by:  Diane Benjamin

Another edition of INSIDE Bloomington:

The City Council failed to follow the law for a number of years concerning Executive Session minutes.  These are the SECRET meetings for discussing things like labor contracts, evaluations, and lawsuits.  The law says the minutes have to be periodically reviewed and a vote must be taken on whether to release them or keep them secret.

I received these minutes under the Freedom of Information Act:  Aug 12, 2013

I strongly urge the citizens of Bloomington to read every word.  They reveal a lot about what the Alderman think of you.  (Probably why they don’t want them released!)

This secret meeting was to discuss releasing Tom Hamilton’s evaluations.  Kudos to Mayor Transparency Renner,  he looks like he wanted to release the minutes.

On page 3 there is an error:

Aldermen Stearns and Black believed that the minutes should be released. The people
had the right to know. Information would be provided to the public and the media.

Aldermen Mwilambwe, Fazzini, McDade, Stearns, Sage and Fruin believed that the
minutes should be retained.

Stearns is quoted numerous times wanting the minutes released.  Stearns can’t be for releasing and against.  I believe the name in the second sentence should be Schmidt – she is quoted numerous times not wanting to release them.

Alderman Lower was absent from this meeting.

From the minutes we now know that Renner, Stearns, and Black are the only elected officials that think the public has a right to know.  Remember, Hamilton had been gone since 2008.  Five years later 6 members still wanted to keep secrets.

What did the current City Manager David Hales think?

David Hales, City Manager, addressed the Council. He recommended that Executive
Session minutes regarding personnel matters remain closed. This information should be
viewed as confidential. Perhaps at a future date, an abbreviated form of the minutes
could be released.

 Here’s another interesting quote:

Mayor Renner believed that the Council had used logic when evaluating the City
Manager. This was the Council’s lone employee. He also noted the City Manager’s
impact on the City. This was a unique position. The City Manager served at the Mayor
and Council’s pleasure.

The City Manager is an employee of the Council?  Really?  Council members can’t request items for the agenda, discussion is limited, and Council members have difficulty getting information from the City, but Hales is their employee?

So what’s the International angle:

Mayor Renner had contact a number of units of local government. None have released.
The ICMA (International City/County Administrators Association), had not seen same
but believed that it had been done. This was likely when conducting a search for a new
City Manager.

The International City Manager’s Association creeps into everything the City does. (The acronym above is correct, long version is wrong) This organization is in countries all over the world, that includes countries without our history, our Constitution, and our values.

Hales and probably Renner attend their conferences.  Renner used to work for them.  Normal is heavily involved with ICMA too.

Congrats!  International standards are now more instrumental in shaping local government than you are.   Renner and Hales are measuring your local government against ICMA international standards.  How does the rest of the world feel about the 2nd amendment, property rights, and freedom of speech?  That’s who the local guys want shaping local government?  Hales will be attending another ICMA conference in September.

I’m sure you can’t wait to see what he brings home this time.

 

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