By: Diane Benjamin
In Bloomington only 9.23% of registered voters voted.
The only thing that will change on the Bloomington City Council is all votes will now be 8-1 instead of 7-2. The taxpayer paid lunches for aldermen with Tari Renner and David Hales will continue so all the Council meetings are fixed in advance. The meetings will be shorter because raising taxes and fees and spending millions on downtown will garner very little discussion. Alderman Kevin Lower will be marginalized and villianized for not playing the game with everybody else.
The Pantagraph will report the Council didn’t have a choice but to raise your garbage fees. Tari Renner will get on WJBC and say costs keep going up so we have no choice. Tax revenue will continue to decrease because government will hire even more employees which will take even more money away from citizens. Democrats have destroyed the State of Illinois over the past decade, now they will finish their work with Bloomington. Citizens thought the City Council was dysfunctional because 2 people actually stood up for citizens. Those days are over – congrats Bloomington is now just like Normal.
The lesson for all Bloomington citizens is this: Believing anybody with an “R” behind their name shares Republican values is the biggest mistake you can make.
Former Mayor Rich Buchanan and current County Board member claims to be a Republican. Yet, he wrote a Letter to the Editor supporting Amelia Buragas. The same Amelia who didn’t understand why a 1% Sales Tax increase wasn’t passed for schools. The same Buragas who donated $24,700 to Democrats while she was in college. Nice Rich!
Add former Sheriff Mike Emery to list of so-called Republicans who also wrote a letter supporting Buragas.
One more – Geoffrey Tomkins, former GOP precinct committeeman had Buragas signs in his yard.
The local GOP has now been proven immaterial because they have no principles or values. Anybody can say they are Republican and nobody questions them. Voters are deceived into picking between a Democrat and a pretend Republican.
Since I don’t live in Bloomington or Normal I can sit back and enjoy the show. Normal passes tax increases without any discussion. Koos loves his 1 day events, then the citizens forget. Bloomington has dragged the garbage discussion out for more than a year. They passed increases and then screwed it up, so now they need more. Maybe Renner has finally learned from Koos – just pass it. The citizens obviously don’t care.
One more note – Jeremy Kelley lost because of kids voting from Wesleyan. Buragas won Ward 4 because of kids who aren’t from here and probably won’t stay when they graduate. Sweet!
Renner now plans to make “unprecedented progress”. That is his way of saying “fundamental transformation”. Nothing, especially the local press is standing in his way.
Someday maybe Bloomington-Normal will have seen enough of tax and spend liberals. Obviously they haven’t yet, but by then it will be too late. The elected aldermen say people wanted a positive message.
Here it is: I’m positive your taxes are going up because the elected think “Quality of Life” is their job to create.
Get to know your local potholes – they are going to around a long time.
It is indeed a sad day for Bloomington, IL.
They did it to themselves!
I tried dammit!
Yup elected by 5% of the voters. Wonder if they will be arrogant enough to claim they got a mandate from the voters.
Renner already did. See today’s bird-cage liner.
Now is the time to learn. We must take stock of what happened yesterday and chart a course for the future. Here are a few random thoughts:
1. The McLean County Chamber of Commerce is a powerful force to go up against. Their candidates won yesterday because the Chamber endorsed them and gave them endless radio spots on at least two major radio stations in town. It worked. Where were the conservatives? When your message gets out and touches people, you win. On name recognition alone, you win. These were the only radio spots I heard.
2. Conservative candidates are going to have to learn how to run credible campaigns if they have any hopes of winning. Jeremy Kelly did, Alton Franklin did not. More than that, a serious effort needs to be made to recruit quality candidates to run and win. Schmidt’s candidate died before the election and one could even question if this person would have been a good candidate if they were still alive. David Sage ran unopposed. Painter’s opponent? Wouldn’t know her if I saw her or him. What gender were they? Get the point. The person ran a poor campaign.
3. Vote. Elections are decided by voters and when our people don’t show up, our candidates are not going to win. Candidates have got to get their people to the polls. Amelia did and she won.
This isn’t rocket science. Stop licking your wounds and get to work. Bloomington got what they deserved yesterday.
I started Net Pac just to counter the Chamber. Conservatives didn’t care.
