By: Diane Benjamin
Bloomington has 3 candidates running for Mayor.
If you are considering voting for Gunderson you must be a socialist or you are one of those that will fall for anything.
Go to Mike Straza’s website for his campaign details: https://www.strazaformayor.com/platform/
Celebrate – he wants more diversity and inclusion.
(Divide but include?)
Compare it to Mboka Mwilambwe’s website: https://www.mbokaformayor.com/agenda
I want to know your thoughts before I tell you mine.
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Knowing nothing about either candidate my initial thoughts that may change were –
Straza seems to be using a lot of what I would call weasel words or phrases. Things that are too open to interpretation or simply have no firm definition; things that don’t nail him down, which lead me to believe he could turn out to be one that wants to accommodate the loudest voice in the room.
Mboka seem to be focused more on a simple, definite direction. I feel that he would be more attentive to what government is meant to take care of, less accommodating to the “I want to remake the world” crowd. A tendency to a simplified government is a better direction.
nice job!
I too am having a difficult time nailing Straza down. As has already been mentioned he does a good job of saying a whole lot of nothing. But, as I do the research one thing is very clear to me. If Straza lived in Normal, Chris Koos would not be running for reelection. Koos would have recruited him to run in his place and solidly thrown his support behind him. He already has through his Responsible Cities PAC.
That should tell you everything you need to know about the guy.
Mboka hands down for his philosophy of government.
(Although his working for the ISU indoctrination center, I am justifiably suspicious – as we should be of every person running for public office who also collects a government paycheck.)
Now let’s watch the communists attack the person of color who isn’t in lockstep with them.
A little off topic, but…
Has anyone seen the “little red corvette” tooling around town lately?
Not being seen in the usual places!
Maybe it’s “the covid” again.
Maybe staying close to home.
Let’s see if he shows up tonight to “lead the charge” to extend his buddy’s contract through March 31, 2025.
WHICH SHOULD BE A FIRM “NO.”
Driving a vet on the snow would be a disaster!
A little snow doesn’t stop an attention-seeking sociopath drunk with a flashy $70,000 car.
So is his administration!
Anytime they mention diversity and inclusion i know they are left leaning. (Meaning sanctuary city). I’m voting for Mboka. He has stood alone many times voting against the socialists just like a Stan Nord. Straza will win because he has money behind him but I always thought Mboka was the man for the job.
Money doesn’t buy votes if people are willing to WORK for the guy they want.
I left my name , number & address offering my help with his campaign. Sadly, that is more than anyone else will do.
recruit!
America is in big trouble, starting with our local communities. No one mentions the constitution or rule of law. It is mostly fluff that doesn’t mean much of anything. Everyone promises Infrastucture improvements and they never happen. Everyone wants inclusiveness in some areas to the detriment of others. Oh Boy!
Again, a little bit off topic, but…
Did anyone else see Mike Lindell’s video drop this past Friday? It’s worth a look.
The last 15 minutes of it are key.
The Department of Defense was monitoring (by satellite) every single voting machine in the United States (not only the Dominion machines, and not only in the battleground states, but ALL) on November 3 and 4. Apparently the same was done in the 2016 and 2018 elections as well.
Thousands of pages of data detailing the IP addresses of the hackers, IP addresses of each voting machine, how the votes were altered (always Trump-minus and/or Biden-plus). Everything. Certifiable forensic evidence.
If I was a politician who “bought” my office, I’d be a little worried right now.
Think they aren’t using that info to control him?
Straza = Koos Puppet, Government knows best philosophy
Mboka = Independent, no personal agenda, respected by his peers
With Straza, you will a continuation of the same. As someone else said Koos regular or light. His website is pure pretty boy BS. With Mboka you will get maybe 25 percent but better than Straza. He’ll still be susceptible from the Rainbow Coalition crap but at least he has some common sense and a hope from citizens he will fall more on the right side than the looney left. Bloomington’s days of being some “shining city on the hill” are long gone. Any business of consequence wanting to expand or locate here is pure fantasy and don’t give me that Rivian garbage which won’t be long term anyway.
