By: Diane Benjamin
Tim Gleason has only been Decatur’s City Manager since March of 2015.
In May of 2017 Gleason fired the Decatur Police Chief Sweeney. Sweeney sued the City for wrongful termination. After lots of legal expense, the Chief was allowed to retire instead of being fired and he received $60,000 is Sick Leave Pay. He returned $30,000 of that to the City to cover legal expenses.
What’s interesting is what came out during the trials:
- Decatur has a 5 cent gas tax to fix the roads, right now Bloomington’s if 4 cents.
- Gleason had a City officer drive him to St Louis to catch a plane:
Personal use of government property CAN’T be authorized!
Of course:
These quotes are from the Herald and Review in Decatur, owned by the same company as the Pantagraph. Why hasn’t the Pantagraph reported this?
Does Bloomington need more employees who think laws are immaterial? Why didn’t he drive himself?
See the whole story here: https://herald-review.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/city-sweeney-agreement-ends-lawsuit-changes-termination-to-retirement/article_d6dc1c23-e712-5628-abc0-b6ea5ca6f85a.html
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Sounds like a Hales/coliseum kind of deal.. LAWS don’t matter to ME, as I MAKE too much, and I’M the BOSS!!
All of these people are C Minus players for a team that is leading us into economic decline – IQs matter and the people in leadership here are not the sharpest knives in the drawer. All one has to do is look around the area and see what their “efforts or lack of efforts” have resulted in. The wave of success and prosperity that was brought to this area by State Farm and ISU in the 20th Century is turning into a ripple. We have leadership here who can’t even fathom what is happening, let alone deal with the coming crisis. Stick a fork in Bloomington/Normal … it is done.
From the City website: “After a 20+ year career in law enforcement, he served three years with the State of Illinois as CEO of IL Correctional Industries.”
http://www.cityblm.org/Home/Components/News/News/6941/18?backlist=/
He served in law enforcement for most of his career. One would think he respects the law. In the previous post it says that someone asked the candidates about integrity and honesty. I’m sure he shared this information…probably not.
I’m guessing a police car could take him there at a rate of speed above the legal limit to make sure he made his flight. To me, a breakfast event like that would be nowhere near a necessity where a City Manager would need to attend and then use that much in police resources to get to the airport.
There does not appear to have been any critical issue going on where they would need his expertise, in person, and could not have someone else handle the issue.
BMI should not touch this guy with a 10′ pole!
Wow!!! Great detective work!!!! Important for everyone to know before the hiring of someone new!
The comments on the Herald Review story are telling.
I think they should slash the salary and re-open the job posting. We should choose the best candidate willing to work for reasonable compensation!
How about someone who is “smart” and not part of a Illinois “Good old boy” system in any way? I am talking about a down-to-earth manager who doesn’t owe the establishment anything … would it not be refreshing to have a “real” professional?
I Nominate Dagwood Bumstead.. At LEAST he GETS reports DONE when the BOSS needs them. And he’s loyal.
Seriously, I’d just about BET that our “fine” council and mayor will stick to the HIGH standards THEY have proven and hire the LEAST qualified person, as that way they can control him..
And SORRY Lawrence, these guys aren’t even good “players” what ya might call wannabes..
I still think that WHAT we currently have IS the most qualified, but can he turn things around?
With THIS current roster of yahoos it’s like turning a battleship around!
Takes 20 miles and a whole Set of orders from above and a LOT of wasted fuel.. and ya STILL don’t know which WAY you’re headed..
These bozos are just going to be more of the same…I would rather spend a night in the box with an insurance agent than talk to these clowns for more than 5 minutes…. I am yawning just thinking about it… let’s see… will it be Moe, Larry or Curly?
Keep in mind, the City Manager is an employee and takes orders from the Council. So, who is to blame or responsible for the direction the City is going? Steve played his role correctly during the recent budget process by forcing the Council to make the decisions, which is their job. The Mayor and some Council members are political animals and would rather have someone else they can point the finger at.
sad , and nothing can be done about them luvin it … i think they do seek out those who lean toward bilking , milking , and thinking along with them in their irrational and unaccountable ways of spending and taxing like mad men.
That is exactly what they do, they seek out toadies who they know already think just like them and then they are easily “steered” into doing whatever the higher ups want without the higher ups even ordering it done, thus keeping their little paws clean.