By:  Diane Benjamin

The ballot will say Sue Feldkamp or Jamie Mathy for Bloomington’s Ward 1.

Mathy owns two businesses downtown, but I’ve heard he claims Bloomington’s attorney Jeff Jurgens doesn’t see a problem with him voting on downtown issues.  I bet the taxpayers will have a problem with him voting to enrich himself!  Conflict of interest?

I have a bigger problem with a comment Mathy left to this story:  https://blnnews.com/2017/01/30/mathy-or-feldkamp-for-ward-1/

I’m glad we agree on a few things, but it looks like we don’t agree on the big picture.  Sales Tax revenue is decreasing and it will continue to decrease.  Spending continues to increase.

The fiscal condition of Bloomington is not positive. Tari’s structural deficit was only temporarily fixed with a 1% Sales tax increase.   The Council just met in Executive Session to hand more money to Hales.  They still haven’t figured out there wouldn’t be a State Police investigation at the Coliseum if Hales had done his job.  He is the one that never reviewed concession reports.

How do I know that’s what they are doing?  Last Monday’s Secret meeting stated “personnel” as the reason.  The Council only has one employee, and it’s that time of year when Hales will get many times more dollars than the people funding it.  I thought Democrats hated income inequality!  Eventually they really don’t.

If Hales get a 3% raise, everybody else at the City will demand it too.  The structural deficit will return very quickly since the City keeps hiring too.  Pension funding percents will decline since the huge payments required aren’t possible.  Jamie is free to explain his comments further.

A better alternative is Sue Feldkamp.  She summed up where she stands with this on Facebook:

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