By: Diane Benjamin
Back in 2009 a company called Lyle Sumek Associates, Inc out of Florida was hired as a consultant. From their website: http://lylesumek.com/
Lyle Sumek Associates, Inc. is a consulting organization that specializes in team building, strategic planning and goal setting for local governments, developing more effective governing bodies and governance processes; assisting local governments as they work with their community and developing leaders as elected officials or executives.
In 2010 Lyle Sumek Associates Inc was paid $30,931.89 for the document they prepared. More on that in a minute.
Does “team building”, “strategic planning”, and “goal setting” sound familiar?
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Lynn Montei has led Council retreats for years for the same purpose. From the retreat a few weeks ago:
Here’s one of the Power Point presentations used at the retreat – it contains the pic above: Retreat Powerpoint
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Hiring consultants goes back much farther than 2009 – this one just proves Bloomington is still trying to control the people’s representatives on the Council by promoting “team building”. Do citizens vote for a “team” or do they expect their alderman to represent them?
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Somehow Normal turned their Council into a government that does not represent the people. Having At-Large representation helps accomplish that because it’s much more difficult to campaign in the entire Town instead of your neighborhood. It also means citizens have no voice.
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Bloomington has been trying to create the same type Council. They want only YES people. Funny how Judy Stearns and now Kevin Lower always spoil(ed) their plans.
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The endless indoctrination hasn’t worked. Attacks on Stearns and Lower by the local media haven’t worked either.
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Media: There is a reason Stearns and Lower vote (voted) NO on many BIG ideas brought to the Council.
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Read the document prepared by Lyle Sumek Associates: Strategic Plan
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The taxpayers of Bloomington were forced to pay for a Marxist blueprint for the future. It’s page after page after page of how your government is going to create your Utopia.
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The Bloomington City Council got the report in December of 2009. For five years they have been implementing the parts they like. Is Bloomington better off or worse off?
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Instead of a Political Science professor, see if you can find a World History expert. It’s time Bloomington was led by people who know control by government has never worked and never will.
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They already ran out of other people’s money, they keep trying to find more anyway.
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This is why Alderman Lower votes NO.
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At least one Council person believes in the right’s of citizens to their own utopia. Tragically the other 8 think they are smarter than you.
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Effectiveness, ACCOUNTABILITY, decisiveness, PROGRESS?? I don’t think these “consultants” are on the same book-let alone page as OUR city council/mayor/manager!! Where’s the progress? The Accountability? Sounds to me like “Let’s go on another retreat and think about what we should maybe doing”. And this is “ying-yang” speak for “we need to communicate better! Who’s job is that?? IF this was anymore of a BS “proposal” I’d have the BEST tomatoes in any garden in the state!! And for $30 K, you can fertilize a few hundred acres!
Consultant: someone who does what you do, only they’re 50 miles or more away.
All of the consultants have been a waste of money. There is nothing to show for all the expensive advise.
Especially the clowns who told the Council the coliseum would be a great success and never cost citizens a dime.
It appears from the power point, the Council now has been provided with a “Reputation Team” seemingly to improve how they are perceived. Once someone’s reputation is called into question, it’s a long road to recovery.
Most will never recover.
HA! A pig in a tux is still a pig.