Tari responded to a public comment last night against Council policy. Yes there is case law that says the Bloomington ordinance is illegal because it violates free speech. How many other illegal laws does Bloomington have Tari? Should the citizens question more laws? Maybe illegal ordinances should be changed instead of just broken! By: Diane […]
By: Diane Benjamin Tonight’s festivities of the Bloomington City Council start with feeding themselves. 3 meetings are scheduled so the main event at 7:00 doesn’t waste time discussing the issues. It’s much easier to pass the new tax levy when the discussion already took place earlier. Meeting #1 – Executive Session (secret meeting) The City […]
By: Diane Benjamin The Creativity Center isn’t ADA compliant! Lisa Madigan will target them next, and thanks to the Bloomington City Council you will be on the hook for that building too! The below is from the minutes of the 10/24/16 meeting in the packet for approval Monday night: http://www.cityblm.org/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=11609 See PDF page 34. Joni […]
By: Diane Benjamin Of course the TIF District passed last night 8-1. Only Kevin Lower knows government doesn’t create economic development without taking your money to do it. Free markets are dead in Bloomington. I hear Giebelhausen is still planning a hotel for the Pantagraph building, not where the City wants one and not in […]
(Jim announced last night he is not running for reelection. Petitions are due 11/21 – info here: http://www.becvote.org/wordpress/) Dear Jim, Here’s the problem: The citizens feel like their government is stalking them like a famished predator. They have good reasons: Amusement Tax, Utilities tax, Gas Tax, Sales Tax, Garbage fee increases, Liquor fee increases More […]
By: Diane Benjamin Sometimes my stories just write themselves. This is one of them. See today’s article in the Pantagraph about Tari Renner’s trip to Cuba: http://www.pantagraph.com/business/renner-reconnecting-bloomington-to-cuban-sister-city/article_5b63446a-77b9-588c-861a-05765c99bde1.html The article ends with this quote from Tari: Free Enterprise? Here? Let’s look at what the Bloomington City Council will be considering Monday night: http://www.cityblm.org/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=11529 See PDF page […]
By: Diane Benjamin The City of Bloomington included a newsletter with October Water/Sewer/Garbage bills. You can see it here: HERE There are a number of problems with the newsletter. I wonder whose job it is to put it together and include it with the bills. The Communications Director? First, the newsletter sent in October is […]
By: Diane Benjamin Note: I could keep posting links – but I’m severely bored. Besides, it’s obvious from the ones I have linked who votes to fleece taxpayers! Note #2: One name is missing from every Yes vote: Kevin Lower See this story from yesterday: https://blnnews.com/2016/10/02/renner-vrs-lower-vrs-hauman/ Below is the list from yesterday’s story. The nice […]
I just found ANOTHER payment on 8/22/16 for $5,298.75. New TOTAL of $44,786.25. By: Diane Benjamin I’m doing some research I’d been thinking about doing for months but haven’t gotten to. I had to stop and show you this: This is from Bills and Payroll – 6/13/2016 http://www.cityblm.org/index.aspx?page=242&parent=9535 Who is Genesis Authority LLC? Note Yocum […]
By: Diane Benjamin Alderman Jim Fruin is NOT letting the gold-plated City health insurance issue drop! Normally alderman wring their hands over some injustice and the issue is never addressed again. Jim is dogging the City to address the health insurance issue without a need for expensive consultants. He even suggested the Mayor ask, during […]
By: Diane Benjamin This item is on the Agenda for Monday’s City Council meeting: At the August 8, 2016 meeting, Tari tried to abolish the liquor Commission and crown himself the only guy in charge. He took it off the agenda before anybody discussed it. See this post: https://blnnews.com/2016/08/09/tari-is-truth-too-difficult/ Jim Jordan is on the Liquor […]
By: Diane Benjamin Mayor Renner, David Hales, and members of the City Council blame The Grove housing development on East Ireland Grove Rd for taking too much tax money. Some members did it again last Monday night. Tari frequently says the development contracts are bad. So who is at fault? Former City Manager Tom Hamilton? […]
By: Diane Benjamin Last night the Bloomington City Council met as a Committee of the Whole. Around an hour was spent on a presentation by an ISU professor on how to do a salary and benefits survey. See his written presentation here – beginning on PDF page 49: http://www.cityblm.org/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=11309 This presentation was prompted by Alderman […]
