By: Diane Benjamin
Meeting docs: http://www.normal.org/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/31937
In this story about Bloomington spending: https://blnnews.com/2019/01/26/bloomington-bills-for-monday/
I listed 4 payments to the EDC for $1600 each. It looks like Renner, Buragas, Mathy, and Tyus won the One Voice trip this year to Washington DC. Buragas is leaving the Council April 30th and Tyus is the brand new Assistant to Gleason. (Must be a parting and welcoming present)
One Voice is supposed to show a united front in local government. Instead, Bloomington wants a downtown bus transfer station and Normal still wants their underpass. The County usually sends people too, no word on what they want. Normal is also sending 4 people:
Other spending:
The Economic Development Council is funded monthly by Bloomington and Normal, but still charges them $1600 per person for One Voice.
Rivian is supposedly getting millions of dollars from investors, but winter is hitting taxpayers hard.
The rent for February 2018 was $30,670.11 https://blnnews.com/2018/03/17/rent-payments-and-more-normal-spending/
Rent went up $4,578.66 in one year while Normal is still getting no Food and Beverage Tax from the still empty restaurant under their rental property.
The only other reason to watch the meeting is a presentation by Not In Our Town.
Mike Matejka’s presentation starts on PDF page 72. He will tout their great work trying to get a “Welcoming Ordinance” passed and calling for “Gun Reform”.
I found this hilarious:
Ol’ Mike must not realize that traffic isn’t even a blip on anybody’s radar.
The NIOT motto is:
Stop hate, address bullying, and build a safe inclusive community for all.
(Unless you think laws and your religious beliefs matter, then you get bullied)
The individual traveling from Public Works is the Director, Wayne Aldrich. Not sure why he has to go, must be just another voice to push for the worthless underpass. Should be interesting to see the councils reaction when Matejka discusses gun control. I know McBride will jump for joy along with Cummings. Curious on the rest of the councils opinion on guns.
They will keep their mouths shut. Dissent isn’t allowed!
NIOT not in our town what a joke. 11 murders last year 20 confirmed shooting, 10 burglaries thus far this along with several assaults and robberies. NIOT has been in existence for many years like I have said before what ever they have been doing is not working. Never in my life did I think that I would be sleeping with a gun next to my bed but since someone broke through my gate and came into my backyard in the middle of the night forced me to take this action. Bloomington Normal used to be what I called a bedroom community no more our city leaders must be very proud welcome to a democrat environment.
Why is Buragas going on the trip if she is out of office in two months??? Oh, scratch that, it’s Renner and friends.
Another obvious fleecing of the taxpayers.
$4,500 rent for an empty space in UPTOWN. I guess since UPTOWN is SO popular that empty space is at a premium. Matejka on gun control. I guess since he’s an self proclaimed “expert” in other fields, he will speak JUSt as eloquently on this subject also.. Wonder when he’ll speak on labor corruption and vote buying?
Not in Our Town thanks to its leftist leadership has become a anti america and anti white hate group. The organization has become everything it was supposedly fighting against.
Given Mike Matejka’s DEEP ties to union violence and thuggery–behaviors rejected by the vast majority of members in this area, I might add–his anti-gun rantings will be laughable.
One voice message: We want federal dollars to pay for projects that the local budget can’t or won’t appropriate and that most voters would hold us accountable for during the next election cycle. So, would you give us federal tax dollars so we have political cover? Now, ideally, these projects we need money for are capital-intensive, benefit the very few (typically well-connect liberals), are far from a high priority and in fact, are usually utterly impractical, and may even create a program for wealth transfers that allow the establishment to maintain its stranglehold on Bloomington-Normal.
Gun Reform? GUN GRAB is a more accurate title.