By: Diane Benjamin
Numerous items Normal citizens need to know:
Below is part of an email written by Stan Nord. The yellow is City Manager Pam Reece’s response to his email.
Pam does not understand citizens saw Target being looted and the destruction to police vehicles while the police did nothing. They know Mayor Chris Koos was there too evidently enjoying the show. Citizens expect the police to stop riots and looting.
We have never received a good explanation other than somebody didn’t want officers to get hurt. Tear Gas couldn’t have been used to disperse them?
Trying to locate the culprits after the fact isn’t what citizens expect!
More proving the fix is in at 305 S Linden. https://blnnews.com/2020/10/15/remember-305-s-linden/
Background:
The Town of Normal owns half of the building. It has been vacant since the staff that was there moved to the second floor of 1 Uptown Circle. The Town RENTS that floor for around $36,000 a month. (No rent to $430,000+ a year)
305 S Linden was purchased for further development south of the tracks, but it has been declared surplus property – the Council didn’t do that, staff did. The Town is advertising their half for sale on their website instead of attempting to maximize the price to protect taxpayers. It is obvious Normal has a buyer they are keeping a secret. See the email below. If Normal is selling it in a transparent manner to someone other than another “friend”, why do they want CIRBN internet run to the building? Are they paying for it too?
Remember when the Town wanted to rent it for $100 a month? https://blnnews.com/2019/07/08/remember-the-100-a-month-normal-lease/
Click the link in that story, Normal had been planning to pay CIRBN $5000 to run fiber. Are they planning to pay it before selling the building? We aren’t allowed to know facts surrounding this property. It will just appear on a some agenda.
In case you were wondering how much pension Normal’s former City Manager Dave Anderson received before his death:
Yes, he received $10,268 a month Illinois Income Tax free. I don’t know if survivors receive anything.
Everybody knows Illinois roads and bridges are bad. A new report lists Illinois 37th overall in performance and cost effectiveness. https://reason.org/policy-study/25th-annual-highway-report/
The gas tax has been doubled by the State and both Bloomington and Normal.
Instead of using State Motor Fuel Tax dollars to fix the disgusting roads, Normal voted to use that money to extend Constitution Trail. Fixing roads is way to boring when monuments can be built to honor yourself. TWO fine so called Republicans voted with the Democrats for this one. Scott Preston is running for re-election, this is why he doesn’t deserve it:
See the minutes in this packet: https://normal.org/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/3775
In case you were wondering who the Koos status quo (Responsible Citizens PAC) is supporting for Trustee April 6, 2021 – this is one of them:
The Koos candidates can easily be defeated:
More people need to vote. It’s easy to waltz into office when most don’t.
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I wonder when her majesty, Queen Pamela will finally decide she’s had enough of Stan’s questioning and decide that it’s time to stay home and collect a $12,000 check from her mailbox each month. At taxpayer expense, of course. Maybe then she could become a consultant or interim manager of Connect Transit.
What I find interesting about the petition page posted here is that there are so many influential people all on the same page. They clearly were at a meeting planning out their campaign. You don’t just run into Chris Koos at one location and then happen to see Kathleen Lorenz a couple of days later and get their signatures at two different times. Perhaps they were all attending a Responsible Cities PAC meeting. Nothing illegal about all that, only further proof of my earlier post that these people are organized and are going to put up a hard fight.
Without Koos using his “bully pulpit” the cowards have no fight.
Amazing someone making approx $125k per year, with guaranteed 3% increases, does not have to pay state income tax on that amount. Yet, someone making $50k per year would pay $2,500 in state income tax with the biggest portion of those tax payments to pay that unsustainable pension, its guaranteed increases and Cadillac retiree healthcare.
If these people were truly practicing what they preach, they would welcome paying their “fair share.”
Perhaps the first step is separate out those making pensions on $100k. You would easily pass a constitutional amendment to change those benefits if those with pensions under $100k weren’t used as pawns.
uptown, the “spawn pond” of corruption in Illinois, and ole Pammie just nods her head, grabs that cash with BOTH hands and makes a dash! WAY to go,
It’s WAY past time for uptown to just totally CLEAN HOUSE and pick up the pieces and see WHAT they can do with what’s left of a once DECENT small town!
The spending spree and selfish priorities will continue if anyone of the incumbents are left in office. Vote them all out and make sure none of the new ones are connected to Koos.
No surprises. This is how crooks behave.
Thanks for sharing information from Reason.
So Koos
– recruited 2 new normal council candidates to run
– has a mayoral puppet candidate running in Bloomington
– has all 3 of his hand picked incumbents running too
– created a PAC to fund all of this
He is stacking the deck. Koos has a power complex. He wants to run all of Bloomington Normal.
Diane, please keep us informed who is funding all of this.
Power corrupts…
See the people listed on the letter to candidates, I bet lots originated there.