See update here: http://blnnews.com/2015/02/13/dear-tari-2/
By: Diane Benjamin
The Pantagraph has posted their story on-line about Renner’s rant.
Renner was on WGLT earlier today with the story that he was acting as a parent protecting his kid when he was attacked.
Here’s the attack: I said “his son was Facebook friends with another IWU student – COMMA(,) – not surprising since it’s a small school.”
Oh, the humanity! How vulgar! How could I have written something so vile?
Renner’s son is in college – but he went crying to daddy at 11:00pm because I called him Facebook friends? That’s all you’ve got Mayor?
The Pantagraph failed to mention the Tweet I also posted earlier. http://blnnews.com/2015/02/11/renners-story-pantagraph/
Baby boy was out with little Brexton talking about “crazy conservative blog”. Turn in your Not In Our Town membership card Brexton!
Luckily, most people in this area know the Pantagraph no longer (if they ever were) a source for news.
More proof!
The comments from the potted plants were priceless. They obviously think I “came after” baby boy too.
I wonder if little baby boy is happy daddy used him as an excuse for behavior unbecoming a human being.
By the way Tari, I have a dear friend fighting cancer. I see the Pantagraph didn’t print that you also called me “human cancer”. In one post you insulted cancer patients, Christians, and your son. Think his IWU buddies will be kidding him about crying to daddy?
He’s the one you owe an apology to!
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Seems we’re becoming very to similar with Springfield Illinois, would anyone on the Council vote for his removal?
http://chronicle.augusta.com/latest-news/2011-08-02/judge-removes-georgia-mayor-office
Action to Censure the mayor according to Roberts rules of order!
If I read this right, during aldermanic updates. A seated alderman may make a motion to censure the mayor, the motion would move through the mayor pro temp. The motion would have to be seconded and then voted upon by the council. If the motion were to pass, the mayor pro temp would then read the approved motion to censure the mayor.
http://westsidetoastmasters.com/resources/roberts_rules/chap15.html
Do you really think this group of potted plants with the exception of Judy Stearns and Kevin Lower would have the courage to do anything that would impact on the actions of the mayor and city manager. By the way who coached that IWU student with total misinformation to attack Alderman Stearns at the last Council meeting. To think parents are paying tuition at Wesleyan to teach their students how to stand up and provide misinformation to detract from real issues.
Tari says to Diane Benjamin, and I quote, “when you attack my son you are going to pay the price…….” So, what’s Tari’s price? If Brexton and Alex need protection for being Facebook friends, should Diane be seeking a bodyguard right now?
Way to go Bloomington! (claps hand slowly and sarcastically)
You elected a man who is so easily unhinged at the smallest of perceived slights, to spend millions of your hard earned dollars with the aid of seven fools caught by his glamour.
Renner’s rant should be distributed around town with an introduction of Diane’s comments so that more people can see what a thin skinned and out of touch Mayor we have in this city who distorts the facts for whatever reason. How about distributing to the administration of Wesleyan and the student body so they can see another side of Tari.
Actually the Pantagraph did mention Mayor Renner’s categorization of you as a human cancer. Also Renner did not attack Christians he simply implied that due to your behavior he believes you and many on your site falsely refer to themselves as Christians. Your derisive and angry tone makes me realize, that although it was an over the top rant for a person in public office; it seemed fitting for a father standing up for their son against an acid tongued blogger with far less facts than followers. I knew little of your site before but I now plan on perusing it for a laugh every once and awhile. Do us all a favor and stay in Ellsworth.
I plan to stay here! If you have specifics instead of accusations, post them!
I specifically pointed out that the Pantagraph had in fact posted Mayor Renners comments towards you verbatim, as for a lack of concrete facts to quote you’re right I haven’t wasted my time punching factual holes in your prose, however if I have even a moment of free time I’ll get on it, it shouldn’t take long to find factual inaccuracies in your often angry and vapid posts.
I was reading it on my phone last night. The sidebar with his comments was not visible. They were not in the body of the story. If that’s the best you have, go for it.
I disagree that it is a fitting response. Renner defending his son was the right thing. My issue with his response is that we teach our kids when they are little that name calling is wrong yet somehow forget that as we get older. Even though it is a widespread practice for among adults, that still doesn’t make it right.
