By: Diane Benjamin
Tari Renner has been making the media tour to justify the use of government funds on his girlfriend’s plane ticket to Japan.
It’s amazing how WJBC and WGLT can let Renner spout anything and never challenge his statements.
This morning Tari was on WJBC. He claimed his girlfriend’s ticket was bought as part of a package. It wasn’t:
Tari and Margot’s tickets were purchased directly from JAL Airlines, the others were bought through a travel agency – those huge checks to IACE. https://blnnews.com/2017/08/15/more-lies-tari/
Tari continues to claim he was in Japan for 4 1/2 days. He left on July 30th. He also claims it takes two days to get there and two days to get back. Really?
See this expense report Chris Koos turned in to the Town of Normal. Remember, he put the flight on his credit card, not the Town’s: Public Records – Mayor Expenditures, Aug 2017 trip to Japan
Koos’ flight to Japan was July 30 – for activities beginning on August 1st.
The activities reported went through the following Sunday – 7 days. His flight back was the following Monday. Wasn’t this trip a combined effort of the Sister Cities Committee which is funded by both cities? Was Tari on a different trip?
Total days reported for this trip were EIGHT. It also didn’t take 2 days to fly there and two days to fly back – as Tari has repeated OVER and OVER and OVER. See page 4 – flight time 12 hours and 50 minutes from Chicago to Tokyo. Another 1 hour and 55 minutes to get close to Asahikawa.
Koos got back on Monday the 7th. Didn’t Tari too? He was most likely very jet-lagged. His vile email to Bruce Meeks was written at 2:46 am the following SUNDAY. He claims he was up in the middle of the night because of the trip. He had been sleeping in his own bed for 6 days! How many days does recovery take?
Is the City Council going to tolerate this?
How is Tari not abusing his position as mayor? Are government officials allowed to say whatever they want?
The ends justify the means?
The citizens of Bloomington deserve a mayor who isn’t an embarrassment and law-breaker.
If Renner isn’t held accountable for his lies, the rest of his term will be as ridiculous as his $90,000 request for an assistant.
IF one WANTS to get to Japan rather quickly, the “polar” route is the best, this means a flight to Anchorage, AK. which then either continues to Tokyo or connects.
When I lived in AK, MOST flights to Anchorage were full of Japanese, which were headed on to Tokyo, and it left ORD at about 10 a.m. arrived ANC about 5 p.m both local time.
2 days and I could be in the Brooks Range!
Maybe it is time to develop a petition for recall for Mayor Renner. There may not necessarily be provisions in the IL Statutes, but five-six thousand signatures would certainly make a splash in the public eye.
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Something needs to be done, for sure – the problem is, the “Hive” is so well guarded you can’t get close to the Queen Tarry Bee. The drones will fight you off and build obstacles to block your way.
I mean no disrespect. Viewing a task as nearly impossible is self defeating. The more the drones circle in, the more backlash they will receive when the hive falls.
Yeah but some fun giving them more fires to put out. Watch them squirm.
So this is a two-fer? Media and Renner?
Diane, anyone drone who circles too close to the hive…
If laws still matter . . .
Oooh I LIKE the idea of backlash on the drones if/when the hive falls and the Queen is left vulnerable and unprotected. I have a lovely visual….
How does one develop a petition for a recall for Renner? I would be glad to work on it if I knew how. I live in Normal. Does that matter?? Please advise.
There is no provision in the law for recall. If Bloomington residents want him gone, I would think only Bloomington residents could sign something. It wouldn’t be binding however.
Renner is allowed to say a lot of inappropriate things. The City of Bloomington provided $2.5M for mental health services for McLean County. Renner continues to flipently use word that perpetuate the stigma associated with mental illness…”crazy”…”nut job”…and more. The statements are reported in the paper and repeated on broadcast radio without hesitation. Someone with a PhD who teaches at a respectable university should have a better control of the English language.
There are as many people in this community suffering with mental illness as there are people of color. Imagine the social outrage if certain other slang was used by a mayor.
90K for an assistant? Sounds like the job is too much for him. Maybe it’s time to step down!
Plus free lunches
Always, Tarry eats well, and seldom, if ever alone.
..and breakfasts and dinners too!
Media fail? What media, it’s ALL the “canned” crap that Renner, Koos, Hales WANT you to hear! Look how MANY pages this week were DEVOTED to the Portabellas place in the Pantagraph! No less then 4!! You’d think that Jesus owned the place and E.T. was flying in with Elvis and Jimi
There is NO REAL NEWS in this town. And as long as Chambers, et al, “covers” Taris butt, he’ll keep up the crap! He’s a bigot and NO better then ALL the folks he hangs with! .
After having reviewed several of the minutes from the Sister Cities website, Tari’s girlfriend can not be found listed as a member or “delegate” of this organization . She’s never attended any meeting in any official capacity.
Renner’s campaign promise,,,transparency.
Renner’s reality,,,deceive to achieve.
mudd, the award for transparency he claims as his was “purchased” and is for the website…more deception
Kevin, some of Renner’s supporters are claiming she teaches at Metcalf which makes her a delegate. The thing is, ISU has the same PCard policy so she should have known this was wrong. The PCard policy is simply an itemized list of what is legal and what is not. These people are college educated and can’t grasp the concept? Or maybe, they believe the money is theirs.
How was she chosen at Metcalf? Were any other teachers asked if they wanted to be delegates, or is Margot a delegate only because she lives with Tari?
So being a teacher at Metcalf automatically makes her a “delegate”? According to what rules or policy? How many other “delegates” have there been whom have not been members of Sister Cities? I’m afraid this “delegate” designation that he retroactively gave Margo exists only in his iron head.
Just the messenger….
Judy There are places online to communicate a clear message using online petitions
http://www.change.org At this point with his cutting down a citizen we all have a right to speak out against this not becoming of office. Remember this is not his first violation this goes back from his first days in office and the council did nothing. You Tube search Renner see what you find should be one or two related to verbal abuse of an elected female.
There is nothing I could find in the ordinances on recall. Did see this article
http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/daily-southtown/news/ct-sta-kadner-dolton-recall-appeal-st-0112-20160111-column.html