Haha! Yup, no business is going to relocate or expand in Bloomington. Why? There’s no innovation or tech talent for miles. Big Red is slow to innovate…to the extent they try, it’s in their Tempe and Silicon Valley offices. The only industry growing is local government. It’s never a good sign when the largest or newest buildings in town belong to government.
As the years continue to go by, the know- nothing BN Elitist Clique is always on charge. Never forget it because they don’t. They’ve had their chances but never fail to chase them away. It threatens their local power. Think the Fenway Park scene in “Moneyball”. Your posts on the local economy are always on the mark.
Interesting. I’m in agreement that Straza doesn’t appear to stand for anything. He speaks in broad language or uses bromides that amount to nothing of substance. No one can tell me what he stands for…not even him. He appears to champion things like the CT transfer station but wants nothing to do with the woke crowd. And, he appears to have the Chamber gadflies following him on Facebook. Meanwhile, Mboka has stood in opposition to the woke crowd during his time on the Council, and would know best how to maneuver around the political hijinks of Carillo and Crabs. Ultimately, my concern is that Straza and Mboka will split the votes and Gunderson, with a well-organized base, will walk in.
She has a small base. The key is informing citizens an election is taking place. Most don’t know
I’d be willing to bet she’s getting some support from Jenn, Crabs, and their followers. She might not have a base of her own (who knows) but the woke SJWs will come out and vote. All it takes is an email list from those two and she is competitive. The level of apathy toward local elections among the general population is incredible.
Appalling is a better word. It isn’t their fault though, local media downplays it.
A choice of three shit sandwiches it’s pretty obvious what’s for lunch. Sorry to be so crass but I remember the process of when Mboka was first selected by the powers that be when Kevin H. resigned. Probably a better choice than the other two yahoos but be ready for the same old,,,crap.
Depends on who else gets elected
Mboka is the least divisive of the bunch. My prediction is Straza and Mboka will split the non-woke vote and Gunderson will win. If Straza wants to do what is best for Bloomington he should step aside and endorse Mboka. Knowing Straza’s alignment with the far leftists who signed onto the Responsible Cities PAC I would believe the strategy was for Straza to split the vote and make it easy for Gunderson to win.
I like this approach for this site, getting us to think first before offering your own opinion. So, without reading anyone else’s comments…
Straza
1. Economy
A. Equip current business owners to thrive: Great! How? No specifics
B. Help small businesses: Great! How? No specifics.
C. Nurture our downtown businesses: Is this existing businesses in the downtown area? Or spur new development? This is not clear and not expanded upon in his description.
My thoughts: I fear that based on his lack of specifics that he will continue the practice of government deciding which small businesses to support (and conversely not support) and pick and choose where businesses are allowed to go and not go. I would prefer to let the free market decide these things organically and help business through lowering the costs of doing business in town.
2. Invest in Infrastructure
A. Improve water, sewerts, etc.: At least he gets the one thing that everyone wants out of the way
B. Implement Smart Cities initiatives: He mentions it twice, but assumes everyone knows what that is and doesn’t explain it. Feels like a lack of transparency. Here’s one description, it’s low on details too: https://www.techrepublic.com/article/smart-cities-the-smart-persons-guide/.
C. Access to reliable internet: Is this really an issue? If so, I’m all ears. The only thing I’ve seen is a lack of competition in some areas for Internet.
My thoughts: The Smart Cities stuff scares me due to it’s lack of details and the size of our city doesn’t lend itself to the comparisons to other ‘Smart Cities’. I’m sure Connect Transit considers themselves part of a ‘Smart City’ even though their service vs. expense ratio is completely whacked.
3. Balanced Leadership for Our Diverse Community
My thoughts: A lot of words but not a lot of substance. All great leaders should be open-minded and treat everyone with respect and dignity. Have previous leaders not done so? What separates him from other leaders? What “barriers that contribute to injustices” does he intend to remove? Will he focus on lowering the excessive taxes and fees that are crippling our small businesses and lower-income individuals and families so they can flourish?
