index.aspx?page=21&parent=5443 Below is a recap of the number of employees by salary: . . . . . . Estimated median household income in 2011: […]
by: Diane Benjamin I hope the residents of Bloomington took the time to watch the Council meeting on-line tonight. You can’t really tell what they are thinking unless you watch it. It will be available here if you missed it tonight: http://www.cityblm.org/index.aspx?page=61 Bring coffee, it’s long. There was a presentation of the budget – $180,000,000 […]
I have to congratulate the McLean Chamber of Commerce for coming out against the 1% Sales Tax hike wanted by the schools. Hopefully they will decide all future increases the same way-the effect it has on local business. Has leadership at the Chamber changed? Just wondering. I hope they aren’t holding off for a different […]
by: Diane Benjamin The IRS has been targeting conservative groups. Even though the President stated he wouldn’t stand for it, nothing has changed. In fact, the IRS is trying to get new rules to limit 1st amendment rights to free speech in elections. Below is part of an email sent by the League: […]
Attorney General Lisa Madigan fails to protect the people of Illinois. If corruption is too big for her to handle, she should step aside. We can’t even hold local governments accountable because of her Public Access Office. It shouldn’t take a year of more to get an opinion! 60% of Freedom of Information Act […]
by: Diane Benjamin Last November the Bloomington City Council held a retreat. The big topic was a “Culture Change” at the City. I previously reported on it here: http://blnnews.com/2014/01/27/culture-tales-bloomington-council-retreat/ Remember, this is the retreat that triggered the Open Meetings Act violation filed by Alderwoman Judy Stearns. It also triggered Mayor Renner and David Hales hiring […]
We threw Pelosi out in 2010 We’re gearing up to do it again. This time it’s not Democrats to go It’s Boehner, Cantor, and McCarthy so . . Get ready because your goose it cooked Gohmert and Gowdy are leadership booked. We asked you to restore Constitutional principle Instead you deceived us, doing business as […]
City of Bloomington: Scott Black will always vote how Mayor Renner wants. Now with the appointment of Joni Painter, who will also do whatever the Mayor wants – THEY ARE ENOUGH VOTES TO GET RID OF DAVID HALES! Mayor Transparency? How low does employee morale have to be before David Hales is held accountable? How […]
by: Diane Benjamin I thought the Modified Ward issue was pretty much dead since all the former supporters are now in hiding. But today Glen Ludwig has a Letter to the Editor supporting Modified Wards. Facts matter Glen, here they are: The Bloomington Alderman do not do a City plan! Glen laments it’s been 9 […]
by: Diane Benjamin In November I filed another Request for Review with the Attorney General’s Public Access Office. It concerned Aldermen Fazzini, Fruin, and Black PLUS Mayor Renner conspiring together to put the Modified Ward referendum on the March 18th primary ballot. I have NUMEROUS documents outlining their strategy and meetings. They thought they had […]
Make sure you read the Comments! A neighbor told me Mayor Renner’s pick to replace Jennifer McDade on the Bloomington City Council is a big Obama supporter. Okay, I can see somebody making a mistake in 2008, but 2012? No surprise since Tari doesn’t consider himself a non-partisan mayor. Does Ward 5 feel they will […]
by: Diane Benjamin Allow me to set this up: The City of Bloomington owns the Pepsi Ice Center. I reported earlier the Pepsi Ice Center showed a profit: http://blnnews.com/2013/10/15/how-much-does-the-pepsi-ice-center-cost-you/ The City of Bloomington own the Coliseum, but they handed it over to CIAM to manage. The Pepsi Ice Center now has so many users they […]
Have you seen the news coverage? Citizens are in the streets protesting because their leadership wants to partner with Russia instead of Europe. They demand Freedom, not being under Russia’s thumb. Have you noticed how they are fighting back? Burning tires in the streets to stop the police and throwing rocks and bricks. They made […]
by: Diane Benjamin Illinois ranks 2nd for more people leaving than moving in. Only New Jersey out-ranks Illinois. (What does that say about NJ Gov. Chris Christie?) The list of why it’s happening is almost endless, but they all have to do with one thing: GOVERNMENT. The first job of government is to protect the […]
by: Diane Benjamin A local group is trying to talk you into a 1/4% Sales Tax to build a Community Center, run by the YMCA, and soccer fields west of town. There is a lot to this story that I’m not ready to report, but below is a part you should see. Everybody has the […]
by: Diane Benjamin Young people have turned on President Obama. According to a recent poll, 71% of Obama voters regret voting for him in 2012: http://washingtonexaminer.com/poll-71-of-obama-supporters-regret-voting-for-his-reelection/article/2544165 Young people are realizing the massive debt is going to fall on them. What does government do? Give more presents! Today in the ISU newspaper – the Daily Vidette: […]
If you appreciate the information on this site AND want it to continue . . . Please contribute http://tinyurl.com/m5xfh5c . Do you want to go back to only getting news from the Pantagraph? BlnNews reports what the media won’t! . . . .
by: Diane Benjamin The 7-8 year old Coliseum parking garage has been closed since October. The media isn’t asking questions. Citizens must find out for themselves what the plan for it is. David Hales issued his December Monthly Report: http://www.cityblm.org/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=6319 . No mention of the parking garage. Water usage is down from 2012 though. Golf has been […]
by: Diane Benjamin The City of Bloomington WANTED an arena, so they built it. Not knowing anything about how to run one, they handed management to a private company. Common sense would say that at least one City employee should be working at the Coliseum to keep an eye on the taxpayers investment. There isn’t […]
by: Diane Benjamin I’ve posted a number of stories about the Coliseum. The Coliseum saga exemplifies why government isn’t capable of running a business. Who is looking out for taxpayer dollars? The Coliseum was built and turned over to a private company to run. CIAM posted an income statement that posed more questions than answers. […]
by: Diane Benjamin If you got a newspaper-like campaign mailing from Republican Fund for Progress & Jobs – you need to know who funded it. This information is from elections.illinois.gov The Republican Fund for Progress and jobs got their money from Prosperity and Jobs Fund. Where did they get their money? Prosperity and Jobs Fund […]
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by: Diane Benjamin The following is part of an email Tari Renner sent to a constituent concerning the Scott Oglesby case. Maybe the Mayor should have said PUBLICLY how he felt. Judge Foley might not have bowed to public pressure if she knew others agreed with the arbitrator’s decision. As far as the substance, Scott Oglesby […]
by: Diane Benjamin Scott Oglesby: I hope you appeal Judge Foley’s ruling to overturn the arbitrator’s decision. Next time get a MALE judge. The female factor is the only explanation for her ruling. The relationship between the Bloomington Police and David Hales was already strained. The comments made by Hales, as reported in the Pantagraph […]
