Re-posted only to change how it was originally posted. By: Diane Benjamin The Attorney General finally ruled on the Open Meetings Act Violation filed in 2013 by then Alderwoman Judy Stearns! A couple of weeks I wrote about Madigan’s failure to rule and asked readers to call. https://blnnews.com/2016/05/19/madigan-too-busy/ I know at least a few of […]
By: Diane Benjamin Some points of law are never settled because government refused to act. Lisa Madigan’s Public Access office is doing just that. Remember many years ago when Judy Stearns filed a complaint against Tari Renner for violating the Open Meetings Act? It was right after he got elected. He decided winning an election […]
No – you aren’t safe. Evidently everybody can’t attend, so they changed the meeting from Committee of the Whole to Special Meeting. By: Diane Benjamin Mayor-Developer Renner just can’t stop creating his version of utopia in Bloomington. He’s the king of paying people (with your money) to create economic development. The local, state, and […]
By: Diane Benjamin The Mayor was on WGLT yesterday: http://wglt.org/post/bloomington-mayor-tari-renner-tif-district-downtown-and-city-manager-hales#stream/0 Much of the conversation was the same as his WJBC interview this morning. WGLT appears to love him and wants him re-elected since the host brought it up over and over. Renner plans to tout his record of creating minimum wage jobs to win! Expect […]
By: Diane Benjamin Monday night: That’s a 2.3% increase. Yep, the structural deficit worsens because government employees get what the people paying the bills don’t. Last year Hales earned $239,274.54 when benefits are added to his base pay. http://www.cityblm.org/index.aspx?page=21&parent=5443 I wonder what the vote was. Considering many recent Closed Sessions (Secret Meetings) have featured “personal” […]
By: Diane Benjamin Remember the Budget Task Force? Remember how they were looking for places to cut? GOLF won’t be one of them. On the Agenda for Monday night it this: There was a Citizen’s Summit. A Budget Task Force. Budget hearings. What did citizens get? A proposed budget that spends another $20,560,849, only an […]
By: Diane Benjamin It’s a secret in one of their Secret Meetings (Executive Session): Funny how these meetings are so secret, the minutes can’t be released ever. Maybe the new mayor will release them.
By: Diane Benjamin The Bloomington City Council only has ONE employee: David Hales. He gets huge raises around this time of year. Tonight the Council is discussing “personnel” in Executive Session. Since Hales is in charge of making all other personnel decisions, will the Council hand Hales another raise? Last year Hales was paid $229,615.36 […]
By: Diane Benjamin Action can’t be taken on any items not publicized 48 hours prior to a meeting. You could decide to double salaries in Executive Session, then vote in open session without anybody knowing it until it’s done. That’s why the OMA exists. I see you finally got the “Any Other New Business” right! […]
By: Diane Benjamin On the agenda for Monday night is another SECRET meeting by the City Council: Anybody want to take bets on WHERE the property is they plan to buy? Downtown? Where is the money coming from to buy more property AND do something with it? Don’t forget they bought the Sugar Creek Packing […]
By: Diane Benjamin The agenda for the Saturday Council retreat has been posted. They plan to spend the first 3 HOURS in a secret meeting to discuss this section of the law: Closed Session: Self-Evaluation of practices and procedures or professional ethics, when meeting with a representative of a statewide association of which the public […]
By: Diane Benjamin At Monday’s Bloomington City Council meeting: Regular Agenda A. Consideration of review and analysis of Bids and Approval of a Contract with CAD Construction, Inc., in the amount of $232,760 for construction of Flamingo Exhibit at the Miller Park Zoo (Bid #2016-05.) (Recommend that the contract with CAD Construction Inc.,for construction of […]
By: Diane Benjamin This is the video of Kirk Allen, John Kraft, and Judy Stearns speaking at the 5:30 meeting yesterday that was not live streamed. Kirk and John drove 2 hours to be in Bloomington to address the Council on the proposed changes to the Public Comment ordinance. Note, I intentionally filmed non-verbal reactions to the […]
By: Diane Benjamin Alderman Tari junior, Scott Black, was just on WJBC talking about the three hour Executive Session last Monday. It ended in the Giebelhausen downtown plan being killed. Evidently the discussion could have been held in public. Black wasn’t shy about what was discussed. Since the meeting was held behind closed doors, the voters will never know who said what and why. Black used […]
