By:  Diane Benjamin

At the Normal Town Council meeting last night many on the Council were appalled at Stan Nord’s comments concerning an email Pam Reece sent:  https://blnnews.com/2020/06/16/normal-the-lets-marginalize-stan-show/

Stan obviously stands alone in representing the people who voted for him.  The rest campaign as representing citizens and then fall in line with whatever the “professional staff” presents.  There is no shortage of proof.

1)

Start with Public Comment.  Normal’s policy is illegal because citizens can not talk about any item not on the agenda.  Illinois’ Attorney General has refused to rule on two cases filed with them by citizens.  Twice in recent years the Public Comment policy has been on the agenda for modifications.  Both times the “professional staff” left the illegal portion in.  See the documentation for both here:  Public Comment

Obviously the “professional staff” doesn’t care about the opinions of citizens.  I remember several Trustees agreeing with keeping comments to agenda items only.  Isn’t it comforting to live in a State where the Democrat Attorney General won’t enforce laws?

2)

Remember the Citizens Summit?  The “professional staff” wanted this event limited to invited guests.  They were outraged when Stan Nord advertised it.  Attendees were divided into two groups, the invited and the riffraff.  The recommendations of the group were never used, the “professional staff” claimed they would be considered in the next budget.

3)

Citizens for Fair Transit were marginalized when Connect Transit formed their “working group”.  The entire process was hijacked by members Koos appointed.   The poorer residents of Bloomington-Normal lost access to public transportation, the working group recommendations didn’t change that.  Don’t forget the still empty Normal seat to the Connect Transit Board because Koos can’t find a lackey to do his bidding.

4)

The Town had an overpass plan that was totally funded.  Instead of buying into that plan the Town continues to spend money attempting to get money for a lavish underpass complete with fountains.  Of course citizens can’t comment at a meeting about the continued waste of their money

5)

East-side fire station.  Residents only wanted consideration of moving the proposed site across the street instead of in their backyards.  The petition they submitted was ignored.  The Town paid the developer an exorbitant amount of money for land without asking the owner north of the Town owned dog park if he wanted to sell.

6)

Uptown mural.  The petition to save it by citizens was also ignored.  It took going to court to get the “professional staff’s” attention.

7)

1 Uptown Circle.  Spending close to a HALF a MILLION a year to rent a floor of a building – just to get it built – is stealing what citizens had to toil for.  Then making it impossible to get a tenant on the first floor because nobody is the “right fit” is a slap in the face to citizens, especially after the Portillos fleece with the same developer because the “professional staff” wanted an old hotel gone.   The furnishings for that floor were another small fortune.

8)

The “professional staff” using that second floor used to be down the street on Linden.  Who negotiated the $100 a month lease for that space Mr. Mayor?  At least that one got stopped.

9)

Speaking of leases, look at the Teri Ryburn deal.  $120 a year rent while the taxpayers had to fund fixing the place up:    https://blnnews.com/2018/01/07/sweet-deal-for-koos-buddy/

10) – includes many more

This list could go on a long time.  Normal has a history of paying way over value for properties and then selling them for much less or giving them away.  Here’s just one example:  https://blnnews.com/2020/03/05/fleeced-again-normal/

Normal recently sold the Ft Jesse property for far less than appraised value to the wife of an employee.

How much confidence do citizens have in the police who watched Target get looted?  How about the Mayor watching with them?  How about the destruction to police vehicles?  Are taxpayers going to get that bill?  Think citizens didn’t see Uptown was blocked off to keep out looters?  What confidence to citizens have in police protecting their property?

Add the Cost-of-Living wage increases for the “professional staff”, isn’t that twice a year?  Meanwhile fees and property tax increases are passed every year because they Town “has no choice”.  All this while jobs are being lost and businesses are closing.

How about executive orders without consulting the Council, even after the town code states they expire?

Who can forget the Mayor mocking people who just want to work:

I actually had trouble NOT making this list longer.

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The residents around One Normal Plaza called Stan because he isn’t the rest of you.  He actually listens and cares.  Stan doesn’t care about “The Plan” as Kathleen Lorenz likes to say “we work the plan”.

Stan was elected because citizens hate “the plan”.  It has them 10’s of millions of dollars in debt yet the town is planning to make it even worse.  (Uptown 2.0)

Citizens have seen the snarky emails Pam Reece sends to the Council about Stan Nord.  She also sends them to citizens who don’t kneel before her.  Lorenz and McCarthy were dead wrong last night.  I’m sure Pam is very nice and responsive to them because they never criticize her.

I have many, but here’s just one snarky response Pam sent to a citizen, April 2021 can’t come soon enough: