By: Diane Benjamin
Normal Mayor Chris Koos isn’t happy with Stan Nord for doing a video showing how far veterans have to travel to get to the VA Clinic if they ride the bus. See this story from yesterday: https://blnnews.com/2020/07/15/veterans-dishonored-by-connect-transit/
To Koos everything is political. Koos obviously has no intent of solving problems, this one has been on-going since before the clinic opened. Nobody coordinated construction with Connect Transit. The VA just assumed patients would be dropped at the door. WMDB did a story on July 31, 2019 about this issue. A year later nothing has changed. https://blnnews.com/2019/08/01/wmdb-story-on-the-vet-clinic-problems/
Koos posted this on Facebook:
Does Koos know what it takes to get a mobility ride, if the smaller bus shows up at all even with a reservation? https://www.connect-transit.com/riding/connectmobilityfaq.asp
Even more ridiculous is the cost to taxpayers since CT limits riders on mobility because of Covid:
https://blnnews.com/2020/07/02/connect-transit-what-electing-progressives-got-you/
The mayor has very few supporters on his own page
All of these comments are on the mayor’s page in response to his statement. I redacted all the names except Koos buddy Dave Shields. He is obviously as clueless as Chris. This has been an issue for a year and both would rather go after the messenger instead of solving the problem.
These comments are in a private group that re-posted the mayor’s comment:
This comment sums up what I’ve heard over and over. The cost has changed, but it doesn’t matter if the service isn’t reliable.
More comments:
Koos….Fix the damn bus system. Stop moving the spotlight to a personal issue you have with one person who doesn’t ride the bus either. The longer you jerk around infighting, the longer you let the issue persist. This delay looks intentional.
The board are your hand selected minions, it is not a leap to think you are behind the broken system.
YES mr koos, even in a SOCIALIST country the government can run things better!!!
This NEEDS to STOP!
This Mayor is clueless as to how the CT system actually works in his own community. He is clueless because the Town/City Councils on both sides do not review and hold CT accountable under the INTERGOVERNMENTAL AGREEMENT…AS THEY ARE THE SUPPOSE TO DO. CT recently passed their budget and what do you think happened, they never presented it to the Councils. Evidently, Pam has it but never sent it ahead to have it reviewed by Council. Hmmmmm! One year of straight Direct Contact Advocacy by local residents and Advocates alike requested the the IGA be followed…still crickets chirping here folks. CT has been able to do what they wanted to do without OVERSIGHT by both Councils. The IGA lays out specifically how the Town/City/CT must conduct their business and it has not been done properly. But, guess what, they are finally getting blow back from the community as they should. This system is rigged with lots political bias. Stan just pointed out so many things in one short video. Go deeper than the surface and you get educated.
Also, I think it was explained very well above on how to get approved for PARATRANSIT i.e. Connect Mobility. You, CANNOT just call and place an order for ON-DEMAND service i.e. Connect Mobility. You must apply and then go through their stubborn policies. You have to be APPROVED in order to get that service before you can get that so called Ride to the front door.
As for D. Shields statement above “Nope, let them walk.” They do not have to say it…their actions continue to speak volumes. I know D. Shields and the fact that he continues to attack one specific Council Member speaks volumes as to what kind of person he is really is.
Lastly, I am a VETERAN, Constituent of Normal, Tax Payer, and pissed off at how this Mayor and Council continue to GASLIGHT every damn thing when it does not go their way. Embrace the suck and march on. Geesh, you are the Mayor for Christ Sakes, stop being emotional about every damn thing and see it for what it is…YOU continue to fail the everyday Citizen in your own community. Learn from it and be in a better place.
What we have here is a major butt hurt leftist totalitarian who has NO self-awareness. He is so enraged that he has been publicly called out that lashing out in personal attacks is the only way he can defend himself and his leftist posse.
This is NOT leadership!
This is a school yard bully who is ready to push anyone’s face into the dirt.
Koos Koos is in a real trap when it comes to Connect Transit and this one’s bit him in the ass. He’s beholden to his buddies Julie Hile and Mike McCurdy. But, there’s just too many people in this town who have reached a boiling point with Connect. Given a choice between fixing a broken system or defending his friends who are responsible for the brokenness, Koos sides with his friends at his own peril. This is what he means by Connect Transit being a politically charged situation. Something he consistently says regarding any problems with Connect. It’s political for Koos Koos. For the rest of us it’s a government failure that needs to be fixed and won’t be fixed because of the mayor’s politics.
I’ve never seen anyone more stupid with social media than Chris Koos.
Koos only uses his veteran status when it’s convenient. That’s infuriating. He uses it only when he’s being attacked. The fact remains though that he completely ignored the issue at the VA and he hates being called out for it.
Being a veteran, as he says he is, one would think he would be WAY MORE helpful in his thinking AND treatment toward ALL who served!!
MAybe the NEXT mayor will fix this “Donnybrook”!
Connect Transit is fatally flawed. Its decision making is driven by political ideology and not driven by serving its customers. The only people that think Connect Transit is an “asset” to the community are the local elitists and their lemming Chamber member cheerleaders who have never used and never will use Connect Transit (unless there’s a photo op). Stan is right on, though I think he’s pointing out a symptom of the underlying problem. It’s clear that Koos and his fanboy, Crazy Davey, are more focused on attacking Stan and trying to impugn his credibility rather than trying to actually address the valid concerns raised. This strategy is clearly backfiring. Also, I wonder what else is going on inside Connect Transit that we don’t see or hear about. Hmm…
I can believe that Koos is a veteran a**h*le. Is that what he’s talking about?
ISU students get door to door in a lot of instances yet these Amazing Americans are forced to walk, dumb, dumb……these idiots also abandoned Target during the riots and looting by removing the police.