By: Diane Benjamin
Nora Dukowitz wants a court to approve why she doesn’t do her job. The Cities 92.9 reporter wanted questions answered and she refused to respond. Since Nora refused to see him at City Hall, he knocked on her door. She didn’t answer (no surprise), so he left his business card. That’s it, no stalking. Nora now wants protection from a member of the press. A very funny view for a Communications Director!
If Josh Schmidgall was an immediate threat to her safety, why is the court date June 4th? Nora would have requested an immediate Order of Protection if she had so much fear. Knocking on a door isn’t a crime Nora!
When the City decided they needed a Communications Director, I wrote at least 2 stories:
http://blnnews.com/2014/06/02/bloomingtons-spin-begins/
http://blnnews.com/2013/12/08/bloomington-you-are-getting-your-own-jay-carney/
The second one includes the City’s description of the job:
The purpose of this position is to enhance City communication efforts with the general public, stakeholders and City employees to increase governmental transparency, foster a well-informed citizenry and workforce. The Communication Manager provides high level organizational leadership and formulates strategy for City communication efforts. This position assists the City Manager, Mayor, City Council and City departments in communicating with citizens, stakeholders and employees. The Communication Manager works to ensure that accurate, consistent, and comprehensible information is received by targeted audiences and assists in identifying target audiences for a diverse set of communications.
Nora is asking a court to say she doesn’t have to do what the City hired her to do if the press is not the Pantagraph or WJBC. Tari is running out of way to silence conservatives, so he is now trying the Nora approach. Tari wants to be free to do whatever he wants, spend and borrow as much money as he wants, raise taxes, and YOU are only supposed to get glowing reports from the approved press. Cities 92.9 stands in his way because they inform citizens. Why do you think he attacked me? Same reason.
Isn’t it funny the Pantagraph disabled comments to their Nora Dukowitz story? Maybe the pretend press didn’t want to hear from citizens. Maybe the pretend press is feeling guilty about not holding government accountable themselves. Maybe the pretend press is just trying to protect their cash cow, the City of Bloomington.
What would the guys who wrote the FIRST Amendment, which guarantees Freedom of the Press, think?
See this story – a few excerpts are below: http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2014/05/founding-fathers-guaranteed-free-press-even-whistleblowers-bloggers.html
In the First Amendment, the Founding Fathers gave the free press the protection it must have to fulfill its essential role in our democracy. The press was to serve the governed, not the governors. The Government’s power to censor the press was abolished so that the press would remain forever free to censure the Government. The press was protected so that it could bare the secrets of government and inform the people.
In other words, the Founding Fathers understood that people who stand up to “oppressive” government officials are to be zealously protected … because “shaming” corrupt, powerful people “into more honorable and just modes of conducting affairs” is the only way to preserve liberty, justice and prosperity, and to remain “free and happy”.
Diane, I read your Must Read on the homepage. I found this: http://www.snopes.com/politics/quotes/socialism.asp
Check out the quote from Reagan’s biographer.
The MUST READ was in the Congressional register. Anything else is immaterial.
You do realize that Cleon Skousen was largely discredited for his works, right? Questionable sourcing, the LDS church wanted nothing to do with him, running the Salt Lake City police department like…a communist. He embellished his FBI resume. He was banned from the American Security Council. He claimed any criticism of the Mormon church as Communist attacks. Supported rascist doctrine. I could go on but I respect your web server storage.
If you are trying to get someone to your side, there are better people to quote.
He wrote some great books though, try reading one.
To your comment below. Where is the reply button…my freedom of speech is being restricted! Just kidding.
Which book would you recommend?
Naked Capitalist, Naked Communist, both good
I dunno. The books on 9/11, the NWO, the JFK assassination, and Pearl Harbor and Elvis’ death look good too.
You have to ask yourself at this point, am I really being sincere or am I just putting you on?
By the way, I enjoy the reporting on the Bloomington-Normal local government and wish you would stay with this. What you have on your front-page is the same that happened with G.W. Bush. I thought it was BS then and it was BS now. Sometimes answers are much more simple then a contorted web of theories.
Like Lincoln predicted, we will be destroyed from within.
Are you aware, that our non communicative Communications Director ‘s email address is not listed on the city website? Nora is like Waldo, where’s Waldo? She isn’t mentioned anywhere. Do you happen to have it? I’d like to send her an email.
I don’t. Is that like the anonymous editorials written by somebody at the Pantagraph?
But you have to fill out a form with your name etc., to make comments. They want to know who you are but heaven forbid they stand up.
I’ve had similar experiences in the past with Jennifer McDade about whether or not she was living in the ward she was representing. She refused to answer and when I pressed she called it harassment. Nora’s tactics are very similar. She’s a $62,230 per year burracrate who can’t even do what she’s been hired to do: Spin city issues, problems and personnel to please Renner and Hales. All she has to do is give fist bump some general statement like, “Mr. Hales salary is competitive with other city managers in other similar demographics. The city council voted on Mr. Hales’ raise because they approve of the job he’s doing.” But, just like Jennifer did with me, she’ll call it harassment. Yet, her continued avoidance will not make the problems go away. Jennifer eventually had to answer in the form of a resignation because she was not living in her ward, just as I asserted. Sooner or later an answer will have to be given for Hales’ over inflated salary and while we’re at it we need an answer to why Nora’s is being paid this much to request restraining orders on people asking the communication director questions. This tactic will backfire, just give it time.
Possibly Nora, the professor, and quality of life merry-ann Hales can win an award for becoming the political science laughing stock of Illinois. Surely this combination of hubris and utter stupidity will come back to haunt them.
