By: Diane Benjamin
The City Manager wasn’t at the Council meeting last night. I suspect he was here, since he goes every year:
The ICMA Annual Conference is the largest annual event in the world for local government managers and staff.
The conference is being held in Seattle. (ICMA = International City/County Managers Association)
Are Bloomington’s local issues the same as other cities around the world? Do you expect your local government to make decisions based on local demographics or some plan implemented by some guy on the other side of the country or globe because your City Manager heard it at a conference?
Are conditions in Bloomington better or worse because David Hales spends your money to attend every year?
A list of sessions he can attend can be found here: https://members.icma.org/eweb/DynamicPage.aspx?Webcode=BNEICMASES&SessionType=Educational%20Sessions
I wonder if he signed up for the one on Ethics.
Here’s the problem. Bloomington’s government thinks they must manage all, control all, and therefore create utopia for all. Citizens want basic services that only government can provide. They don’t want spin, subsidized development, and agendas favoring “friends of government”.
Right now government is winning. David Hales is continuing his indoctrination on how to control you. Local government is failing, but that doesn’t stop them from finding new ways to keep making progress. Increasing taxes and debt is immaterial if a government goal can be achieved. Basic services aren’t seen as the main purpose of government.
Elections matter. Bloomington elected people (except Alderman Lower) who believe they are smarter than you. They feel entitled to decide your future and they believe they must make you pay for their vision. Lying is just part of the job when necessary to accomplish goals.
I bet you can’t wait for David’s glowing report on the conference!
More on ‘making progress” next.
Another seminar, another handout. Another plaque on the wall just for attending. Another hey look at all my plaques on the wall, gee I’m smart. Another opportunity to learn how to take control, what did I miss? What wasn’t covered last year or the year before that? How is this new stuff? Has that much changed? Nerd city!
Well, IF the manager from Boulder, CO is there, Dave will KNOW we NEED a dog park, and more money from the oil/coal interests east of town! On the other have I see on the TV (ch 31) that Pekin is looking at “tossing” their city manager because he has YET to get IN HOUSE legal dept! (sound familiar?) Sad that Pekin is run better then B/N. Maybe ONE thing ole Davy will pick up is a course on “Thinking for oneself, without outside consultants”! aside from this did ANYONE read Bill Flick on Monday?
like, 60,000 people have left IL and taken 3.8 BILLION in tax money with them-Sure hope they left their 1% for B/N at the door! I see where the Verizon lot is EMPTY AGAIN! More folks going to FL for the winter or permanently?
ICMA is the group that Hales uses (at a pretty penny) to produce those “award winning” Manager’s Reports that no one on the Council reads. If the Council had read or Hales had advised them, they would have been aware that the city is shrinking. Maybe Hales learned how to hide information in reams of paper. Those poor trees covered in crap.
Designing the Future: Where Is the Concept of “City” Headed?
Monday,September 28 2:30 PM – 3:40 PM
“What will our cities look like in 2025? How will transportation change? What skills will managers and their elected officials need to help their communities adapt? If you’re interested in what the future may bring, this is a session you won’t want to miss. 6 Approved for 1 AICP-CM credit.”
No need to attend the conference. MCRPC has the answer to this question. It was sent to them in a “vision” from on high.
What part of NO FREE LUNCHES doesnt the cronies understand. That does include conferences and first class air tickets along with first class hotels with first class meals.What is the council and co going to do when the gravy train stops? STARVE! They have been pampered all this time and when the city goes belly up they will be shoving for a place in the bread lines.