That is a valid point, but it is understandable that anyone that is in the public eye would be upset about even the slightest perception of an attack upon their child. It seems pretty weak to me to assert that Brexton (the college kid who spoke at city council) was coached by Renner just because he goes to IWU and is friends with Mayor Renner’s son. The attack was as baseless as the name calling.
Brexton is majoring in Pol Sci and Renner just happens to teach it! See Brexton’s comments last Monday about millenials. Renner has said the same thing – but I’m sure there is no connection. Right.
With this post you are referring to the “acid tongue blogger,,,stay in Ellsworth,,,,a laugh every once in awhile,,,”blah, blah, blah has absolutely nothing to do with the matter at hand. It is that true lemming spirit of, “I must defend my master” to misdirect the reader away from the facts. Nice try.
What facts this whole situation is name calling, Mrs Benjamin can not prove that Brexton was coached by Renner so she used his friendship with the Mayor son to insinuate it. Before you name call get your argument straight. Half of the people on here parrot typical slash and burn conservative rhetoric about “tax and spend” democrats and their budgets (and I’m the one protecting my “master” go watch some more Glenn Beck) while most can’t offer a cogent thought on a solution. Be careful before you get into a debate with someone far above your mental station.
Did you take lessons from Renner?
i just re-read the Pantagraph articles via the app and neither one mentioned ‘human cancer’. In fact, they only contain bits of his comments while they included the comment pertaining to his son.
You act as if Tari Renner teaches a liberal bias in his Political Science courses, this would not fly at IWU. A liberal arts school (and no that’s not the same liberalism that conservatives vehemently oppose, although they often make that mistake) with a large population of conservative students, would not allow personal or political bias to effect a courses curriculum. So the fact that the kids beliefs line up with Mayor Renners does not mean he was brainwashed into his spot upon the political spectrum. Perhaps as is allowable he came to his own set of values and it just so happens that his beliefs coincide with Mayor Renner’s and because he and the Mayors son both attend IWU they became friends. Not every coincidence is a conspiracy and many mislabelled conspiraces are simply coincidences blown out of proportion by bloggers adorned in tinfoil hats!
Maybe not, but I have a recent graduate friend from IWU who was frequently attacked for conservative values.
As an IWU alum myself I find that difficult to believe if you in fact mean attacked by professors, now I grant you that other students may have not displayed appropriate tact when discussing political beliefs in classrooms.
How long ago?
Graduated in 2007
What was your major? I graduated from ISU. There was a HUGE difference between departments.
Oh boy, there you go with the conspiracy and tinfoil hat thing, as it is obvious, that is the best you’ve got. The tired old flawed method of ridiculing the opposition when in your face evidence and logic do not support your position.
In regards to this story, the mayors son was mentioned in a blog post and the kid over reacted. Next daddy goes over the top, truly conduct unbecoming of a mayor that continued with that he is not going to apologize to Diane the person that he wrote the letter that says, “please quote me.” This rant from this mayor is not the first out of control rant and is a matter of fact one of many.
You sir are defending a prime candidate for anger management class seemingly knowing little about his history.
I know much about the man who is running Bloomington and believe him to be a strong leader with a transpatent government who is passionate about improving Bloomington. I think he did overreact when his son came to him about Mrs. Benjamin tweeting him, the son perceived the tweet as inappropriate and Tari acted quickly perhaps to quickly but to lambaste someone for attempting to protect his kid seems like an overcorrection to an over reaction. Itproves nothing other than the mayor is human being.
The tweet mentioning Alex was AfTER the RENNER RANT! I found it the next day. Tari doesn’t like anybody who opposes his agenda and he went on the attack.
I don’t know anybody who spews the vile speech he did. Do you? I don’t care how upset he was, Not In Our Town was a farce.
TYLER, ACCORDING TO HIS STUDENTS HE RANTS AND RAVES LIKE A LOON ABOUT CONSERVATIVES AND JUMPS UP AND DOWN ON DESKS!!! JUST LOOK AT THEIR OWN STUDENT EVALUATIONS OF HIM, THEY ARE AVAILABLE TO YOU ONLINE.