By: Diane Benjamin I get a lot of tips from readers, this is one of them. Decades ago downtown Bloomington was heated by steam. Below the old existing buildings are pipes, and no surprise – they are wrapped in asbestos. Didn’t you find it strange that the Giebelhausen “shovel ready” project won’t be shovel ready? […]
By: Diane Benjamin From the Packet for Monday’s City Council meeting: http://www.cityblm.org/index.aspx?page=242&parent=7717 COMMUNITY GROUPS/INTERESTED PERSONS CONTACTED: Snyder Development, A. Clay Cox, Edward R. Gower FINANCIAL IMPACT: It is estimated McLean County Land Trust CC-1 currently owes the City $562,194.78 in development fees. There are other “punch list” items that are covered by this agreement that […]
By: Diane Benjamin Some members of the Bloomington City Council worship the ground David Hales walks on. They practically pant when he speaks. David Sage is REALLY good at stopping criticism of anything Hales does – watch a few meetings on-line and you can see for yourself. Every year Hales’ salary is set in Executive […]
by: Diane Benjamin Laws are only for us little people, not the guys sucking your tax money. In another episode of releasing Executive Session (Secret Meetings) minutes, this gem was obtaining under the Freedom of Information Act: h/t JS From October 10, 2011 The Executive Session was called to order at 5:02 p.m. Mayor Stockton cited […]
By: Diane Benjamin It should be clear by now that Bloomington doesn’t want taxpayers to know what they do. I didn’t file a lawsuit because Renner is transparent. The City didn’t hire a communications director to communicate, Nora is paid to filter and spin information. Now there is more proof – h/t JS. At the […]
by: Diane Benjamin Another edition of INSIDE Bloomington: The City Council failed to follow the law for a number of years concerning Executive Session minutes. These are the SECRET meetings for discussing things like labor contracts, evaluations, and lawsuits. The law says the minutes have to be periodically reviewed and a vote must be taken […]
by: Diane Benjamin The minutes of the Executive Session held during the retreat last November offer interesting insight into what Bloomington’s Mayor, City Manager and Alderman are thinking. Remember, this was a secret meeting. Usually the Council votes to keep these minutes a secret because they don’t want you to know what they say. See […]
by: Diane Benjamin Last November the Bloomington City Council held a 2 day retreat that included an Executive Session – a SECRET MEETING for discussing very specific items that shouldn’t be discussed in public. I want to stress SPECIFIC items. The list of legal discussion items are in this story: I’ve written about this […]
by: Diane Benjamin I have no idea why Mayor Renner got so upset about Alderwoman Stearns filing with the Attorney General concerning what she deemed an inappropriate Executive Session. When Stearns walked out of the meeting she made it clear to the entire Council that, in her opinion, the topics being discussed violated the rules […]
by: Diane Benjamin See previous post: http://blnnews.com/2013/12/31/get-ready-for-hales-to-get-a-lot-bigger-raise-than-us-little-people/ Also obtained under the Freedom of Information Act: Discussions concerning employees of the City can be done in Executive Sessions – yes, secret meetings. By Mayor Renner writing an email to the Council, he let the cat out of the proverbial bag. Maybe Tari is being extraordinarily transparent. […]
See this update: http://blnnews.com/2013/12/20/mayor-formerly-transparent-renner-sinks-himself/ by: Diane Benjamin Surprise! This time I didn’t file it – Alderwoman Judy Stearns did. About a month ago the Bloomington City Council had a 2 day retreat. As part of the retreat the Council met in executive session. Executive session means in secret, the public isn’t allowed to […]
by: Diane Benjamin As reported by the Pantagraph: http://www.pantagraph.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/bloomington-wants-court-to-vacate-arbitrator-s-ruling-on-fired/article_ef0f507c-90e7-11e2-9757-001a4bcf887a.html Bloomington wants court to vacate arbitrator’s ruling on fired police officer BLOOMINGTON — The city of Bloomington is asking a court to vacate an arbitrator’s ruling that would require reinstatement of a police officer fired for his physical handling of a 7-year-old. In December 2012, labor […]