Mboka
1. Focus on basic municipal services: “Focus on the basics…This is not the time to take on large projects…prudence with your tax dollars from me”. This is a home run response for me. I feel like he has listened to what most of the town is complaining about on this issue.
2. Economic Development: A lot of good words but not a lot of substance, but his closing statement of “The ultimate goal would be to expand our tax base and reduce the cost of municipal services for all of us” resonates. This isn’t just ‘if we build it [with taxpayer money] they will come’ dreams, his ultimate goal is to reduce the tax burden on the average resident. Essentially – put more money in everyone’s pocket.
3. Community Development (Living together): Again a lot of nice thoughts, a little bit of implementation details, but another good closing statement: “Let’s have a framework where our differences bring us together rather than pull us apart.”
Closing thoughts: There’s a lot of people in the world today that claim to be for “unity” but in reality mean “you’ve got to accept things my way or the highway.” Straza and Mkoba both make some claims in this area and both are open to interpretation. I hope they both want true unity. In the end I favor Mkoba, his statements to me focus less about transforming the current city and more about building on its current strengths, giving individuals freedom financially, and avoiding big government projects. Lastly, he’s the only one who makes any mention of making the streets “safe”.
Smart Cities = Surveillance State
Thank you for pointing that out. You have been the only one
I got a call today from a survey firm, “DYNATA 309-741-2061” per my caller ID. They asked for my daughter, but when told she wasn’t available, the stunningly inarticulate woman suddenly wanted MY opinions. Based on the way she butchered Mboka’s name (first AND last), I’m guessing she was calling on behalf of one of he other campaigns. She likely wasn’t happy when I told her I’d vote for Mboka.
For reasons others have already stated, Mboka, and, because he seems the most “real”.
Watching the City Council meeting…. WHERE’S TARI??
Mia! Evidently dental work took him down for tonight
Uh huh. Right. “Dental work.” LOL.
Mboka is the best choice. 7 years on the city council as a consensus builder and inclusive listener. Family man of good character and values , never raged or threw hissy rants on line or in meetings ( cough*censure Tari).
Fiscally responsible and does not make sell out promises of his soul in return for PAC and CEO money. Not afraid of the DSA and proud of America , Mboka is the experienced , level headed choice.
Straza has PAC money and access to the deep pockets of Koos’ relationships. Straza will buy his way into the mayorship. He has enough money to pay an outside company to do his phone banking and other campaign tech. Mboka is the best person for job, but that has nothing to do with who will win.
Straza = Trump
Mboka = Centered
Gunderson = Biden
Trump? That’s funny
If Straza is like Trump then he is impersonating and is more like a wolf in sheep’s clothing. He has surrounded himself with other wolves, just look at the names of the people he started his PAC with.
Anyone else seen billboards for Straza around town? I’ve seen two different ones, one of which is on Rt 9 just east of Hershey. I don’t know how much a billboard costs these days, but I’m sure it’s not cheap. Where’s that money coming from?
Where does that money come from ? It comes from grifters and other upside-win friends that form a PAC to buy compliant elected officials. PAC’s made of of folks that herd pre- selected happy clappers together , break them into groups and write brainstorms on butcher paper then posted on boards and discussed . 🤑 = City billed $20k in consulting/facilitating fees 🤑- .. so… Those kind of folks donate to THOSE kind of PAC that give to THOSE kind of politicians & THATS where your electronic billboard money comes from 👩🏻🎓
You’re probably correct on the funding. But depending on the details it may not be as expensive as you think. I had a rotation on an electronic billboard last time I ran, and that was purely self-funded.
Straza is a Smart Cities Shill.
Smart Cities, think Chinese surveillance state.
Just search Smart Cities Surveillance.
Straza supports Smart Cities infrastructure.
This infrastructure is surveillance tech.
Just search Smart Cities Surveillance.
Sounds like Straza thinks the people are a resource that needs to be managed.
That’s the only big example I could think of when I was reading up on SmartCities. It all just reminded me of the all the surveillance cameras that cover London now.
Free WiFi in Uptown speaks volumes