by:  Diane Benjamin

Nobody is against development Tari, just development funded with taxpayer dollars.  Do I need to start listing all the Bloomington City boondoggles the citizens were told are going to be great?  Or maybe a list of all the City “gifts” they gave citizens that don’t come close to breaking even?

I realize you think you are the smartest Mayor ever, the previous guys made bad contracts – but you won’t.

We’ve been hearing the same line for decades.

Here’s the bigger problem:  You LIE.

This morning on WJBC you said Normal was getting Zero Sales Tax from College Hills Mall.  That’s why they had to give tax incentives for the Shops of College Hills development.  Did the businesses that hadn’t closed before Normal leveled the mall not pay taxes?  Normal wasn’t getting property taxes?  ZERO is misleading at best, a lie at worst.  It’s hard to have confidence in a guy that thinks he is transparent, but isn’t really.  People see right through you Tari.

Then there was your statement about NO taxpayer money used  for a downtown hotel.  The last company you hired (at taxpayer expense) reported a $17 million gap between construction costs and viability.  That number magically disappears with a TIF district?  Who is going to foot the bill to tear a building down?  Taxpayers?

Taxpayer money has already been used.  Are you going to used the “Thousand Cuts” approach to sneaking in City help without anybody noticing?

The last was my favorite.  I think the discussion was about bike lanes.  You stated people don’t want to commute and hour to work anymore, that was the old days.  I think you were trying to say people want to live downtown so they don’t have to.  You even stated there is a waiting list for luxury apartments downtown.  This isn’t Chicago or New York Tari.  Downs is 10 minutes away, so is The Grove and Carlock.  If anybody commutes an hour to work around here it’s because they want to.  They won’t be moving downtown.

Telling the truth is very difficult for you.  Your attempts to exaggerate facts and promote “world views” isn’t popular here.  If people wanted to live in Chicago they would move there.  If people do move to Chicago it’s because they don’t want to live here.  How about accepting the people here now.  More will come, lots of people want small town.  Quit trying to change what the citizens don’t want changed.  Bring It On better come up with a whole lot more people completing surveys.  What they have now isn’t instilling confidence.

Nice job playing along Scott Laughlin.  You two should call yourselves: Team Transparent.

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