By: Diane Benjamin
FOURTY TWO Minutes of the meeting were wasted last night by Jeff Crabill attempting to make changes to the Welcoming America commission that will be established. His comments start at 43:10, the final vote wasn’t over until 1:25:30.
The alderman meet in small groups with the City Manager, they know what is going to be on the agenda. Crabill decided yesterday morning the ordinance needed two changes. He supposedly emailed them to the other aldermen. That of course leaves out the people he supposedly represents, they never saw his changes in writing before the meeting.
All Crabill did was cause confusion. The Mayor couldn’t keep straight what was being voting on. Crabill’s first change was voted down. His second changed passed with aldermen Boelen and Montney abstaining because they didn’t know what they were voting on.
New Council initiative for whoever wants to present it: Any substantive changes to the staff prepared documents must be tabled until a future meeting. The other alderman deserve time to digest the changes and maybe even consult people in their Ward. Crabill’s circus was a complete waste of time. The only takeaway I have is the majority on the Council want a way to gauge if people FEEL welcome. Good luck with that one.
I could be totally wrong, but I’m just as confused as the two aldermen who abstained from voting.
See if you can figure it out, you will be bored to death however! Just hit play. There is other items to report. What should have been a short meeting lasted over 2 hours, not including an Executive Session.
I know I’m a bit dense but if you don’t know what you are voting on shouldn’t you vote no? At the least to make sure the reason for voting is made clear by the one making the proposal.
80% of Bloomington voters “abstain” in a sense when they don’t vote and we end up with confused Socialists leading our city.
It would have passed anyway 5-3.