By: Diane Benjamin The Bloomington City Council was downright pompous about passing a shiny new ethics ordinance. How could anyone possibly oppose it? An ethics ordinance with zero penalties is completely worthless. They already ignore City Code with impunity — this will be no different. After all, they get to decide what’s ‘ethical,’ so violating […]
By: Diane Benjamin The meeting wasn’t 1 hour and 13 minutes long as the video shows. Almost 17 minutes is pre-meeting commercials. Now that January is more than halfway over, the City declared the month Human Trafficking Awareness month. There was also 28 minutes of Public Comments. All but one was by people representing Care […]
By: Diane Benjamin Since equal justice under the law no longer exists, Bloomington citizens have no reason to believe the City Code matters. If elected officials Cody Hendricks and Jenna Kearns don’t have to follow City Code, citizens can’t be expected to either. If you receive a parking ticket or ordinance violation, mail it back […]
By: Diane Benjamin Know what this is? https://www.bloomingtonil.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/28541/638798959668170000 That is Bloomington’s Administrative Court docket for April 16th. Note SEVEN cases are scheduled at 8:30 and another SIX at 9:00. The City has the audacity to waste time of the people waiting to have their case heard. Staff time is more valuable than the people’s they […]
By: Diane Benjamin Public comment about 1 property – 1 Whites Place where a developer did plan to convert the house into 4 apartments but now is planning 9 apartments. Many residents attended the meeting since the City Code is not being followed and they are worried about parking and safety. The area residents are […]
By: Diane Benjamin At Monday’s Bloomington Council meeting approving money for the Ecology Action Center was on the Consent Agent. Everything on it was passed with one unanimously vote including this to the Ecology Action Center: https://d3n9y02raazwpg.cloudfront.net/cityblm/5a1a631e-a62d-11ec-8a90-0050569183fa-36dc0a47-f3e1-4a7f-ab53-55227cac04fe-1654897109.pdf One problem – h/t a reader: Julie Emig is listed on the Ecology Action Center website as a […]
By: Diane Benjamin The local beggars held another weekly call Wednesday night. Alderman Jeff Crabill wants the Council to be compassionate and cough up money. https://week.com/2020/04/29/despite-setback-twin-city-coalition-resumes-battle-to-ease-covid-19-economic-stress/ Excerpt: I could make an extensive list of how government has no compassion, but that isn’t necessary here. Also according to the article, these groups made up the attendees: […]
By: Diane Benjamin Documentation for the 5:00 pm meeting: http://normal.org/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/3586 This meeting is not to address this: Illinois State University is closed and Normal’s pension funding percentages have crashed, that is a real emergency. Stopping non-essential spending to get ahead of the more than likely severe revenue decrease isn’t an emergency being considered. Protecting City […]
By: Diane Benjamin Tomorrow is a Federal Holiday – Columbus Day. Evidently the Code Bloomington writes for themselves is immaterial. The City Council is scheduled to meeting tomorrow anyway: http://bloomingtonil.iqm2.com/Citizens/calendar.aspx Tari must think he can ignore a Federal Holiday because he is doing this: Proclamation Recognizing Indigenous Peoples’ Day in the City of Bloomington on […]
By: Diane Benjamin The Village of Downs has this paragraph in their City Code: PDF page 10: https://media.rainpos.com/1071/01071201807310321435182.pdf What a great racket! I wonder why Bloomington and Normal don’t write ordinance violations instead of speeding tickets. They could make a fortune keeping all the money for themselves! They don’t do it because it isn’t legal. […]
By: Diane Benjamin The Bloomington City Code has a section on ethics for employees, it is patterned after the State Ethics Act: http://www.cityblm.org/government/codes-ordinances/city-code Excerpt: To find out what activities are prohibited, see the State Ethics law: http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs5.asp?ActID=2529&ChapterID=2 This is the definition of Prohibited Political Activities from that link: There is more, but that’s enough […]
By: Diane Benjamin On the video below, the meeting isn’t called to order until 14:10. All business was finished by 19:50, the majority of that time taken by reading bios of three individuals appointed to the Children’s Discovery Board. In Normal the names of appointees aren’t announced until the Council approves them. Transparency is for […]
By: Diane Benjamin I’m getting reports of illegal campaign signs all over town. Per the City Code: Call and demand they be removed: . . Do you really want to elect anyone who breaks the law to win? . . .
By: Diane Benjamin Not only is Hauman not qualified to be mayor, she isn’t qualified to be alderman! Why? Because both are supposed to represent the people who elected them. She doesn’t. It is her fault that monthly City Manager reports are no longer published. The Council never voted, she just mentioned it was a […]
