By: Diane Benjamin
During alderman comments at the end of last night’s Bloomington City Council meeting, Alderman Sage inquired about a request he submitted to put something on the agenda. 5 other alderman signed the request with him. As the conversation progressed Sage became more emphatic, Renner attempted to dismiss his request.
Sage demanded a conversation happen at the next meeting with a vote at the following meeting. Tari Renner obviously doesn’t want whatever the 6 alderman proposed and could easily get passed.
Obviously all is not well with the Council. Luckily we didn’t see the aldermen take David Hales’ parting advice to praise each other in public. Are the 6 alderman who signed this request the same ones that signed the rebuke letter to Renner? https://blnnews.com/2017/10/24/the-letter/
Sage claimed his agenda request was made weeks ago and ignored since. If 6 aldermen are going to be ignored, at the next meeting they need to bring it up on their own.
Stay tuned, sounds like whatever the 6 want is big and Renner isn’t happy about it. I wonder if the 6 want the Liquor Commission to return to how it operated pre-Tari? Since the rebuke letter and the retreat focused on limiting the mayor’s power, maybe they want to de-throne Tari and go back to a citizens board making Liquor Commission decisions instead of Tari. We will know in time what the 6 want. Stay tuned.
Just hit play to hear the Sage/Renner exchange.:
Tari’s fiefdom is crumbling, hopefully.
So, what exactly is an informal ordinance? Is that like the PCard policy—something that can be ignored? The ordinance was amended to allow aldermen to place items on the agenda provided there are 5 signatures—enough votes to pass the item. There is a power struggle going on.
Re the requested Agenda item by Sage and 5 additional Alderman: It is obviously related to a structural change according to the Mayor’s comment. This may be in regards to City Council proceedings, at the administrative/departmental level , the composition or structure of such or in some significant manner in the way procedures are carried out and/or by whom. This is without much debate such a substantial proposal and complex enough issue the Mayor states much more information is necessary so an expedient time-frame for this being addressed is not likely. With that excuse along with expected budget issues looming, Alderman Sage and 5 other Council members’ interest is being ignored, delayed, put-off, etc. This would indicate an adverse position and/or willingness by some to proceed. However, it seems significant and I think warrants attention instead of being dismissed simply as a mystery. Emails, written memorandums/documents or requests of some sort would be available as public record and most likely obtained through the FOIA process.
No Mr. Sage, I am the King and you need to settle down and follow my lead. Who do you think you are? Another outburst like that and off with your head peon! And the rest of you, if you get any ideas, off with all of your heads!
Probably a delay tactic by Tari. He tried to ignore them, now he has to address whatever it is. I suspect we’ll see some one-on-ones between Tari and members of the Council in the coming days. Who’s picking up the lunch tab I wonder? Haha!
He may try to cut them from the herd one by one, and take them each out to a “business lunch” at Rosie’s or Reality Bites or whatever other place or 2 where Tarry feeds himself . Hope we get to see the “business lunch” tally after a couple of a weeks have passed.