See part #2 here: https://blnnews.com/2016/09/19/more-on-the-contract-hales-failed-to-enforce/ By: Diane Benjamin Mayor Renner claims the Management Agreement the City had with CIAM was bad. It was bad, but it was made worse by the David Hales NOT enforcing parts of the contract he easily could have, but choose not to. The complicit Mayor and Council contributed to a […]
By: Diane Benjamin When I filed the lawsuit for concession information from the Coliseum I expected to receive a report PER EVENT like the one below. This is an actual report from the Coliseum that I received from a whistle-blower. No, am I not saying who – so don’t ask. This is a tough report […]
This is another story where Hales claims the Coliseum had CLEAN audits: http://ilnews.org/9870/financial-probe-of-coliseums-former-manager-may-involve-concession-money/ They weren’t clean, concessions were NEVER audited, and Hales refused to protect taxpayer money. _____________________________________________________ By: Diane Benjamin According to this September 12th Pantagraph article, City Manager David Hales claims the Coliseum audits have always received a clean opinion: http://www.pantagraph.com/news/local/government-and-politics/state-police-city-investigating-coliseum-operations/article_6e1ae325-da35-5573-845a-454e9b4c8031.html David Hales […]
By: Diane Benjamin Something happened at the Bloomington Council meeting last night that wasn’t on the agenda! I hope the Live Stream is permanently repaired before the next meeting. It didn’t work last night. Tom Dabareiner, Community Development, stated that a meeting will be held on September 22nd – but it’s only for the downtown […]
By: Diane Benjamin I’m happy to see the Illinois State Police were called in to investigate the former management of the Coliseum. However, I have no proof they are investigating my allegations that surfaced because of my lawsuit, Or that David Hales is being investigated for his role. CIAM would not have been able to […]
By: Diane Benjamin Tonight the City of Bloomington is meeting again. Locking your wallet against the current Mayor and Council isn’t going to protect the money you worked for – and they want. But it gets worse. It looks like somebody is trying to re-write history. This is a link to the packet for the […]
By: Diane Benjamin Hales is frequently praised for pulling Bloomington back from the brink of disaster, but Tari Renner claimed he did it when he became mayor. See his announcement for re-election. Both believe taxing people to death creates prosperity. For government it does, not so much for those not in or profiting from government. […]
By: Diane Benjamin We are supposedly a Representative Republic where people are elected to represent us in government. If you’ve ever watched a Bloomington City Council meeting, it doesn’t take long to realize only 1 guy on the Council represents citizens. Of course, Kevin Lower. The rest are there to represent the City to the […]
I just sent this press release to numerous local media: Diane Benjamin BlnNews.com September 2, 2016 Press Release Bloomington City Manager David Hales needs to step down immediately Last week I obtained concession sale documents from the US Cellular Coliseum in Bloomington Il. These documents were only obtained because of a Freedom of Information lawsuit […]
By: Diane Benjamin Within a 1/2 hour of receiving the Coliseum Concession documents, I had the numbers plugged into the spreadsheet shown in this story: https://blnnews.com/2016/08/26/bombshell-sit-down-before-reading/ It wasn’t difficult and I did it for FREE! Last year David Hales earned almost $240,000: http://www.cityblm.org/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=10245 Hales didn’t have time in more than seven years as City Manager […]
By: Diane Benjamin Last week I posted a story about documents I received showing concessions sales at the Coliseum from 2013 – 2015. https://blnnews.com/2016/08/26/bombshell-sit-down-before-reading/ I never would have received them if I hadn’t filed a lawsuit in 2015. The City of Bloomington did not suddenly discover problems existed when the new management took over. I’ve […]
By: Diane Benjamin Tonight Bloomington and Normal’s Councils are holding a “social” event. Thanks to a reader who sent this to me: Looks to me like eavesdroppers should attend! Somebody else could check for impairment when they leave! I know Koos and Renner were shocked at how fast the Bloomington Council rejected Sales Tax sharing. […]
By: Diane Benjamin April 14, 2014 was the Council meeting where CIAM’s management agreement was changed to allow Junior Hockey instead of Professional Hockey. The badly worded contract could have been scrapped and renegotiated, the City choose not to. I realize most readers NEVER watch the video’s I post. You prefer reading what was said, […]