Diane did not Tweet his son and no one picked on his son. Not one damn bad word was said about the kid, who is obviously a kid, unlike most 18 years who try to be adults many of who are off serving their country. Nonetheless, Tari is on videotape, at the second to last Council Meeting where he gave asked the Clerk for a card to give to the Brexton kid who came in late after the number of speakers were already filled and selected. Renner asked the Council for permission to have an additional commenter, who just happened to be Brexton, and he took the kid a card. it’s all on videotape. Renner wanted to taking parting shots at Ald. Stearns and he did so by Proxy. He did again the following meeting with Brexton who also had his girlfriend, who is also a Poly Sci student, and she derided Ald. Stearns for not doing anything for the mentally ill. Well, what the young “lady” didn’t know is that Ald. Stearns had a distinguished career with over 30 years as a RN , with many years serving as a nurse and Supervisory nurse in Psychiatric Medicine in Bloomington-Normal.
History
My degree was in History
I’m beyond embarrassed for the citizens of Bloomington at this point. This so called mayor is our representive and his little rants are appalling.I so look forward to the next election so we can vote him out of office since I know that he would never man up and resign. He rules like a puppet master and the city council sans Judy and Kevn are his puppets. Seriously, it’s time to shut his show down and get some real work done in this city!
Tyler,,,it proves that the man is OUT of control within himself. This is not the first time but one of many such outbursts although this one pretty much takes the cake. As you continue your uninformed defense of the history of his childish (unbecoming of a mayor) behavior I hear that the phones are ringing off the hook at city hall which I will guess that most folks are appalled at the mayors comment of which he said “please quote me.”
If a professional athlete did something like this they would be fined $50,000 plus and suspended for 6 games. The public backlash would be national! The fans would shame them due to the example they are expected to set. The mayor as the mayor takes on the position of the people of his city and needs to represent them accordingly in restraint, in admitting when his is wrong rather than hiding behind excuses.
Did you really just compare the Mayor of a small Municipality to a professional athlete. I agree he went over the top but as a reaction to someone involving his kid in something that had nothing to do with him. He could have used more tact but tell me how does this statement diminish his ability to govern. Unfortunately for you all there have been Mayors that have done far worse things and continued to lead. You all are just pissed that he won the election in a largely conservative town, and you’d use anything up and to a jaywalking ticket to try and apply pressure to force him to step down.
Wrong Tyler. He increased spending and raised 3 taxes. He plans to raise more. He attacked me for telling the truth and exposing him. He is a big government I am smarter than you kind of guy. That’s how Bloomington got the Coliseum, the debt for it, and the lousy management by CIAM.
Tyler,,,you just keep making excuses for the guy. Then you go on to propose baseless accusations such as: 1) we’re all pissed off because he won the election 2) that I watch Glenn Beck when I personally can’t stand that guy, which is of course is typical misdirection of the subject at hand because you can’t factually support your position.
Then there is that end of the post (where did it come from) part of Renner’s rant that he noted “please quote me on this” that he says “The fact that some of you still think you are Christians is PATHETIC! There is a special place in hell for you!” As you attempt to impress with your vocabulary Tyler, how do you explain this comment? Does this mean that any Christian that happens to reach this site and this post is pathetic and should go to hell??? So what did these Christian folk do? Did they by their mere presence on this site attack Renner’s son as well? Really?
The Renner rant is pathetic because the man is pathetic. Resign, IMPEACH, replace, get lost, go away, take a vacation out of town for the tenure of your position, give it up, whatever,,,just go and don’t let the door hit you in the ass on your way out.
No I did not, I had another professor for Poli Sci.
I didn’t say he didn’t raise taxes, you have problems with his ability to create jobs yet you fail to mention the tech company that opened a manufacturing facility in town while Renner was Mayor. Also why wouldn’t a revitalized downtown help employment, it seems to have worked for Normal. Many on here that bash IWU forget that the CEO at State Farm is an alumni. I understand your fundamental political differences but I do not believe that the outrage in regards to his comments are justified. There was absolutely no reason to involve his family. Talk about the IWU students who expressed their sentiments for increases P and R spending, Portland went through a revitalization geared towards youth as did Seattle and both cities saw raised numbers of millennials and higher quality of life as well as lower unemployment rates. In fact Washington raised its minimum wage and small businesses didn’t shut down or move they thrived. The majority of businesses report higher earnings and better product. Henry Fords moving assembly line was not why his company revolutionized automobiles, his genius was paying his employees enough money so they could afford what was rolling of that assembly line. I have mountains of hard data to support the idea that supply side economics otherwise known as trickle down or Reaganomics do not work, and that cutting government spending will not boost the economy in the long run. Balanced prudent spending with appropriate tax growth to meet inflation, coupled with renovation and added TIF zones lead to economic growth.
