By: Diane Benjamin It’s old news now that VenuWorks fired the Coliseum Manager. VenuWorks found the fraud, the City of Bloomington never would have. They completely ignored the old management and never blinked when the audited financial statements showed MUCH bigger loses than CIAM ever did. Of course, the City never checked to see if […]
By: Diane Benjamin Besides the constant maintenance, new video boards and equipment, massive losses, and possible fraud – there’s more. In today’s paper: The City of Bloomington had to get a building permit to fix the Coliseum they own. I wonder what it cost? Maybe failure to comply with ADA is why an occupancy permit […]
By: Diane Benjamin The narrative Bloomington wants you to believe is they didn’t know about any malfeasance at the Coliseum by CIAM until VenuWorks took possession of the building. Forget for a minute that I’d been writing about CIAM since 2013. VenuWorks took over at the end of March 2016. This agreement was signed was […]
Both the City Attorneys and CIAM’s Attorneys have filed motions to dismiss. I have a surprise for them on Monday! ______________________________________________ By: Diane Benjamin Monday is yet another court date for my lawsuit against the City of Bloomington and Central Illinois Arena Management (CIAM) as an intervening party. http://webapp.mcleancountyil.gov/webapps/PublicAccess/TwoWeekDocketCivil.htm Judge Foley gave the City and […]
By: Diane Benjamin The Pantagraph has a ridiculous editorial today urging the City to spend spend spend on downtown. They must not realize with building the Coliseum and covering the losses, rehabbing the BCPA, and with the TIF dollars from the past – Bloomington is probably close to spending $100,000,000. Don’t forget to add the […]
By: Diane Benjamin Eating at your expense and more: City Council Exp Arkansas Flag And Bann $ 100.96 8/15/2016 Banner pole for use by City Council City Council Exp Station 220 Inc $ 46.00 8/1/2016 Business lunch T.Renner & C.Koos City Council Exp Chipotle $ 14.95 8/2/2016 Business lunch T.Renner & M.Mwilambwe City Council Exp […]
By: Diane Benjamin Part #2 – see part #1 here: https://blnnews.com/2016/09/19/coliseum-david-hales-failed-taxpayers/ The Renner/Hales talking points are they didn’t know what was going on at the Coliseum until VenuWorks took over. They should have known! Keep in mind the City was negotiating a new contract with CIAM – it was CIAM that backed out. The City […]
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 […]
By: Diane Benjamin A reader found this story from 2005 in Peoria Magazine: http://www.peoriamagazines.com/aa/2005/jun/silhouette It’s an interview with former Mayor Judy Markowitz when she left office. Quotes from the article: Are both running successfully yet? The BCPA is a big money loser, you already know about the Coliseum. (Another Coliseum story: http://ilnews.org/9870/financial-probe-of-coliseums-former-manager-may-involve-concession-money/) Every mayor since […]
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 Yesterday I obtain an email address for an officer with the State Police who has knowledge of the Coliseum investigation. I sent him an email stating not only concession commissions were an issue, but the CITY employees who allowed the problems to happen. It’s unconscionable that David Hales allowed CIAM to operate […]
Dan Swaney was nice enough to talk with my this afternoon on WJBC. Here’s the link:
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 A public hearing was held on April 25, 2016 pertaining to MetroNet coming to Bloomington. http://www.cityblm.org/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=10172 This item was included in the documentation: It’s appalling the City thinks they can determine who is a “right” fit. These are the same guys who thought the Coliseum was the “right” fit. Secret: Tari and […]
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 On August 31st I posted the Coliseum timeline to show how long I have been trying to bring problems at the Coliseum to the City’s attention. https://blnnews.com/2016/08/31/coliseum-the-timeline/ Today I found another piece to the puzzle that I had forgotten. The City Council meeting where hockey was changed from professional to junior was […]
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 Today the local media finally decided to report on the Coliseum: http://www.pantagraph.com/news/local/government-and-politics/city-examining-ciam-s-concession-sales-at-coliseum/article_32b4b33e-8f50-5782-a8be-4ea5a57fbf0b.html It needs a few corrections: I knew Renner was going to try to say the concession problems I’ve been writing about for YEARS only came to light under the new management of the Coliseum. The City is investigating other issues […]
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 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 I’ve been writing about the Coliseum since early 2014. My lawsuit against the City of Bloomington was the last resort to getting somebody’s attention! I would not have this information without the lawsuit. Earlier this week I received part of the information I sued for: three years of concession sales information. I […]
By: Diane Benjamin My original lawsuit against the City of Bloomington for Coliseum Concession reports and payroll was filed September 21, 2015. It goes back farther than that because I had previously filed with the Attorney General’s Public Access office. Those documents go back to at least January 2015. I foolishly though Lisa Madigan’s office […]
