By: Diane Benjamin
A Ward 5 resident sent me Joni Painters campaign materials. I’m going to separate her talking points from reality.
Joni wants to “address our crumbling roads and deteriorating water and sewer systems”? Ask her why the only money budgeted for 2016 comes from the Motor Fuel Tax passed last year – by her. Isn’t infrastructure spending what citizens expect of government? Joni had to increase taxes to fund essential services?
“I believe in a balanced budget”. Last year she voted for all proposed tax increases to balance the budget. Is this a person working FOR the citizens or for the City? See proof here: http://blnnews.com/2014/07/28/dont-forget-who-raised-your-taxes/
Joni claims she is for transparency. I file Freedom of Information Act requests for information the City tries to hide. Joni Painter thinks I should be charged for demanding transparency: http://blnnews.com/2014/11/14/emails-tell-who-represents-you-especially-private-ones/
More from her campaign materials:
Protect taxpayer dollars? Really?
Just in the last few meetings Joni has voted to:
- Buy the Sugar Creek Packing property with no regard to the future costs of cleaning up the site and developing it
- Hire Bronner Group, LLC from Chicago as ANOTHER consultant
- Voted to allow City Manager David Hales to spend up to $50,000 without Council approval
Where is Joni moving the City forward to? Bankruptcy? More tax increases? Did the citizens demand the tax increases last year she voted for?
All voters need to know about Joni is:
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Renner appointed her to the library board
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Renner appointed her to the City Council
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Joni works for Renner, not citizens
Ward 5 has a much better choice for their representative – Lupe Diaz. Vote for real fiscal responsibility and not just another potted plant rubber stamping the current tax and spend agenda.
Progressive liberal. I got one of her flyers. She says she wants to move Bloomington “Forward” and want it to be “Fair” for everyone? Sound like she needs to get her Obama sign back out of her garage that she proudly displayed in her yard during the 2008 and 2012 elections and place it next to her campaign signs.
Just exactly what do they mean by “move our city forward” ? Confounded I can’t for the life of me derive any measurable meaning of what that could be.
Economic development isn’t going to happen because they are taxing people and businesses too much and not building an infrastructure for it. They would rather keep dumping money into some Coliseum and downtown development. Do you think for one minute some business could care if there is a Flamingo exhibit or some fountain outside city hall works? They need a touch of business reality.
First of all move are community forward to what exactly higher taxes, more spending, bigger government and loss of more freedoms? And secondly she said do it in a manner that is fair to everyone. That statement shows her incompetence. It is impossible to be fair to everyone in their desired utopia. Someone will get screwed. Even Renner said “We’re Screwed!”
The thing about progressives is that with every step forward they take two steps backwards but they never count the negatives. They are like hamsters on a treadmill putting in lots of miles but don’t go anywhere.
she, and the other council members need to drive around town and look at the empty businesses and houses for sale. Economic reality is that the tax base is moving out of Bloomington and we need to get our ‘house’ in order now. Painter and the other liberals need to be ‘moved on’ and ‘out the door’ before they break us beyond repair.