By: Diane Benjamin
Below are random emails. click on to enlarge if needed.
The last 3 people copied are employees of Smart Growth America.
The Working Group has some members who “will be unable to correct”. Some probably thought the Working Group was created to fix their issues.
More of the same – the consultant, Buchanan, and Hile are steering the Working Group where they want it to go. It isn’t about solving service and fare problems.
Calling out one member by name:
The LifeCil Executive Director must also need “correcting” as to the purpose of the Working Group, part of her email:
I’ve got many more emails I could post, but the ones I have posted prove the Working Group was not created to work through the valid complaints of citizens who must ride the bus.
Keep in mind Smart Growth America is being paid over $53,425 to steer the group where Connect Transit wants it to go. This note is on the bottom of their emails:
How about instead:
Corporate BS speak at its best here. Translation: We plan on ignoring everything and everyone who gets in the way of what we want to do. The decisions are already made. We just need to create a narrative that we can move forward through the lap-dog media to accomplish what we want.
Working Group:
https://www.connect-transit.com/about/trustees/cttf_working_group/default.asp
Strategic Plan:
https://www.connect-transit.com/documents/Final%20Draft%20Strategic%20Plan%20for%202021.pdf
For your reading pleasure…
The SGA Facitator Proposal is dated June 10, 2019. Check the dates of all of these emails. Additionally, both mayors recommended to the Working Group to think big…translation, big budget.
It was my understanding the working group was formed to address concerns that have recently surfaced from riders ranging from increased fares, discontinuing of routes, poor service levels and disenfranchised riders due to ADA compliance issues. Connect Transit has in turn exploited these concerns by forming a working group of hand picked people who are being led by a $54,000 facilitator specializing in group think. This is nothing more than a diversionary tactic of Connect Transit to bury people in statistics, unrealistic long range planning goals, green energy initiatives and methods for bilking the government at every level. Meanwhile it has been a full year that the town of Normal has been without a representative on the Connect Transit board. While the mayor claims he wants to wait for the working group to conclude their work before filling the board position, Connect Transit is certainly not waiting on the working group in their poor decision making process. This is government run amuck. Mayor Koos is playing along with an intergovernmental agency that has absolutely no accountability to the taxpayers. Together they’ve determined that a lack of representation on the board helps them to achieve their end goals better than filling the position. Try raising these concerns at a Normal Town Council meeting and you get censored. Wake up Normal! You are not being represented. You are being governed.
Ruled might be a better word
Talk about wanting to STICK it to the taxpayers! WHEN will these jackasses actually become sustainable and have smaller busses that can go MORE place and reach more people and be FUNCTIONAL, rather then just running AMUCK and peeing money and resources down the drain! We NEED another study on this like we need another arena.
I think they should switch to limos. Perfect size. Or maybe Rivian vans.