By: Diane Benjamin
I wonder if Renner is going to make it back from San Francisco in time for tonight’s meeting. Maybe he will pass out souvenirs since taxpayers paid for the trip.
By changing the public comment rules tonight, Tari thinks he can limited public complaints. Most of the speakers chastise the Council for their actions, their thin skins are almost transparent. (I guess Tari did achieve transparency!) Governing is so much easier if dissent is never allowed to materialize and fester. The whole reason for Public Comment is to make sure the citizens have a voice, Tari hates being opposed on video.
The population of Bloomington is somewhere between 76,000 and 78,000 people. Every time I see a population number it is different.
Is 15 minutes enough time for 76,000+ people to be heard? Tari can’t make time for 10 people? What percent of the population is that Tari?
The bird-cage liner quotes Tari saying public comment has gone on for 45 minutes. Tari, Tari, Tari. There goes the trust and transparency you claim to want!
The meeting on May 11th did have public comment that lasted slightly over 41 minutes. Of course, part of that time was you responding to comments – against your own policy of not responding. The length had A LOT to do with your failed Giebelhausen plan and the false charges by Nora Dukowitz – made with your blessing.
QUIT doing stupid things and citizens won’t show up to speak Tari!
For the record, on May 26th public comment lasted around 24 minutes. On April 27th it lasted around 21 minutes. For a town the size of Bloomington, Tari thinks 15 minutes is plenty of time. Sure. Remember, Tari is the one who changed the rules getting Brexton signed up to attack Judy Stearns. His attack dog (try not to laugh) is okay, citizens aren’t.
One more thing: Lots of items are on the agenda – like bills and payroll. Almost any topic can fall under those, so Tari you really aren’t accomplishing anything. Fistbump will still be able to speak. Others will still be able to speak. All you are doing is making yourself an even smaller man than you were before. When you have a citizen dragged away from the podium because YOU think they aren’t speaking to an agenda item, you will look even smaller.
The proposed ordinance doesn’t say how people sign up 2 hours in advance. Can email be used? Or, do you have the gall to force people to make 2 trips to City Hall just to be able to speak?
I wonder what Tari’s approval rating is in Bloomington? I bet “sliding fast” pretty much sums it up.
The May 11th meeting also included several speakers from BLO/NO Bicycle Club regarding the Bike Path Master Plan. The Mayor and two Aldermen were on the steering committee for that plan…see the small print on the brochure. The two Aldermen should have recused themselves but did not…more transparency.
The content and participation restrictions are a gross violation of free speech. I was angry at elected officials engaging in pay-for-play but this is no different. We pay with our pockets because politically induced censorship eliminates opposition thus implying support. We pay with our city’s well-being because money is spent for luxuries. We pay with the implementation of Back-Door Democracy thus cutting out the citizen. I think companies listen to stockholders better than our government listens to its citizens. Tari is the emperor with no clothes
Lively discussion at the Council Meeting with some bullying thrown in for good measure. Several commenters gave eloquent speeches about freedom and justice. This was probably the most “honest” meeting I’ve seen.
Welcome to a well orchestrated, attempted Marxist takeover of Twin Cites local governments. I can assure you from our “Infiltration Project” years ago, the BLM/NL Loony Left has been carefully planning this for years.
They appear to be taking an interesting the approach to public comment. The real problem seems to be that public comment is not for the citizens, if it were, the problem would be that there isn’t enough of it and they would work to fix it. Perhaps the right approach would be to average the amount of time that has been used to include everyone… I see 41, 24 and 21 minutes so 28 minutes would be a good compromise.