Better checked your facts. research what happened at SeaTac when the minimum wage was raised. Yes, businesses have closed in Seattle. Normal spent $100 million the first time. Now they want to spend another $60 million. Research the tax increases in Normal. Research the receipts that are now down. Who pays? The people moving out with State Farm sure aren’t going to.
Here are where my facts come from: the Center for Economic and Policy Research an unbiased statistical fact gathering site using data gathered at Goldman Sacs to track the economic growth of States. Dig a little deeper and you’ll find that many of the places where your numbers come from are politically motivated.
I tried to post a link before and it appears as though it didn’t work. This is the link:
http://www.cepr.net/index.php/blogs/cepr-blog/2014-job-creation-in-states-that-raised-the-minimum-wage
So you can look for yourselves, I imagine we will never reach any fundamental consensus and are at an impasse, but I do hope that conservatives, liberals, Republicans, Democrats, Independents, libertarians, and everyone in between realizes that as long as our representatives do not compromise and find some common ground our country will pay the price.
Lulz…Seattle?
Unless ‘his Honor’ has signed up Microsoft and Nintendo to set up shop in town, that comparison falls laughingly short.
And this comment:
“Balanced prudent spending with appropriate tax growth to meet inflation…”
So…you don’t mind getting robbed as long as it’s on a gently increasing scale, right?
Ugh…’progressives” (smFh)
When did paying taxes become synonymous with being robbed? That is a warped way of thinking.
LMAO…’warped’.
Tell that to the guys who had a tea party in Boston Harbor. Being a graduate of the esteemed and hallowed grounds of Illinois Wesleyan, I am certain you remember we started a revolution based on those ‘warped’ ideas.
Was Thomas Paine just another bat-shit crazy conservative blogger of his day…the worst form of humanity as ‘his Honor’ believes?
“Warped” is thinking it is OK to take money I have earned so that ‘his Honor’ can go eat lunch at Rosies eight times a month…or to pay consultants (who don’t even LIVE in this town) to ponder mighty questions regarding how lit up downtown is…or whether it is ‘feasible’ to build a hotel (Answer: not without more of my money)…or to pay managers of a coliseum (an asset I own collectively through no choice of my own) to make NO money on MY behalf with MY asset.
Hell, Teri and the band of seven thieves just gave the go ahead for David Hales to spend up to $50,000 with virtually no oversight. This is representation?
I am sure you’re OK with that because you’re a ‘progressive’ – enthralled in the dreamy idea that government can provide ‘quality of life’.
It can’t.
It isn’t able to.
What ‘progressives’ like you (and you are a ‘progressive’ whether you know it or not) will never understand is that government has NO incentive to provide a better product at a lesser cost.
Now that I have gotten that out of the way, do you want to tell me about the magic corporation that will settle in Bloomington and fill our city’s coffers to overflowing so that we too can be like Seattle?
I BET Tyler “rents”
HEY TYLER,,,I’ve got one more reply for you and then my mental station is shutting down on your drivel. To quote you, “Balanced prudent spending with appropriate tax growth to meet inflation, coupled with renovation and added TIF zones lead to economic growth.”
1) If the mayor participated in balanced prudent spending in real life, it would be an answer to our prayers. If the city practiced good money management practices, I imagine that this blog site would sing a a different song. 2) Appropriate tax growth to meet inflation, no thanks without a sustained period of prudent spending. 3) They’ve been trying to renovate the downtown since before your 8th birthday which at that time I suppose had you been paying close attention to Bloomington politics, development, etc. which is why you know so much now, lol. 4) Evidently the recent years of TIF zones didn’t do enough or we wouldn’t be needing to repeat it. Take a look at the development on the East side Tyler. Since major retail, major housing, and State Farm moved that direction starting before you were born, we townies understand that the revitalization of downtown that has been going on for years isn’t having much of an effect. We’re real sick of this mayor that wants more of our money via taxes to spend on downtown businesses that need to get their shit together with individual better business plans. Other areas or businesses in this town aren’t getting the attention that downtown does, which is just more of the same old, same old.
tyler how can you be a progressive when you are friends with “Jake from State Farm”?