by: Diane Benjamin
The Bloomington budget process for FY 2015 was a sham. It resulted in 3 new taxes, no time for discussions, and verbal attacks on Alderwoman Stearns just for proposing cuts.
Mayor Renner promised an entire year would be spent reviewing the budget for next year. This video is from the April 28, 2014 Council meeting. Renner started his rant saying the budget process starts now. He even allotted at least 30 minutes for discussion. It didn’t happen. Instead he set up his attack on Stearns, the budget hasn’t been discussed since. If you missed his attack, see it here: http://blnnews.com/2014/04/29/more-on-renners-outrageous-attack/
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The retreat last year was also a joke. The Council had a secret meeting (Executive Session) where Renner threatened the Council to “have David Hales’ back”. He told them he wouldn’t tolerate public dessent. That led to Alderwoman Stearns filing an Open Meetings Act violation against the City. She knows she represents her Ward, not Tari Renner. The Attorney General STILL has not issued their ruling. Renner is a Democrat, Lisa Madigan is a Democrat, when a ruling can’t be issued on such a clear violation – it shows why corruption rules in Illinois.
Tari: What’s on the agenda this year? Did you hire the facilitator again this year in hopes of teaching everybody how to get along? (Vote Yes on everything) Is something more important than “Culture Change” on the agenda? We now know Culture Change was hire a communication director to create spin, raise taxes, spend more, and vilify opponents.
The only topic at this year’s retreat should be the promised budget discussions. The General Fund spending has exploded, is it going up again next year? Is the Illinois Institute of Technology facilitator going to show up to teach how to prioritize?
I hope you watched the video. I have no idea what Renner was talking about for most of the first 2 minutes. He claims he isn’t an ideologue. He claims local politics are non-partisan. Renner referred to “Sewer Socialists”. Exactly what did they do Tari that you aren’t? Did they think government creates economic activity? Were they building monuments to themselves? Did they spend millions of dollars more every year and call it inflation?
Maybe you could discuss this: http://www.cityblm.org/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=7306
Who made this plan Tari? You?
You want a hotel downtown, you want Preservation of Historic buildings, but the plan is to tear buildings down for your hotel? Brilliant!
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One can view the politics of Bloomington in an idealistic perspective and walk away saying exactly as you say, for example, regarding the budget process and how it was a sham. Or, it can be viewed from the reality of what it is. In that respect, the budget process was a complete success in order to force new taxes on citizens to pay for projects that facilitate the culture change you mention. True, not what citizens wanted nor what was in their best interests, but what a corrupt government body and process needed to move forward with an agenda that also forces culture change. This culture change will alter the perception of the minds in government, change the physical environment you we in, and manipulate our behavior to conform to live the environment.
Voila! Social engineering. Did I mention Bring It On Bloomington? You get it!
That begs discussion of the regular retreats, essentially, again, forced on City Council members in order to facilitate – you guessed it – culture change. The culture change you mention is ongoing, has been very successful in this community and with local government. Consider the multiple and many personnel changes that have occurred in the last year – out with old (ideology) and in with the new (culture). Get it? This is exactly what Lynn Montei and her business specializes in. Just take a quick look at the biz’s website – this is why she is called upon to facilitate these retreats.
Speaking of facilitators, the brand new Renner appointment to the Council, Diane Hauman, is also a professional facilitator. How convenient – and strategic. You work’em from the outside and now you work’em from the inside, too.
And, you can bet that while there are no PUBLIC discussions about the budget, there are discussions about the budget. And, the faclilitator(s) will make sure that a consensus is is being formed by the time the retreat is over. What will the subject matter be? All one needs to do is review the Existing Conditions Report for the Comprehensive Plan update (Bring It On Bloomington) and you will have a good idea of the majority of topics to be discussed.
While the entire system and process is a sham, idealistically speaking, it’s politics as usual in Bloomington. The sooner good citizens realize what’s really happening here – that politics as usual in Bloomington is corrupt and engineering a community none of us want to live in – the sooner we can take back Bloomington.