by: Diane Benjamin
The agenda for City Council meetings is set by Mayor Tari Renner and City Manager David Hales. The Council members have NO input as to what is on the agenda. They might ask for something to get put on, but their chances are pretty close to ZERO.
The bull being spouted in Letters to the Editor about At-Large Aldermen being needed to work on BIG things is nothing short of lies. Elected citizens are going to study water needs and come up with solutions? What expertise do they have? Fazzini was in banking, and he is dying to be At-Large. His expertise: borrowing and spending! Besides, Council members don’t make policy and presentations to the Council!
If you like the debt Normal has amassed you will love At-Large Aldermen and one less representative on the Council. Mayor Renner wants BIG spending on Downtown and the Zoo. He is trying to secure a power base for his last 2 years in office. The citizens who were fooled by his supposed “conservative” values when he served on the County Board are waking up! Four years is going to be all they can take.
Renner adores Chris Koos. Normal went from a pay-as-you-go system pre-Koos to close to $90,000,000 in debt. All their alderman are At-Large, and they love to resign before their term ends so another liberal spender can get appointed and gain name recognition. The spending rolls on unabated by pesky concerned citizens. Bloomington, do want to be like Normal?
Renner wants Bloomington to be the same. It’s up to the citizens to make sure he fails. (unless you like tax increases)
The rest of Council needs to state where they stand. We know Fruin and Black are with Fazzini. Who else is for citizens having even less representation on the Council than they do now? Potted plants?
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What is the logic behind the city manager setting the agenda? That would be like corporations allowing their single store managers to set policy. Council should have more of a voice in setting agenda items than an outside hired manager. What a mixed up, fumbled up town we live in.
The Rubber Stamp 7 know their place! They are well trained. Of course, that’s not why they were elected.
Ald. Stearns and Ald. Lower need to get a step up to the plate and take on the Mayor Renner and the his Three Merry Alderman on their role in the Modified Ward petition drive. Renner needs to be called out once and for all in a public forum and confronted with the evidence. Lower needs to step up ad start calling out the Mayor, Fazzini, and his cohorts, as it’s obvious that he’s the one with a target on his back and will more than likely be the one to be ousted if this stupid referendum passes. The pubic is not going to get excited and go to the polls to vote against this if some Alderman don’t start “SHOUTING OUT” against it.
Renner wants all the Alderman to “be team players” as he and his ilk skulk around and plot to turn this city into a liberal governments play toy. Take off the gloves guys!! Now is not the time for political correctness. As for Commandant City Manager David Hales, he needs his wings so severely clipped, that he will quit on his own volition. Wish thinking though- it would take almost a complete change of the City Council and the Mayor to get this done.
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