by: Diane Benjamin
The League of Women Voters has a history of being on the wrong side of issues. I remember discussing ObamamCare on Facebook with a member before it was passed. The League supported ObamaCare and so did the member I discussed it with. I wonder if they have changed their minds? If not, how many people have to lose their insurance before they admit big government isn’t capable of managing the country’s healthcare? 2014 is going to be the year of destruction as employers have to comply with the mandates. When your employee premiums go sky-high or your employer tells you to shop in the Marketplace, remember the League of Women Voters supported it!
Back in 1979, the League wanted Bloomington Alderman to stay all At-large – they LOST! Citizens of Bloomington don’t want to be like Normal, I’m not sure Normal wants to be like Normal! Council members all get along, but is that good government? How’s that property tax increase working for you Normal? How about all the other fees that have mysteriously gotten much higher in recent years?
Bloomington is smarter than that!
The League held a forum last night where many of the speakers were against Modified Wards. The reasons given have all been covered here before, like higher costs to run for office and less representation. Linda Stockton (wife of former Mayor Steve Stockton) pushed the talking point of “I get four votes”. Maybe you can vote for 4 people in your neighborhood Linda, or maybe 4 from Hawthorne Hills! I’m sure they will listen to you, if they aren’t too busy working on BIG things.
But, then Fazzini utter this – according to the Pantagraph – “Whether this passes or fails, I don’t care. But we’re letting you make the decisions”.
If the Pantagraph was real press, this is what the headline would have been:
Aldermen and Mayor con the citizens with Modified Ward campaign
The citizens wouldn’t be making a choice on the March ballot if Fazzini, Renner, Fruin, and Black hadn’t hatched the idea. It wouldn’t be on the ballot if Fazzini had personally gotten most of the signatures himself: http://blnnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/petition-public-question-filed-12-16-2013.pdf It wouldn’t be on the ballot of Renner hadn’t helped Fazzini write the petition:
It wouldn’t be on the ballot if 2 League of Women Voter members hadn’t help get petitions signed.
If Bloomington had REAL press, they would be asking why citizens don’t get a vote on everything! Fazzini thinks the citizens should make decisions. Why can’t they vote on the Zoo plan-they will pay for it. Why can’t they vote on the Downtown plan – they will pay for that too. Why can’t they vote on hiring or firing a City Manager? The Rubber Stamp 7 potted plants on the Council are too busy to hold him accountable, so how about letting the citizens do it?
Renner has never admitted he helped Fazzini. Press? Hello! Citizens have a right to know where this referendum came from. They have a right to know who else circulated petitions. They have a right to know who wants a City Council where no members ever object to anything and the meetings are therefore 10 minutes long. They have a right to know who the elitists in town are and what their agenda is. They have a right to know who wants taxes raised to pay for all their BIG ideas.
The press didn’t learn any lessons after the citizens voted against the Coliseum. The Pantagraph and WJBC are now in bed with the City through advertising. The citizens deserve to be informed, maybe that’s why this site is growing and nobody trusts them anymore.
What else is local government hiding? Is corruption only in Chicago? Don’t look for answers in the Pantagraph or on WJBC.
I can’t wait for the Pantagraph and the League of Women Voters endorsements of Modified Wards.
Or, maybe they will recognized the effort has failed miserably and they will be on the right side of history for a change.
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Ok let me get this straight
-Fazzini launches a campaign to revamp the city ward structure of government
-Tari Renner words the petition for him
-Fazzini gathers the lion’s share of the signatures with the help of the League of Women voters, his daughter and a few carpetbaggers from Normal and Count on Carol at Westminster Village
-Fazzini hires Mike Matejka to write his letter to the editor in the Pantycrap explaining how he’s doing all this as a “private citizen” so that it will be harder for the average Joe to run for city council.
-Matejka comes out against his proposal because Fazzini can’t walk and chew gum at the same time.
-The League of Women voters, hauls out Linda Stockton to convince us that we’ll have four votes under Fazzini’s proposal. Barf! Is this the best the League can come up with?
-The only one making any sense at the League’s meeting is Jack Porter. Need I say more.
-Then, to top it off Rob Fazzini says he doesn’t care if it passes or not, just as long as voters have a choice.
I’ve been around Bloomington City government for a long time, but I’ve never seen anything quite this comical.
Don’t forget he hacked off Mark Peterson – Normal City Manager – by forwarding an email he wrote about me to his group. Renner is probably hacked off because Fazzini did the same to him. Fazz did the same thing to Matejka. Looks like the Fazzini’s boat is sinking fast!
Fazzini seems like the type of person who won’t go down without taking everyone with him. Mayor Renner should be nervous about what Fazzini might do next since he has been thoroughly humiliated.
Fazzini has a ego problem !! can’t figure out why he is backing down ,could it be the there is friction between him and Renner ?
He’s not backing down, just laying low. I think there are a lot of people trying to get as far away from him right now as they can. He’s a loose cannon. He’s lost all credibility as if he ever had any to begin with.