By: Diane Benjamin
The video from last night’s Normal Council meeting is now available.
People speaking during public comment are not required by law to give their address!
Chris Koos told them they did, 3 speakers complied. Don’t comply in the future – it’s intimidation.
No representatives from the Police and Fire unions showed up to protest hiring consultants when their pensions are in jeopardy.
Marc Tiritilli, unannounced candidate for mayor, spoke during public comment at 11:44. Just hit play below. 2 others spoke before Marc – all against spending money on a consultant for the underpass. The Council passed it anyway. Discussion confirmed they will be seeking Federal Funding. (Make the whole country pay for your wants)
Two council people were absent. Why? NO clue.
The video quality is poor – it looks filmed through a filter. Bloomington’s is much clearer.
See Cheryl Gaines comments at 42:30. She’s a big believer in only government can create economic development. She thinks the almost $1.5 million the uptown TIF raised this year will be a windfall for other agencies when the TIF ends. It’s actually peanuts after Unit 5 takes almost half and the rest is spread out.
Watch the comments after Gaines too. Debt doesn’t matter when they are investing the future. The comments show how we got to almost $20 Trillion in debt as a nation. Let future generations pay.
Notice what Cheryl Gainer is saying. You can never be done. No, it’s not enough. They’re going to keep spending themselves into oblivion.
Yep!
Thanks for covering Normal. Some people think Normal is a lost cause, but I would disagree. There are many good speakers at Public Comment who give me hope that things can change. Normal, like Bloomington, isn’t listening to its residents. Marc Tiritilli seems like a promising prospect for Mayor. I think there’s hope we can turn this around, but people have got to get out and vote. We can’t stay on this path. $100 million in dept. It’s unsustainable.
Start by sharing these stories. Bloomington ones get shared and read FAR more than Normal. We have to give them a reason to care.
Once again conservative Scott Preston is missing in action… How many not present votes does the kid have?
Since I don’t follow Normal, I have no idea. Maybe somebody should figure that out and let me know.
I’m not sure I’d go so far as to call him a conservative. While he may be a more conservative voice on the Normal Town Council that’s not saying a lot. Occasionally he’ll vote no when everyone else goes with the flow. He is a kid in search of direction.
Oh wow I thought I was watching a school board meeting with three people in the audience. I don’t live in Normal but this is pathetic to see so few individual. I suspect most people have the thought that the council and mayor will do what ever they want no matter what the public wants. Which is usually quite true. Recall elections should be allowed for every elected position in this state.
Later the video shows more people. Not sure who they were.
Time for a new Mayor and city council that thinks about people of the town first instead of waiting tax payer money.