By: Diane Benjamin
All of these emails were received by FOIA.
Remember when the Trustees job was described by Chris Koos, Pam Reece, and others as “Policy Only”?
Those comments were made to Stan Nord in regards to his questioning spending. He was told that wasn’t his job.
Evidently the job of a Trustee is to rubber stamp whatever “staff” produces. Start with part of an update email the City Manager sent to Council:
Stan has been a critic of the way Normal uses incentives since long before he was elected.
See this string of back and forth mails between Stan and Pam when all he wanted input on the process:
Does anybody else see: Sit down and shut up Stan?
How can Trustees make policy when they aren’t involved in the process?
So far I haven’t found any follow-up emails.
You should foia who are members of the team putting together this package and what vote created this group? Ed
No vote, just staff
The list of “stakeholders” might be interesting.
If I was Stan Nord, I would be explaining to Pam Reece exactly what HER role is as an employee of the Town. She is not in charge of the Town Council. Reading between the lines, it appears she is saying, “staff will decide what you get to know and what you get to see, when WE think its appropriate. Just reading her emails, one gets the idea that she thinks she is in charge..of everything.
She is employed by the Council, evidently she knows she has the votes to remain City Manager – for now.
Maybe you should consider running in the next election and helping Stan out. Right now he’s clearly in the minority and about all he can do is point back in her face how idiotic all this is.
Diane doesn’t live in Normal or Bloomington. There are a number of interested parties that are painfully aware of Stan’s situation and hope to help him out with more council votes in 2021.
Me senses an attitude with her Majesty Queen Pamela and you dare not cross her or her city staff subjects.
Sounds like Pam IN TRAINING for some branch of the military! Maybe an inductee sergeant or such..
Wonder what the economic development package and selection process is if the Council is willing to give up taxpayer money to a brewpub. Pretty low bar if they’re handing out money to a business in a hypercompetitive industry with low-skill jobs, a business that won’t scale or bring in money from outside the community, and one that depends upon a shrinking pool of disposable income. Can’t imagine there are any politics involved in economic development incentives. If this brewpub was to built outside of Uptown, would they be asking for/getting $150k? The best economic incentive, which can be given to ALL businesses, consists of low taxes, reasonable rules/regs, and a supportive/pro-business culture. Of course, we won’t see that in Normal under a Koos’ Administration or with the phonies at the Chamber and EDC.
Like conspiracy theories? The last Normal town council meeting seemed a bit off. Maybe . . .
Mike Matejka praising the town for producing union jobs seemed out of place, even among the Uptown Cheerleader Squad. Chris Koos was unusually peeved at Karl Sila for calling the new bar tax rebates a “bribe.” Maybe a little too close to home? Kevin McCarthy jumped in and got strangely angry when Stan Nord said sales tax rebates do not require the Fiala brothers to use union labor. As usual, Stan was right. And of course there was no good reason to give away tax dollars to make sure a bar could succeed in a college down.
So what connects all these dots? A back-room deal that the Fialas’ will use union labor if the town agreed to cover the added cost with sales tax rebates.
Not accusing anybody, no actual proof of anything. Jus’ sayin . . .
Pam is the boss and your help or involvement is not wanted or needed Stan. This is total BS! You play by our rules or you don’t play at all…. we got this……look at what we have done so far? 80 plus million in debt and a ruined downtown that can’t support what they already built.
I don’t know that I’d call it a ‘ruined’ downtown, but they do seem to be pushing it that way with the upcoming removal of the signature mural and most of the last remaining ground parking.
I would call it ruined for many reasons:
1. Most of the charm and character of downtown Normal has been replaced with large (soon to be worthless buildings)
2. What happened naturally as a result of the free market (the buildings and the businesses) has been replaced by a Naperville-like attraction for rich Chicago students and their parents.
3. A planned and therefore not market driven Upscale transformation of downtown Normal is now less adaptable for the future.
4. If you never experienced the old downtown Normal, you cannot understand what has been lost. The very essence of what was cool about it is gone forever thanks to Fuhrer Koos and his posse.
5. The people of my age group that I talk to don’t feel comfortable there: They hate what has been done, they would rather remember it the way it was and are aghast at the public debt to build it.
The mural thing is really about people waking up to the last bit of coolness being replaced by a steel and glass edifice which no one except the developers and the city wants. The people are finally saying: No more Fuhrer Koos… you can’t destroy anymore of what we like about the old downtown Normal. Yes, enough is enough!
I can just envision Pam Reece pounding away on her keyboard in response to Stan’s e-mails!!
So, HRH Queen Pam does not want to share this info with a citizen of Normal? Time to help Stan out and get a list of names . HRH queen Pam needs to learn she is NOT her mother Sonya. She needs to learn she is an EMPLOYEE of the taxpayers,of which Stan Nord is.
That’s the problem. People pounding away on their keyboards, talking about the issues they see, or just running their mouths. I see little action coming from the citizens. Stan cannot and will not be able to do this alone. I know for a fact he speaks volumes for us citizens…but very little come to his 6 when it comes to these concerns. Be active and show up.
Stan and Karen both need to know they have the support of citizens. I have some emails sent to them, maybe I should post them.
You should post them!
working on it!