By: Diane Benjamin
3 people showed up for Public Comment at the June Connect Transit meeting. No, none of them were there to mention the taxpayers abuse by their ridiculous losses. Just May was almost $1.5 million.
All 3 speakers were employees of Connect. They can barely be seen because most of the screen is covered by what agenda item they are on. (Totally unnecessary since the agenda is printed in the packet) The first guy accused them of religious discrimination, I can’t tell what he is holding up. He claimed he wasn’t allowed to wear anything related to Jesus but Connect promoted satan. The second speaker accused Connect of ignoring Juneteenth which happens to be a federal holiday. The third speaker claims Connect has a lack of diversity and also disregarded Juneteenth by launching their messaging campaign on that federal holiday. Connect is using lots of different tactics to justify their existence. See 27:30 on the video for some of them.
Sounds like the employees are restless!
None of the above is the point of this post. Board Chair Ryan Whitehouse read instructions before Public Comment. I wonder if he has ever read the Open Meetings Act?
Connect actually has a written illegal policy: https://connect-transit.com/file/6/Public%20Comment%20Policy.docx_001.pdf
Point #4 is illegal because it requires the speaker to give their address. Nothing in the OMA requires an address, actually by saying the required address on video the board doxed them. Nice.
Point #6 is policy – Whitehouse stated Illinois law does not allow the Board to respond to comment. It doesn’t. Most Boards CHOSE not respond because they don’t want members making not-thought-through comments in response to a speaker. There is NOTHING in the law that prevents a response or conversation. Some of the best meeting videos are when a Board responds, usually in anger that some mere taxpayer wasn’t bowing before them.
The Board needs to amend their public comment policy to not require addresses. Mr. Whitehouse needs to update his speech so he isn’t spreading disinformation about Illinois law.
Attorney Jeff Jurgens was present as Bloomington’s City Manager. He didn’t correct Whitehouse when his comments were made, maybe he did after. Jurgens knows better.
Just hit play to hear Whitehouse, then fast forward to 30:30. The electric buses have increased the property and casualty insurance costs. The Board goes into an extended conversation trying to understand why electric raised the premium. Nobody mentioned how many electric buses are in service but the increased cost was substantially lowered to around $1000 per bus total. Nobody mentioned if negotiations were around few if any of the electrics running. The original quote was around $8500 per bus before negotiations. In the future the board wants to all exam all costs with future free buses they obtain with grants instead of finding out later the real cost of free.
Enjoy not being able to see the speakers: