By: Diane Benjamin
One Normal Plaza zoning changes are coming to the Normal Town Council on Monday. Mercy is the Town planner. She is also listed as the petitioner for the changes.
The biggest problem area residents have with the proposed changes is allowing alcohol in the park. The Planning Commission meeting was laughable because AJ Zimmerman claimed any business that wanted to put an alcohol establishment in the park would have to get a Liquor License to do it.
AJ doesn’t understand that if the Zoning approved DOESN’T ALLOW alcohol in the park the issue is mute. As long as the documents allow alcohol in any form the residents have to keep fighting to keep it out.
It gets worse however. See PDF page 86 https://normal.org/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/4053
Sub-area 2 still lists this as an approved establishment:
Description of Sub-area 2 from PDF page 90
PDF page 98:
Sure sounds like somebody wants alcohol in the park, who else is going to be open that late?
A picture of Sub-area 2 is on PDF page 102.
This statement is on PDF page 88:
The Town Staff – Mercy Davidson – did not mention “the Wine and Liquor Shop” COULD be removed, she said it WILL be removed – by her! Click play, listen to the end.
Sound like a lie to you? Sound like the “professional staff” works for citizens? Or do they work for Julie Hile and her partner Bob Broad?
PDF page 116:
This is just my opinion, but it is based on years of observation Their “vision” and their keen desire for alcohol in the park is because these are the people who like to believe that they “just have a glass of wine with dinner” or “a glass of wine to relax” when in truth, they actually slug down a bottle or two (that they picked up on the way home from the office) pretty much every night by always “topping up” their glass and firmly believe that wine is for their health and it elevates them a bit above the smelly Walmart people. This desire for alcohol in the park is not for Joe and Jenny Sixpack to haul in a case of Old Milwaukee in a cooler, it’s for them sit and guzzle their 10-20 bucks a bottle wine (the 10 dollar stuff makes them feel like they are just regular working folk) and listen to chamber music or progressive jazz playing in the background while they discuss their new real-estate ventures or their next promotion or next run for whatever public office they want to “serve” (LOL) in – it’s another example of George Carlin’s “It’s a big club, and you’re not in it”. The average person will not be comfortable in their envisioned “casual setting” you can bet on it. For me, it’s NOT the simple idea of alcohol allowed in or sold in the park – it’s the elitist vision behind it.
An accurate analysis. For future reference for everyone, Mercy’s last name is Davison.
Yet another example of the Town staff lying. Reece had no problem lying to the feds to get the underpass grant. Day lied to get Electric Ave vacated. The council lied about not raising property taxes last year. Lying is encouraged and endorsed from the top down. The Koos administration operates under the concept that the ends justify any means that are necessary.
Lying is a way of life for them and they justify every lie because, well, any sacrifice or lie is worth it for the cause or the vision especially when they can lie about the lie or bury it somehow or gloss it over with some sort of shiny facade.
Citizens could demand audits of already established uppity town actual bars that are supposed to be restaurants cause Normal doesn’t have any bars by definition. Since the uppity town restaurants or bars will fail miserably use that as a solid information in the fight to disallow this one. And it sets everything back.
I like the way you think, but they will blame the failure on anyone or anything other than their own crappy ideas.
Mercy Davidson to the Planning Commission. “It wouldn’t make sense to have that [Wine and Liquor Shops] be a zoning code change if you cannot in fact sell wine and beer. So, [clears throat] so, I’ll take that out regardless.” (Transcript of the audio link in this story.)
Then…
Mercy Davidson to the Town Council “Town staff mentioned the Wine and Liquor Shop use COULD be removed from the list of permitted uses, but no Commission action was taken in that regard.” (http://normal.org/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/4053 Packet pg. 7-6)
Mercy told the Commission she would take it out “regardless.” Then she blamed the commission for it remaining in the report she gave to the council.
Yes, I would call that misrepresenting the truth. A flat out lie.
I am sure Pammy and the Hile-Broads will reward Mercy handsomely.
Another place for the government elites, their do-nothing friends of government pals who feed at the taxpayer trough, and the suck-up Chamber member wannabe elites to feel “cultured” and look down their noses at the unwashed masses. ‘Sorry we can’t help with your water or sewer issues, but maybe you’d like to come to the 85th festival of the year and drink a $17 glass of craft wine.’