I had to google what harassment in legal terms meant in IL. Here below is what I found.
At best maybe (ii) could be used but it would be a weak evidence at that. I suspect the judge will throw it out. I wonder if Nora had any “no trespassing” signage posted?
To me it doesn’t appear she made any attempt to request (oral or written) that the reporter not contact her, then again I don’t know all the facts.
http://www.avvo.com/legal-answers/what-is-the-current-illinois-criminal-statute-rega-1011817.html
Also of concern is the definition of Harassment as it pertains to Orders of Protection which prohibit harassment.
Illinois Law defines harassment for orders of protection purposes under 750 ILCS 60/103 (7):
“Harassment” means knowing conduct which is not necessary to accomplish a purpose that is reasonable under the circumstances; would cause a reasonable person emotional distress; and does cause emotional distress to the petitioner. Unless the presumption is rebutted by a preponderance of the evidence, the following types of conduct shall be presumed to cause emotional distress:
(i) creating a disturbance at petitioner’s place of employment or school;
(ii) repeatedly telephoning petitioner’s place of employment, home or residence;
(iii) repeatedly following petitioner about in a public place or places;
(iv) repeatedly keeping petitioner under surveillance by remaining present outside his or her home, school, place of employment, vehicle or other place occupied by petitioner or by peering in petitioner’s windows;
(v) improperly concealing a minor child from petitioner, repeatedly threatening to improperly remove a minor child of petitioner’s from the jurisdiction or from the physical care of petitioner, repeatedly threatening to conceal a minor child from petitioner, or making a single such threat following an actual or attempted improper removal or concealment, unless respondent was fleeing an incident or pattern of domestic violence; or
(vi) threatening physical force, confinement or restraint on one or more occasions.
Violations of Orders of Protection carry offenses that also can be charged as misdemanors, and sometimes as felonys.
Here is Nora’s email address [email protected] and this is her home address from the court docs. 101 Northfield K7 Normal.
I think encouraging folks to go to her home is really not cool. Email her at the city, go to her office, protest at city hall if you want to — fine. She is not on duty 24/7 (and according to what I heard on the radio she was home sick the day “Fistbump” paid her a visit at home), and I’m guessing none of you would find it ok if people encouraged strangers on the web to show up at your home to complain about your work efforts. That’s pretty scary…
Did he know she was home sick? Is she allowed to not return emails or phone calls? It isn’t scary, it’s call journalism and protected by the first amendment. If you are afraid of the press and unable to say “No Comment”, you are in the wrong business.
JC. I do believe she is a salaried exempt employee which would make her a management administrative employee, not an hourly wage worker. Also, she’s not like one of us. she’s a public employee tasked with the responsibility of communicating with the pubic which includes the press. She wasn’t doing her job by avoiding them while at City Hall. She asked for it. so , are you scared when a Girl Scout shows up and rings your door bell? Fistbump only knocked once and left his business card on the door. If you get scared that easy, I suggest you buy a big dog or something to make you feel more secure. (SMH)
Something to think about when ever you file court documents or complain to the police about something and filing a report how your contact information becomes public information. That form was approved to be used. Who ever approved that form should have had enough sense to make that information unavailable.
Is it worth it knowing how you are exposing yourself? Ethically it may be wrong to post that information but nothing illegal about posting it to the www.
Not really taking sides here and I don’t see an encouragement to go to the person’s home. What about someone writing a letter? Would that be wrong too?
I’d like to file complaints against some people, even some relatives. Would I, I don’t think so just because they could find out who filed it. It really isn’t worth it. At least the IRS on form 3949-A protects the person filing on a tax cheater… (We never share this information with the person or business you are reporting.)
Shame on the courts for allowing exposure on a “Order of Protection”. There is where the blame should be pointed at, not 92.9 or blnnews.
Thank you Mike!
Diane, “Fistbump” might be a journalist, but are Mike and those he and you are encouraging here on your blog to go to her home journalists? Is encouraging non-journalist strangers who read your blog (whose mental state you presumably can’t know anything about) to visit a city employee at her home really a good idea?
People go to peoples houses all the time. I live in the middle of nowhere and random people stop by. She is supposedly a public servant and in charge of communicating issues to citizens (see job description). If that scares her, she is in the wrong business.
So you’d be ok if the kook who has the parody 92.9 twitter account published your home address, encouraging strangers to go pay you an unannounced visit? Or Kevin Lower’s? Sure, these addresses are not hard to find, but I think it is not a good idea to encourage people to visit public figures at home — whether they are city employees, councilmen, or citizen journalists.
That’s why I am also a big 2nd Amendment supporter.
People stop by my house all the time that are unwanted, some peddling their products for sale or trying to get me to join their religion. I simply advise them that they are trespassing and future violations onto my property will be not be tolerated.
Maybe she has a mental disorder. A business card left on her door sent her over the edge. I wonder what literature does?
Statistically, 1 in 10 people suffer from mental illness. There are 9 aldermen, a mayor and a city manager running this city.
I think they take turns being the one!
Sometimes 1) the locks on secured buildings fail. 2) sometimes the door sticks preventing the lock from locking. 3) sometimes the doors are propped open for various reasons. 4) sometimes other residents who are allowed to allow others access, simply do so because they do not live in a state of fear. Possibly any of these reasons allowed Fistbump to enter the building of which if he has no knowledge of this being a secure building then how is he guilty?
So if a random neighbor to Nora who lives in the same building (that obviously has access to said building) maybe down the hall or on the same floor leaves a business card attached to her door, would this person also be considered as a threat to her?
Leftists view ALL Conservatives as threats…..and enemies. Even the most cursory overview of Tari’s behaviors should demonstrate that.