by: Diane Benjamin
In the last City election – April 2013 – Voter turnout in Normal was slightly over 4400 people.
Why do very few people in Normal vote?
- Because their vote doesn’t matter?
- How many members of the Council were appointed, and since the elections are at-large, name recognition helps them win the next election?
- Who really runs Normal, the elected City Council?
- Are citizens allowed to talk at Normal City Council meetings? Not without advance notice!
Fazzini thinks changing the Bloomington City Council will make government more effective. Normal is very effective. The citizens can’t speak and the Council meetings in the last year have averaged 33 minutes. Exactly how much governing is done by a council that only meets for 33 minutes every 2 weeks? See the chart below. Most of the votes are a unanimous YES. Maybe the chart title should be changed to “Fazzini Utopia”. Why discuss, analyze, negotiate, and come to just conclusions? Raising property taxes 11% is so much easier, Normal just did it.
Normal has successfully created a Council that rubber stamps almost everything the City Manager and Mayor want. Bloomington has the rubber stamp 7. In Fazzini’s world, all the Bloomington Council meetings would be 30 minutes too and all votes would be unanimous. He wants those pesky members of the Council who care about your tax dollars out!
Fazzini claims big spending took place in Bloomington under the current Ward system. He fails to realize that EVERY Alderman who voted for the Coliseum and the BPCA against the will of the people, except Fruin, were thrown off the Council in the next election. Fruin is only still on because NOBODY has ever run against him!
If this is what you want, get your wallet ready!
If people cared and were pro-active in the affairs of city councils they could not pull this off but the people are so distracted by sports and entertainments that most citizens either do not care or even want to know! Then many of those who know are disgusted and feel totally helpless about it!
People are also distracted with trying to make a living, working two jobs etc., because of ineffectual government. Everybody simply cannot go to the multiple meetings required for the Obama transformation of America. It is sad to see otherwise intelligent people on this council be snookered by the fake quality of life agenda championed by the transient city manager with mayor in tow. This council needs to go back in history to see what made this country strong and set that path.
Its about time we all stand-up and be counted !! We all hear alot of !!HOT AIR!! about whats wrong with the way the city of Bloomington is run, !! but afraid their names might be brought up, so they don’t say or do anything,