Tag: Coliseum

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

VenuWorks = CIAM 2.0

By:  Diane Benjamin February events – net profit on each event is listed Bacon a Beer Fest – 12,230.53     http://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=15976 8 tickets were comp’d, I wonder to who? Hockey 2/17 – 6,231.53   http://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=15978 452 tickets Comp Hockey 2/7 – 1,109.92   http://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=15928 384 tickets Comp Guns and Hoses – 2,799.53     http://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=15926 0 Comp IHSA Cheerleading – 46,391.53   http://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=15830 302 […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

More from Bills and Payroll-Bloomington

By:  Diane Benjamin http://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=15938 Lots of travel and professional development is included.  Browse the link above yourself. Check out pages 83 and 84 for who got loans and grants. Miscellaneous other spending Tari got some free lunches: The Bloomington Election Commission handed out pay raises, plus these expenses: http://www.becvote.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Minutes-Dec-5-2017.pdf Salt!: I wonder if tires and […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Government thinks you are REALLY stupid

By:  Diane Benjamin Bloomington and Normal are the only cities doing their own garbage pickup in the area.  According to the Pantagraph, Normal did their own investigation of rates. They declared NO money could be saved by privatizing garbage pickup. See the chart here:  http://www.pantagraph.com/graphic-waste-collection-fees-services/pdf_a5d93a81-e7db-537c-b830-c5fafd8a34bc.html The Pantagraph must not have noticed some of those other cities […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

If you leave your doors unlocked, is it legal . . .

By:  Diane Benjamin It’s David Hales fault! That is John Butler’s claim to justify the missing bucks.  I blame David Hales too, and the Council, and the Mayor who all shut their eyes and pretended nothing nefarious was happening with taxpayer money.  The joint was audited!  Except concessions never were.  Johnny Butler made sure of […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

The SAD Coliseum history

By:  Diane Benjamin I’ve been reading a TON of media stories from before and after the Bloomington City Council voted to build the Coliseum. Judy Markowitz didn’t care what people thought.  She was going to build it and nothing was going to stop her.  She really believed she was saving downtown.  Mike Matejka and former […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

History: People smarter than government!

By:  Diane Benjamin I’ve always been a huge fan of history.  People who don’t know history repeat the same mistakes over and over.  The current crop of Council members are doing just that because they don’t know Bloomington’s history – especially of downtown. Judy Markowitz didn’t want to wait for the results of the non-binding […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Comedy via the elected

By:  Diane Benjamin Coliseum history: The below was printed in the Pantagraph on September 3, 2003.  It is available on microfiche at the Bloomington Public Library. Tom Hamilton, former City Manager now collecting $11,350 a month in retirement, is quoted in the same edition saying the city’s risk is very low because of the numbers […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Found in the Financial Statements

By:  Diane Benjamin We used to get lots of interesting information in the City Manager’s monthly reports.  The City Manager quit doing them because the reports showed information the City didn’t want you to know – like monthly tax receipts and library traffic. The financial statements the City just got around to releasing from almost […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

City should have sued their consultants

By:  Diane Benjamin The City of Bloomington paid consultants before building the white elephant.  They predicted revenues of $7,000,000 a year and net income of  $2,319,000 a year.    https://blnnews.com/2015/07/21/coliseum-the-jokes-on-you/ The City has now gifted the financial statements from almost a year ago – 4/30/2017.  The Coliseum audited statements are included:    http://www.cityblm.org/home/showdocument?id=15348 Revenue for the year was […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Tari: H**l of a mess

By:  Diane Benjamin One more recap from Monday’s City Council meeting: VenuWorks recapped what they wanted to bring to the BCPA, including saving an estimated $200,000 a year in operations. VenuWorks has access to an email list of 409,000 people in Central Illinois to help promote shows VenuWorks has plans for new revenue including concessions […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Bloomington: Monday’s bills

By:  Diane Benjamin Source:  http://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=14998 Citizens may not realize when they pay bills by credit card the City gets charged a fee for accepting the card.  Just for one month there is over $81,000 listed as “Credit Card Fees”.  See PDF page 161-163.  That’s money that can’t be used for anything else.  There are other charges […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Who voted for the NEVER used Fire Station?

By:  Diane Benjamin To understand why the Council approved building a fire station on 6 Points Rd, you have to go back in time. The current Council is convinced Bloomington’s future is downtown.  Just as they are wrong, history has proven development in SW Bloomington started and stopped.  Mitsubishi hadn’t yet failed and reduced its […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

WGLT does journalism – mostly

By:  Diane Benjamin Yesterday WGLT published a comprehensive story about the Coliseum.  Ryan Denham  proved journalism isn’t dead in Bloomington-Normal yet.  Read the story here:      http://wglt.org/post/how-coliseum-blind-spot-tripped-bloomington-city-leaders I do have some comments and things I would have written differently: To much emphasis was put on the “bad contract”.  The contract had plenty of statements allowing […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Joliet reports while the Pantagraph refuses!