By: Diane Benjamin The saga continues tomorrow at 2:00 – Courtroom 5C. The attorneys for CIAM filed some last minute documents, probably hoping for another delay. I really appreciate the support from citizens who took time out to attend hearings. Come tomorrow if you can – it could get interesting. I’d love to see a […]
By: Diane Benjamin See Part 1 here: https://blnnews.com/2016/08/03/finally-some-data/ The below is from data posted on the City of Bloomington website by the Finance Department. From Page 9: http://www.cityblm.org/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=10958 Sewer and Storm water fees will be your next tax increase. You could get a garbage increase too. A summary of Sewer and Storm Water operations is […]
By: Diane Benjamin From Bills and Payroll for Monday night: http://www.cityblm.org/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=10911 In June I posted receipts showing Tari Renner is feeding himself and calling it “business meal”: https://blnnews.com/2016/06/30/free-lunches-do-exist/ This month’s P-Card spending shows more Renner meals with no one else listed. Of course I’m going to file a FOIA for the receipts. More questions: Eric […]
By: Diane Benjamin Making a trip downtown requires pics of almost empty buses – so here’s a couple: Speaking of downtown, the law firm representing the former Coliseum Manager is moving to Hershey Road. They are leaving downtown because parking, accessibility for clients, and space issues made it difficult to stay in their current location. […]
By: Diane Benjamin Today the bird-cage liner did two stories on the Coliseum. Extensive renovations are happening right now. Concession sales is the major focus. Did CIAM have long waiting lines when they managed? If they did, I never heard it. But a statement by the new manager left something out. He is quoted saying […]
By: Diane Benjamin The media has never reported on my lawsuit against the City of Bloomington and Central Illinois Arena Management (CIAM) – the old Coliseum manager. John Butler was the principal agent for CIAM. Possible fraud or abuse of taxpayers isn’t news. The lawsuit is based on a denied FOIA for the 2014 concession […]
By: Diane Benjamin This hearing was scheduled by the lawyers for CIAM. They wanted further settlement talks. Instead I filed an Amended Motion that has little resemblance to what I have filed previously. Yes, I met with a lawyer last week who explained what the judge was looking for in words I could understand. I […]
By: Diane Benjamin Tonight’s Committee of Whole meeting starts at 5:30 – not the normal 7:00 pm. A transparency award is scheduled to be presented by the Illinois Policy Institute. It’s a WEBSITE transparency award, not a general transparency award. Transparency is much more than a website! It’s not meeting in secret and violating the […]
By: Diane Benjamin It appears CIAM’s lawyers weren’t serious about settling the case. Today I received a draft copy filled with legal conditions meant to limit my rights and protect their client. If they thought I would agree to the myriad of conditions, they were mistaken. I will be filing for an extension of time […]
By: Diane Benjamin Ever heard of lawyers dragging on a case hoping you quit? I dragged it on long enough for CIAM quit! Brief recap: I filed the lawsuit when it became obvious the City NEVER checked to see if concession revenue at the Coliseum was paid according to the contract. It was also apparent […]
By: Diane Benjamin Come back tomorrow. I REALLY don’t feel like writing now. It’s complicated. (that doesn’t mean bad) Tomorrow will also have a totally unrelated surprise.
By: Diane Benjamin Thursday, May 19, 2016 02:30 PM BENJAMIN VS CITY OF BLOOMINGTON & CENTRAL ILLINOIS ARENA MANAGEMENT 5C 2015MR000763 . This will be the first time with Judge Foley instead of Judge Lawrence. Note the new courtroom-5C I have hope she will realize this is a simple FOIA case. Bloomington quit defending CIAM […]
I received this response from the Executive Director: Diane, I can certainly agree the lines for concessions last night was unacceptable. No excuse. Customers will see remarkable change for the better at the next show – Rob Zombie. On the sound, I had not heard any complaints. Curtis Webb By: Diane Benjamin The first big […]
By: Diane Benjamin Central Illinois Arena Management MAY want to settle the case. Their lawyer mentioned it in court after scheduling yet another hearing on May 19th. I get to play lawyer once again and respond to a motion filed by them and one by the City. Ever wonder why justice takes years? Many trees […]
By: Diane Benjamin From Bills and Payroll for Monday night: http://www.cityblm.org/index.aspx?page=242&parent=9535 ADMIN Rosie’s Pub $ 31.86 Business lunch T. Renner & J.Smart ADMIN Hansen Center $ 5.96 Business lunch T. Renner & A. Hays ADMIN Hansen Center $ 9.07 Business lunch T. Renner & A. Hays ADMIN Station 220 Inc $ 34.25 Business lunch T. […]
By: Diane Benjamin The next court date is Monday, April 25 – 9:30 am. Same courtroom as last time if you want to attend – 5D Judge Lawrence will decide whether the amended motion I filed is enough to proceed to a hearing. If he rules against me the citizens of Bloomington will never know […]
By: Diane Benjamin The LAST Coliseum report posted on the City website is for the year ended: 4/30/2015 Usually quarterly reports are filed and posted. I filed Freedom of Information Requests for the first three quarters of Fiscal Year 2016. I got the first and second: https://blnnews.com/2015/12/13/coliseum-continues-their-losing-ways/ Through October of 2015 the Coliseum lost: $367,691 […]