Before we lament ourselves into oblivion let us review the numbers and find a way to carry on even though the majority rules brought us a sounding defeat.
Buragas 684, Kelly 639 = 52%, 48%. Only a 55 vote difference, only 4% favored Buragas. A well run campaign by the Kelly supporters falls short most probably due to the IWU kids that will move out of town in two months.
Painter 320, Diaz 262 = 55%, 45%. It’s too bad the Diaz campaign was pretty much a one man campaign getting little help from local concerned conservatives that put all their eggs in one basket.
These two races were pretty close actually and with the support that Kelly and Diaz got, these guys need to somehow keep the momentum going. Now is not the time to say that it is over. Now is the time for them to roll up their sleeves and rally their neighborhoods. It can be done.
Now for sure David Hales will become vested in his pension and likely receive an even higher salary.
I like the one poster on the bird cage liner website who said they were joining the State Farm caravan and leaving too. You can bet more people will leave. Too I’m really surprised that SF just doesn’t up and leave given the taxes around here.
Roughly 1400+ voters just screwed many taxpayers and that is no joke. Another legacy in the making like the Judy dynasty.
Repeat: They did it to themselves.
What is the precinct for IWU? I question the win was because of them.
I’ve always been told local elections are not about the political party. This thread has convinced me otherwise. So now the question becomes how in the Hell did the Republicans screw up the finances so bad in Bloomington years ago? Why is our pension in the shape it’s in?
Republicans? Actually it makes a lot of sense, considering how Fiscally Responsible the Republicans claim they are and then run up the debt like crazy.
“Tax revenue will continue to decrease because government will hire even more employees which will take even more money away from citizens.” Could you please explain to my ignorant self how tax revenue decreases because of more employees on the City payroll. I’m not for hiring more, just find the comment confusing.
All of Bloomington’s previous mayor’s were Republicans. All have thought they had the need to entertain the citizens – that’s not Republican thinking. The election was actually in districts because some poll location were combined for a low turnout. Renner, Schmidt, and Robustelli all work at IWU. The have lots of contacts with students and telling them how to vote. It happens every election. I’ve got people looking at who actually voted, more on that later.
The only source of revenue for government is taxpayers. When they take more, people have less money to spend. Numerous taxes were raised last year and receipts are down on almost all but the new taxes. When people have less money to spend, less taxes are generated – like sales taxes. Government spends it where they want it spent which conflicts with free markets. When the free markets are usurped by government, the economy can not function properly. $2.5 million is scheduled to be spent at the Coliseum. That is money being shipped out of Illinois to sign makers, concession machines, etc etc. Bloomington is an expert on buying anything but local. That was a quick explanation, hope it helps.
I can go along with SALES Tax revenue decreasing. Thanks.
Please don’t get me started on Bloomington using out of town vendors. It’s a pet peeve of mine. They don’t even shop or put enough projects out for bids. Why? Because they don’t have to have it bid out. Why work when your spending tax payer money?
As for the IWU voters. Well, at least they voted. If the people don’t care, they get what they deserve.
I agree. They WILL get what they deserve.
Do you really think students are going to take time out of their day to go vote on a local election when residents can’t be bothered to? I live in a pretty conservative neighborhood and fewer than 40 people voted at our polling station!
Remember Brexton?
When Scott Black ran for election two years ago, one of his opponents told me that IWU seniors were picking up graduation gowns on the same day as voting just across the hall from the polling place. Pretty convenient.
“Get to know your local potholes – they are going to around a long time.
Oh I’m SURE they will be but those all important Bike Lanes will get TOP priority I’m sure… I have a house in another town/county I am getting VERY tempted to move there even if my commute for work will be much longer. I am starting to truly despair, but I knew when Tari Renner was elected that it was pretty much a lost cause from here on out unless something changes drastically
The local Republican party has been taken over by Democrats
I’ll be ready for the next election so that I can run! I’m on the dividing line of Ward 3 and Ward 8 (but reside in Ward 3 at this time). It has re-fueled by passion to be a transparent, honest, passionate, and a representative for the peoples’ voice…the residents…the constituents. I enjoyed my four years on the DeWitt County Board (two as Vice Chairman) before it went south for the last couple years. I’m ready to jump in, McLean County!
Start campaigning now!