By: Diane Benjamin
The Kathy Michael press conference is going to be interesting. The Democrats hired a lawyer to FOIA Kathy Michael’s browser history!
FOIA’s aren’t very difficult – evidently they couldn’t do it themselves with their name on it. It’s nice to see them wasting money on a lawyer though.
You can see what they are questioning here: Democrats FOIA Kathy Michaelsl
Note the use of the MAY, so even they aren’t sure if they found violations. The browser history I FOIA’d for Nikita Richards definitely showed violations of the law. You can see all three parts of that story at this link: https://blnnews.com/2018/08/30/part-2-nikita-richards/
Funny how the Democrats Press Release doesn’t address the violations by their candidate.
What the Democrats don’t understand is elected officials don’t live under the same rules as an employee of the City of Bloomington. Elected officials don’t have set hours. If they want to work in the middle of the night they can. If they want to work from home they can. Elected officials don’t punch a time clock. I know Nikita Richards is expected to work 8 hours a day from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.
I have an idea of how Kathy Michael will respond to some of the charges because I would likely say the same thing. I will be recording tonight. I can’t wait to see if the Democrats think it’s their press conference and try to disrupt it. They should be holding their own with Nikita front and center to answer questions, I bet they don’t.
I only FOIA’d Nikita’s work computer and I only received 4 days that she was actually at work. The paid lawyer FOIA’d every device possible – see the bottom of the email.
Assertions that Kathy Michael violated the first amendment are baseless. The law is not settled. One court ruled elected officials can’t block abusers on social media, one court ruled they could. Considering the ReSisterhood is still in operation, I’d block them too. They just deleted their Facebook page to run for office. They are the same people who tried to make people believe Kevin Lower was a racist. See why it was deleted? Remind anybody of Antifa?
Just shows you that they like wasting money! Imagine WHAT they’d do once in office?
as for the Sisterhood logo-kind of HOT to be wearing a ski mask today, isn’t it. Just proves they have NO COMMON SENSE!
That person in the ski mask is non other than Shayna Watchinski who is running for the County Board. Besides visiciously going after Kevin Lower with her gang of Roller derby
Derby Queens, ANTIFA pals, Bike BloNo, and Gay Pride in your face rabble rousers, she also lead the charge at harassing Ian Bayne who was also running for Mayor. Fake FB pages were set up for the sole purpose of harassment of these two former candidates.
🙂
Remember the false radio reporting about Michaels from the County Fair brought to you by Shayna??
Fake photos—fake story—had to be retracted. She believes she makes sound decisions? SMH
I think some establishment folks are waking up and realizing that Shayna is a liability for the future of the community. She and her pals may have overplayed their hand.
The Dems are trying to make this a one-for-one issue and “cancel things out”. As Diane noted, it’s not one-for-one. This doesn’t matter to the Dems. They just need enough people to see it this way and call it a wash. In the era of short news cycles, it likely will go away. I suspect good people have been fired for lesser a violation. Sad.
What’s good for the goose is good for the gander. Your FOIA’s of Ms. Richard were/are purely political, Ms. Michael’s “press conference” is also political. If it was official, she wouldn’t be holding it in a restaurant, this is campaign rhetoric. If Ms. Michael was really concerned about voting rights and voter integrity she be speaking at the Clerk’s Office. She isn’t so this is about her campaign for office. This is also about your interference with a campaign just because you can…
So you could accuse her of campaigning on public property? That’s Nikita’s specialty!
You started this whole thing. If you read the FOIA’s there are real questions about her use of the county computer for personal use and for her campaign. She even looked up your blog more than once on the county computer. How is it you want other people fired for that kind of computer misuse, but if it’s someone you support it all good.
Since when is reading news against the law? Militants obviously guilty and should be fired. If Kathy broke the law she can only be fired by voters.
Wow you have excuses for everything. Militants? Who get to characterize anyone as a “militant”? Who appointed you? Again, you want other people to be fired for the very same misuse of computers. You’re being hoisted by your own petard. Can you say hypocrisy?
Realize you are making no.sense?
I’m making no sense? I’m calling you out about your hypocrisy. You want other people fired for the exact same misuse of business/work computer that was found on Ms. Michael’s computer. When the shoe is on the other foot, it’s all of sudden copasetic. It’s also pretty hypocritical to call someone militant when there are questions about your objectivity on many issues. You can Google “being hoisted by your own petard”.
I will try to type slower for.you: elected people can’t be fired!
Get it this time? I realize it’s a hard concept.
You can’t speak to them using logic or reality, even if you do it very slowly and carefully. They have pretty much lost the ability to properly process information if they ever had it in the first place. I have seen so many twisted arguments from leftists that it defies belief – comparing apples to oranges is commonplace with them, and since they live in an echo chamber where they are never asked to provide examples or clarify a statement or position, which they declare with complete glib assuredness, when they are asked to, all they can do is launch personal attacks, such as calling the person a racist, or a bigot etc or try to infer that the detractor is the uninformed one, which is nearly never correct. Since I have “walked away” (which I did right after foolishly voting for Obama for Senator and being told I REALLY needed to do some deep research on him, which I did) I can’t even express how many more well informed people I have encountered on the “right” and how much I have realized that the left is led by a bunch of lying elitists who prey upon a population that they truly wish to keep as ignorant as possible so that they can continue to lord over them by tossing them treats now and then. It’s sickening – Oh yes, I was a full blown straight D voting pawn for decades and lived among some of the worst of the worst of the far left, trust me, I know them like the back of my hand.