By:  Diane Benjamin The Joliet Herald News was attacked by the City of Joliet for reporting the truth about their new City Manager:  David Hales. The Herald isn’t cowering in a corner, they are putting the facts in front of the citizens.  They are probably getting a tons of reads, people want real news – […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

The day CIAM quit

By:  Diane Benjamin This is the Pantagraph story announcing CIAM (John Butler) would not be renewing the contract to manage the Coliseum:  http://www.pantagraph.com/entertainment/u-s-cellular-coliseum-to-receive-new-management/article_194a2f7c-d482-5d82-8885-7e5eafddb2b4.html That was March 8, 2016.  Tari Renner is quoted saying CIAM might get a short-term contract to help with the transition – maybe 30-60-or 90 days.  Obviously Renner had no urgency to remove […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Coliseum: Smoking Gun

By:  Diane Benjamin Official Misconduct? Flash back to April 14, 2014 The meeting minutes provide a little information, the video below provides much more.  Minutes 4/14/14 Alderwoman Judy Stearns knew concessions were not audited at the Coliseum.  She knew other problems existed and she wanted answers.  Changing hockey from professional to junior was the perfect time […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Update: Arraignment Day!

I was asked by the Sheriff’s department to take the pictures down because they have rules!  Media must be credentialed through a lady at the Pantagraph.  Of course the Pantagraph doesn’t consider me real media, so I was never informed of this credentialing process.   A report is being written and sent to the State’s Attorney […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Remember When . . .

By:  Diane Benjamin Remember when Tari had to have a hotel downtown to “benefit the Coliseum”? Remember when he said over and over developers were lining up to get projects started downtown? Today Tari’s Downtown Task Force has the brilliant idea of moving the library and creating a bus transfer station. Neither will be private […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

More City/Media Jocularity!

By:  Diane Benjamin Today the dead tree, as Ben Yount calls it, stated the City hired the Bronner Group back in 2015 to audit the Coliseum. Instead of “there’s an app for that”, my new saying is “I’ve got a story for that”. From September 17, 2015:  https://blnnews.com/2015/09/17/bronner-group-getting-your-money/ Bronner “discounted” their rate to $145 per hour!  […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

The CLUELESS are ruling!

By:  Diane Benjamin Attn:  Council If your information on ANY topic, especially the Coliseum, is from David Hales or Tari Renner you are getting “Fake News”. Jamie Mathy is quoted in today’s paper saying the Management Agreement with CIAM “literally forbid the city from having access to the raw numbers”.  SOURCE Jamie, why did the City […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Spin machine is spinning!

By:  Diane Benjamin Celebrate!  Tari is returning from his “medical related” leave October 1st.  Just like everything the City of Bloomington does, his return will have NO Transparency.  Does he still have his government credit card?  If he does, Freedom of Information Act requests are about to spike! Remember the citizen survey a few weeks […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Audits? The Coliseum was audited!

By:  Diane Benjamin The oldest story I wrote about the Coliseum is from December 2013:  https://blnnews.com/2013/12/11/coliseum-bleeding-bloomington-taxpayers/ But, look at this story from February 2014:  https://blnnews.com/2014/02/06/is-coliseum-management-giving-bloomington-their-share/ First lines of the story: Operations of the Coliseum are extremely complicated.  Management hired by the City is operating some functions without any over-sight or accountability.  The taxpayers deserve to […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

MONDAY: Let’s Tax

By:  Diane Benjamin Illinois increased income taxes again! The stack of unpaid bills increased! Since Illinois has “been there-done that”, and the unpaid stack still got bigger, that’s proof government doesn’t exist for anybody but itself. Monday Bloomington will do the same! PDF page 281.  The City needs $136 Million over the next 20 years […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

The Real Legal Expenses

By:  Diane Benjamin When the Pantagraph appears to do a study of anything, it usually means Bloomington is up to something and using them to gauge public opinion.  Today it was legal expenses and justifying the outrageous amount the City sends to Springfield every month while telling you not to buy on the internet – […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

When you elect the wrong people . . . .

By:  Diane Benjamin It looks like Bloomington has to be destroyed by government spending before people realize local elections matter.  Or, maybe only the people who can’t move will be left paying the bills which are about to get much bigger. Monday night the Bloomington will see the results of doing “Wants” before Needs.  MANY […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Hovering on a cliff

By:  Diane Benjamin Source:  http://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=14181 The 2017 year ended for the City of Bloomington last April 30th.  We are most likely MONTHS away from seeing real financial statements, late is what governments do and the private sector would never tolerate. I did find a glimpse into what they will say – see the link above. […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Spending Posted!

By:  Diane Benjamin Bills and Payroll got posted for Bloomington Monday night:  http://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=14211 Why is the City using your money for Rotary Club Dues? Library too! Bronner isn’t conducting an annual audit, are they helping the State Police? Did you get your picnic invite? See this story: https://blnnews.com/2016/09/28/consultants-another-one-that-slipped-by/  Yocum only bills the City every six […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Arena name change

By:  Diane Benjamin The contract between the City of Bloomington and Grossinger Motors is in the packet for the City Council meeting Monday night: PDF page 115  http://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=14175 The City will use up to $75,000 of their first payment to offset changing the signage. One problem – page 121: Since the document is a legal […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Update: Coliseum: Promises, Promises

Update:  The management announced today the naming rights have been sold – and for the same amount US Cellular was paying: $175,000 a year.  It will be name Grossinger Motors Arena for at least 5 years.  I haven’t heard who is paying for the new signs, letterhead, business cards, menus, etc. _____________________________________ By:  Diane Benjamin […]