by: Diane Benjamin
Do you remember the budget discussions that took place earlier this year on the Bloomington City Council? Mayor Transparency Renner demanded tax increases and declined to consider any cuts. He publicly vilified Alderwoman Stearns for even presenting a list for consideration! Renner vetoed the budget – then he got his 3 new taxes.
Instead of having real line-by-line discussions on the budget with the people ELECTED by the citizens to represent them, Bloomington has now switched to mob rule. The aldermen are immaterial to the process, a further attempt by the City to make aldermen irrelevant. The 7 potted plants gladly comply.
Why are both Bloomington and Normal pushing bike lanes? Because the McLean County Regional Planning Commission did a survey! The only people who knew about the survey were bikers, so the results overwhelmingly said “We Need Bike Lanes”. Instant consensus engineered by government.
Bloomington is now doing the same thing with the budget. Survey the people, then fund the things they want. If the people who bother to respond say they want more “Quality of Life” projects and more downtown spending – instant consensus is achieved. If that means raising taxes and fees the aldermen can’t be blamed. The people spoke!
Our system of government is NOT a democracy where the loudest voices control the process. Mob rule doesn’t work because the mob doesn’t have access to the information City Hall is withholding. The “mob” thinks Illinois should raise the minimum wage, tax millionaires more, demand insurance cover birth control, and NEVER require voter ID. See the results of the last election. Citizens must not control government by voicing uniformed opinions that make them “feel good”. We elect representatives instead. If they screw up, they can be replaced. The general population is easily mislead, but unlike the elected, they can’t be replaced.
We pick representatives to analyze spending and make decisions based on deliberation of the facts. Bloomington wants to bypass the process and let citizens believe their wishes are being fulfilled. The cost to you is immaterial.
Unfortunately, City elections are called non-partisan. Since “all politics is local”, citizens MUST be allowed to know who they are voting for. How is your first Democrat Mayor working out?
On this site, the next City election will NOT be non-partisan!
I wonder if local elections are called non-partisan because Democrats used to not have a chance of winning in McLean County. Do you know how many aldermen on the Bloomington City Council are Democrats?
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