Ms. Benjamin is correct. Unless she is impeached from office, Ms. Michael answers to the voters. If she works five hours a week and they keep electing her, then that is what the voters want and will get. Similarly, Ms. Richards is wasting taxpayer dollars by engaging in her campaign activities while using City of Bloomington resources and being paid using City of Bloomington tax dollars. There is a stark difference in her position, as a City of Bloomington employee, and an elected official. Sadly, the citizens of Bloomington can’t elect Ms. Richards to follow the law or elect her to be fired. It would be great if the States’ Attorneys office would review this clear violation of the law and take action.
It would be interesting if Mr. Rankin would return comment about the concerns with Ms. Richards’ illegal activity. I would question if he will continue to by hypocritical in making statements about Ms. Michael but not about his own ‘s clear violations of the law. If Mr. Rankin truly believed Ms. Michael was breaking the law, he would bring forth action to the County Board. He’s just trying to score political points by saying something “may” be wrong. Funny how Mr. Rankin was a part of the board who denied Ms. Michael the funds she requested to enhance elections.
One more point, I would hope Ryan Denham at WGLT would do a story about Ms. Richards’ activity. I don’t see a news article calling our her clear violations of the law, just activity people say may be suspect of Ms. Michael. I personally am glad Ms. Michael was reviewing Ms. Richards’ Facebook page, especially as she’s posting information critical of their Clerk’s office. Ms. Richards’ baseless statements have caused harm to the County Clerks’ office. Thus, it is essential Ms. Michael review the false claims.
It appears as though crimson has just agreed that Nikita has engaged in “misuse of business/work computer” and therefore according to the law stated here several times, should be fired. That’s a good one crimson! Lol.
@crimson—the preverbal phrase you used about a petard does not mean what you think it means.
And I’m calling you a hypocrite. I realize it’s a hard concept.
Nikita, last I checked, isn’t an elected official. She is an employee. She works for the City Of Bloomington. Not only is she a liar, she is also a thief…stealing time.
So according to the writer of this forum, elected officials are above the law. Good to know. It’s especially good to know that you are excusing unlawful behavior by an elected official. If that elected official was a Democrat, you’d be screaming for their resignation. This is far from a object or even an unbiased forum as witness by posters who bloviate about logic and proceed to write complete nonsense.
The fact is that Ms. Michael works and being paid by someone also, the county of McLean. It’s been proven she was misusing her work computer. Ms. Michaels was also stealing time, which is also thief. But, hey she’s a Republican and she’s above the law. Only evil “leftist” are accountable and should be “locked up”. Nice Republicans can walk and be re-elected.
I know exactly what being hoisted by your own petard means. I used in the exact manner I meant. If this was an honest forum those posting would see the irony. They would also see the sheer hypocrisy of insisting that elected officials are not subject to the same laws that other employees.
You are too brain dead to comment further. The concept is obviously above your intelligence level.
So all you have are insults. Nice. The concept of holding elected officials accountable is beyond your brain dead capabilities. No wonder almost everyone beyond your sycophantic cult followers have no respect for you.
It’s been explained to you numerous times, facts either don’t matter or you can’t read. Which is it?
Well that was a typical narcissist style retort, basically – “No one likes you you know except for just a few people. Everyone else laughs at you” – yep, typical. I wonder if the writer is also skilled at triangulation? I would venture they are.
What can’t you understand? Michaels broke the LAW, she can NOT use her work computer paid for by us taxpayers for campaign purposes no matter how you spin it. It’s an abuse of her office and is illegal. You stating over and over again the she an elected official and it somehow doesn’t mater is laughable. That claim of yours is false is incredibly disingenuous considering how viciously you have gone after other elected officials on this blog for much less.
“State employees shall not intentionally misappropriate any State property or resources by engaging in any prohibited political activity for the benefit of any campaign for elective office or any political organization” (5 ILCS 430/5-15).”
It apparent that YOU can’t read, and it very apparent that you are purposely making excuses for her illegal behavior.
Thanks for writing your own interpretation of what I said. I will try typing really slow.
I n e v e r said she didn’t violate the law, however some of the.claims can be explained.
I did say she CAN’T BE FIRED!
Get it this time?
@ CRIMSON – Are you going to respond to this post below as I noted earlier or just alledge and go off the wall at someone else? And you speak of hypocrisy! This reminds me of the quote from the Forrest Gump movie, “Are you stupid or something?”
It appears as though crimson has just agreed that Nikita has engaged in “misuse of business/work computer” and therefore according to the law stated here several times, should be fired. That’s a good one crimson! Lol.
Start your own site!
Your comment disappeared!