by: Diane Benjamin
The Feds got the brilliant idea to fund expansion of broadband service. Hence CIRBN was born, but don’t plan on using it unless you are part of government, a schools, or other non-profit organization. The service isn’t offered to individuals.
In December the Normal City Council approved an agreement to assist them with operations. Evidently they didn’t have the “infrastructure” to allow for hiring. In English – they didn’t have any money. But, Normal thinks it will get paid back. http://www.centralillinoisproud.com/story/normal-takes-on-big-role-for-broadband-project/d/story/wNH3CMI0vUqYkrJeem4CXw
They have a new Executive Director. Who is paying the bills? How about the new custom van? Don’t worry, it’s all okay, Mayor Chris Koos said so.
Mark DeKeersgieter Facebook page
Started Working at Cirbn – Central Illinois Regional Broadband Network
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Excuse my ignorance here, but –
Is it legal for my local municipal government to be owners in a corporation?
How’s that work?
According to the LIMITED information available on the CIRBN website (almost secretive)
the City of Bloomington is not only an owner, but on the board of managers.
And, yet while this is not a company that provided service to local citizens, the citizens are paying the bill.
I’m concerned with the legality and conflict issues.
I’m curious, with all the questions a layman such as myself have after only reviewing the information for 10 minutes, how did my elected city council representative vote to approve this?
Information from ISU reveals that the President of the Board of the CIRBN, and ISU’s own VP, Dan Layzell, is pulling up roots and transferring to LSU in Louisiana
That will leave the top spot vacant and needing filled.
Should it be of concern to those who approved this venture initially – who did so with the understanding this individual would be the primary influence in its local management – who will now assume this position?
As an academic and vested professional of higher education, I am certainly not one to promote baseless theories. However, life experience instructs me that such a substantial move does not materialize overnight. That said, was Layzell’s appointment to the Managing Director’s position done so with the foreknowledge he would vacate it in the near future? If such be the case, was there another preferred individual that may not have passed muster originally who will now fill the post, as they say “on the downlow”?
The proposition is relevant considering the many issues that now seem to be rising to the surface in Bloomington’s government. Not that Bloomington’s government could be solely or directly responsible if such a theory is possible, but it simply makes me wonder what is really taking place over the entire spectrum of local government?
It’s a reasonable hypothesis.