By: Diane Benjamin
The FOIA submitted in this story by a citizen in Normal was only for employees that don’t live in Normal: https://blnnews.com/2020/12/14/guess-where-town-of-normal-employees-dont-live/
I submitted a FOIA for all full-time employees. I received a list of 365.
(Maybe staff can’t afford to live in Normal)
Residency Requirements:
I’m sure there are many people living in Normal who would love to have those high paying jobs and be in compliance!
2 thoughts…
1.) What is the point of a policy if they are not followed?
2.) The “professional staff” do not experience Normal as a resident or taxpayer. They only know know Normal as a place to work or shop. This explains their hyper focus on Uptown and ISU. They have no skin in the game for what residents experience or the taxes we pay for their spending whims.
Let me get this straight. The town staff who shut down Normal’s bars and restaurants don’t even live here. I have been to some of the restaurants open in the towns where some of the staff live. They are not having their towns shutdown indoor dining. Are these people intentionally destroying businesses in Normal to drive customers, and revenue, to their hometown, because that is what is happening?
The mayor and council are rubber stamping the agenda of people who don’t even live here. We need to ask them why. If anyone gets the mayor or council to answer them, please share their response with Diane so she can share it with us.
I’m not a fan of employers (government or private sector) restricting where people live. The policy should be rescinded. That said, in no way does it diminish the point. By not living in Normal, these local government employees cannot appreciate the consequences of their actions. They inherently lack empathy for the citizenry. For them, increased spending, fees, and taxes are of little to no consequence. Similarly, college students generally vote in lockstep with the Uptown and Koos agenda because they don’t have to pay for the costs associated with street festivals, and subsidized restaurants and bars. All they see is upside with no expenses. So, naturally, they vote for big government almost all the time.