By: Diane Benjamin
The only item not on the Consent Agenda for tonight is forming a Technology Committee. Alderman Mathy has been pushing for it.
I have no idea why it is needed. Currently budgeted for Information Services is $3,290,386, that is up from $2,652,090 just two years ago. PDF page 158: http://www.cityblm.org/home/showdocument?id=18370
Maybe this committee will eliminate the pop-up on the Home Menu of the City website. It’s more than obnoxious, but a committee isn’t needed to get that done.
The ordinance:
http://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=21001
PDF page 194
This statement in the ordinance bothers me:
Why does government have to be a technology leader?
New technology is always expensive, it becomes cheaper after its been on the market awhile. It also works the bugs out over time.
The question of whether this is needed comes down to what people expect government to be. If you believe government makes life better, you would be all for it.
If you study history, especially the history of Bloomington, government has grown for decades, taken more money from citizens, and promoted programs most of the citizens never use.
Meanwhile, essential services have been ignored.
Being a “Technology Leader” should be far behind fixing the roads. It isn’t.
Pretty sure Jamey Mathey is in technology. Easy to see where this is heading.
Jamie is in tech. Sounds just like Koos in Normal. Start a bike share program when you own a bicycle sales/repair shop.
Mathy is an owner of Red Racoon Games and founder of Mavidea (IT). So he definitely has an understanding of the field and a stake in the plan.
Used to be, when you elected a business person to public office, you could assume at least a basic understanding of economics and support of the foundational principles of private property and free enterprise……….used to be.
Now we get Koos the Commie. Might as well have a dozen “Crazy Jenn” clones.