By: Diane Benjamin
Stan Nord quit attending 2 on 1 meetings with Pam Reece and staff because they aren’t held to get his opinion. They are held to tell the Council what the plans are and get their official head nods. Funny how CITIZENS paying the bills aren’t privy to the same information. The 2 on 1 meetings are held to avoid violating the Open Meetings Act. The Council meetings are pre-planned with pre-planned results.
Kathleen Lorenz let the cat out of the bag last Monday while berating Stan Nord for refusing to sit in on the indoctrination sessions. The Council doesn’t make decisions, Pam Reece does. I bet you thought electing people to represent you meant they actually represent you. They don’t.
Kathleen also admits all the surplus funds are already spent. She mentions “Pay As You Go”, but that doesn’t apply to vehicles the Town decided to rent instead of using the $12+ million in the Vehicle Replacement Fund to “pay as you go”. She voted for the leases.
The message Kathleen wants you to know:
Government will never run out of plans for your money. Shut up and pay.
Kathleen doesn’t understand if Uptown had been “pay as you go”, the TIF wouldn’t be expiring soon with massive amounts of debt unpaid and less revenue to pay it.
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So the decision to spend $12M in surplus was made during these backroom 2 on 1 meetings? The OMA was supposed to end this corrupt practice. Public transparency is another farce in Normal.
I was in the same room with Chris Koos when he said he basically said he didn’t care what the taxpayers thought. And yes, most all decisions on government spending are made long before the start of a council meeting or any decision making process for that matter. The council meeting itself is a staged event making the few think they actually have a voice. After someone is elected they basically become your king.
Can Stan attend the meetings and then just report what was discussed either to you or do a Facebook live video? That way he can report on what’s discussed immediately and we all know before it comes up as a surprise at council meetings.
It’s stunning to see the true colors of Kathy Lorenz. I don’t know she cannot be embarrassed at herself. Her behavior is really appalling and so unprofessional. Republican? Ha! Just another one of her lies.
Lorenz’s behavior is really quite predictable. After becoming entrenched in local leadership structure, these people see themselves as your appointed ruler and savior. Never forget that Lorenz is from Naperville and a graduate of a Big Ten institution. She thinks she is smarter than everyone else. Also, you can take the girl out of Chicago but not the Chicago out of the girl.
At every council meeting I watch Kathleen verbally attacks Stan. She’s not the only one guilty of this. The council discussions are rarely about the issue at hand but are about discrediting Stan and who can come with the best “zinger” at his expense. I honestly can’t see how he does it.
Any type of meeting conducted with and among BN leadership is a microcosm of BN itself. Pettiness, finger pointing, blame avoidance, unabashed credit taking, and turf wars rule the day. What one witnesses are small town and small time egomaniacs making believe they are somehow affecting the world around them. They are on the Council or board only for self gratification and being recognized out in the community. The vast majority are clueless when it comes to the subject matter at hand and totally ignorant of real costs. It is why BN remains the joke that it is and always will be.
If non political junkies watched these meetings, members like Kathleen wouldn’t come close to being elected again. It’s just insane how Normal operates
Understand why I said I’d be in jail if I attended in person? I’m still not done reporting yet!
I couldn’t imagine being married to Kathleen.
Alternative headline
LORENZ COFIRMS: COUNCIL ARE PUPPETS!