By: Diane Benjamin It’s hard to know where to start with the marathon meeting. Just the council meeting was almost 3 hours long. That’s after a special meeting was held and Bloomington Township meeting. The Council were captives from 5:00pm until almost 10:00. If you don’t know what a PROGRESSIVE is, you should. It’s a […]
This part of the meeting is live-streamed. Smartest thing I’ve heard is a court should decide on any changes to the trust administration. Archived video will be available sometime after the meeting. UPDATE below By: Diane Benjamin At the 5:00 meeting tonight this item is on the agenda: Instead of putting this item before an […]
By: Diane Benjamin I’ve now got proof that Bills and Payroll, approved by the Council at regular meetings, is meaningless. Nobody is holding checks waiting for the Council vote. I wonder how many aldermen even read what they are asked to approve! If you don’t know what Bills and Payroll looks like, see this webpage. […]
By: Diane Benjamin If you missed Jeff’s comments at last Monday’s Bloomington City Council meeting, just hit PLAY below. He spoke during Public Comment, not on an agenda item. I’ve been thinking a lot about the proposals for a downtown hotel. From on-line comments and emails, there is a lot of support for a hotel […]
By: Diane Benjamin Tonight the Bloomington City Council will discuss eliminating the Liquor Commission, thus transferring power to Tari. Keep in mind the Liquor Commission under Steve Stockton was Steve and FOUR citizens. Under Renner, it has been Tari and TWO citizens. The entire reason for this change is because Tari operated the Commission outside […]
By: Diane Benjamin August 2nd I wrote a story about Bloomington’s Liquor Commission: https://blnnews.com/2016/08/02/is-tari-declaring-himself-king/ Monday night Tari wants to be granted all power to enforce, permit, and control liquor in Bloomington. From the agenda: http://www.cityblm.org/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=11004 From the packet page 238: http://www.cityblm.org/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=11003 The only “confusion regarding the authority of the local” Liquor Commission has been FOLLOWING […]
By: Diane Benjamin From Bills and Payroll for approval Monday night, obviously the money is already spent: http://www.cityblm.org/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=10998 In case you always wondered how much the Fireworks show cost: http://www.manta.com/c/mm0jw7x/miand-inc Economic Development: No idea what he did for $5400. Anybody want to FOIA? Paid every month Paid every month Paid […]
By: Diane Benjamin David Hales began as City Manager in January of 2009. In January of 2017 he will be vested in his pension. Yep, 8 years is all it takes. I predict he will take the money and run! The City of Bloomington was failing when he got here and it’s headed downhill now. […]
By: Diane Benjamin The Davids were missing: Hales and Sage. Renner declared July Parks and Recreation month, no word on why he waited until the 25th of July. David Hales has hired yet another assistant: Melissa Hon. Administrative costs continue to rise while essential services aren’t performed. Expect that to continue since big government always […]
By: Diane Benjamin My next lawsuit is going to be for the AUDIO of the Executive Session where the Attorney General ruled the Open Meetings Act was violated. I will demand the judge listen to the entire audio to insure the City doesn’t redact items that shouldn’t be redacted. Why? Stay with me: See the […]
By: Diane Benjamin I remember heated discussions over Master Plans. The Council was told they were advisory only. Just because they passed, it didn’t mean the Council had to implement them. Not according to Special Meeting tonight – 6:05 pm. It’s really boring to spend money on funding pensions, repair streets, and maintain infrastructure, so […]
By: Diane Benjamin Mr. Tompkins resigned from the Liquor Commission several months ago. A number of citizens have documented numerous violations of the Open Meetings Act by the three members during the time Tompkins served. The other two members are Renner and James Jordan. Until these violations are resolved, we feel Tompkins isn’t qualified to […]
By: Diane Benjamin Hit PLAY below to hear last night’s Public Comment: Some of the speakers were REALLY good! Two things of note happened: Diana Hauman managed to get restrictions removed for a small business trying to open. (Listen to public comment) It seems that somewhere between the Zoning Committee and the Agenda, the number […]
By: Diane Benjamin This is story #1 from the Saturday preview. I wanted to begin with the County, but since there is a Bloomington City Council meeting tonight, I’m starting here. Tari Renner is at the US Conference of Mayors in Indianapolis. I don’t know if he will be back for the meeting tonight or […]
