By: Diane Benjamin
This is the Liquor Commission in Normal: https://normal.org/399/Liquor-Commission
The entire Town Council in Normal is the Liquor Commission.
Bloomington used to have a Liquor Commission made up of appointed citizens, if I remember right there were 7 members including the mayor.
This is the Liquor Commission now:
Link to the Liquor Commission minutes: https://www.cityblm.org/government/boards-commissions/liquor-commission/liquor-commission/-folder-1697
August Liquor Commission Minutes: https://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=23177
July Special Liquor Commission Minutes: https://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=22491
(The minutes say the meeting was in June)
If the commission has a divided vote, it looks like Powell always votes with Tari.
Which system do you think is more susceptible to corruption?
A body of elected officials or Tari’s tiny cabal?
Tari recently stopped sales of alcohol at the Chateau because the new management hasn’t received a liquor license yet: https://www.pantagraph.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/city-halts-chateau-hotel-and-conference-center-liquor-sales-pending/article_f5209b0f-cacf-5fbe-a2c5-0b5ded1f5303.html
I wonder if the new management requested an emergency meeting to approve one? No agenda has been posted.
Meanwhile, the taxpayers of Bloomington own the Conference Center. No event serving alcohol can be held there until the new owners receive a liquor license. The article claims no events are scheduled there until late November.
Evidently there is little need for that conference center. Does the public even know it exists?
Tony Roma’s isn’t affected since they have there own liquor license.
Maybe the next mayor won’t feel the need to be head liquor tyrant.
Tari can do this legally because Illinois law allows it. It is alleged that Mike Madigan passes laws that benefit his legal practice. Legal doesn’t make it right. Tari declaring himself king just because he can doesn’t make it right either.
Hi just have a question. Are they going to reopen. Copper top again.
I heard they are remodeling, I don’t have first-hand information though.
The City is merely backstopping and propping up the Chateau because they don’t want a large abandoned building and eyesore. It won’t matter who the management group is, there’s a very low demand for hotel and conference space in BN and the group will ultimately be micromanaged by Tari and his political cabal.
The property taxes were sold for two years on the Conference Center. Since the City owned it, they shouldn’t have been. They were sold on the hotel too. A guy behind holding downtown property was trying to get his hands on it. The City had to step in or it would be left to deteriorate in hopes of a bail out.