By: Diane Benjamin Note to Jamie Mathy: Future Councils are not bound by actions of past Councils. The Tari Renner “ramp” pension funding plan means zero if it can’t be afforded. Tari knew he wouldn’t be around to find at least $10 million more a year in the future. Renner already locked the Council into […]
By: Diane Benjamin 1) BN Advantage is back after mostly disappearing for years and a lot of tax dollars. https://www.bnadvantage.com/ The website is much better than years ago, contact information takes you to the EDC. Just Bloomington threw BN Advantage $423,867. https://blnnews.com/2019/04/29/bn-advantage-magazine/ Search BlnNews for more stories on BN Advantage. You might want to explore […]
By: Diane Benjamin Two Council members didn’t bother to attend, Billie Tyus covered for Tim Gleason who also wasn’t there. See if you can figure out who is MIA: Everything passed with little discussion. The video is an hour and 10 minutes long, only because a Township meeting took place before the Council meeting. Obviously […]
By: Diane Benjamin http://bloomingtonil.iqm2.com/Citizens/FileOpen.aspx?Type=1&ID=1170&Inline=True Tari Renner stacked all the Board and Commission. Mboka continues to just reappoint the same people. No Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Mboka? This item shouldn’t be on the Consent Agenda, it should be pulled for further discussion. Does the City want to risk an abandoned property if the owners can’t use […]
By: Diane Benjamin 1) Remember the lady in Normal with YELLOW water? https://blnnews.com/2022/05/17/normals-yellow-water/ Yesterday it was a beautiful shade of green: 2) Now we know why Jamie Mathy stepped down from his Ward 1 seat, he wants tax breaks to redevelop a building downtown. The building has been empty for a long time, so as […]
By: Diane Benjamin I probably have at least 100 stories since 2012 on road conditions. Tari Renner ran for office promising to fix them – twice. https://blnnews.com/2018/01/24/its-the-roads-stupid/ In 2012 the City passed an Action Plan that included “smooth rides on quality well-maintained street”. https://blnnews.com/2015/02/26/if-you-like-your-roads-you-can-keep-your-roads/ In late 2013 or early 2014 the City borrowed $10,000,000 for […]
By: Diane Benjamin Mollie was in the Council chambers, not on zoom. It took the camera awhile to shift over to her: No commission needed Mollie. Obviously life has no value to some people. When abortion can wipe out babies at will, shooting each other is just the next step. The only way to defeat […]
By: Diane Benjamin Who makes better choices on how to spend your money? You or Bureaucrats who don’t worry about running out of money because they know where to get more? It was very obvious at last night’s Bloomington City Council meeting that most of the aldermen have long wish lists for your money, not […]
By: Diane Benjamin http://bloomingtonil.iqm2.com/Citizens/FileOpen.aspx?Type=1&ID=1152&Inline=True PDF page 10 is a proclamation declaring the first week of February: National Gun Violence Survivors’ Week. Has Mboka figured out Chicago has moved downstate? This is part of the declaration: That is probably true in Chicago where crimes aren’t prosecuted and kids are frequently shot and die because criminals with […]
By: Diane Benjamin Bloomington Council meeting last night – comment at the end of the meeting from small business owner Alderman Jamie Mathy: Jamie ran down some stats for how much money stays in the local community if you buy from a local business, a chain store, or on-line. He ended with buying on line […]
By: Diane Benjamin The neighborhood I went to yesterday is East of Evergreen Cemetery. It is adorable with many of the homes rehabbed which proves these residents care about their community. Many American flags were flying and lots of dogs where being walked. This community also had basements wrecked with raw sewage. It wasn’t a […]
By: Diane Benjamin http://bloomingtonil.iqm2.com/Citizens/FileOpen.aspx?Type=1&ID=1125&Inline=True This committee of the Whole Meeting is back to 6:00 tonight. Topic 1 Topic 2 Topic 3 Topic 3 is just a brief presentation by Jamie Mathy and then a Yes or No vote on whether to have staff and Council spend time looking at the issue. Before any decision wastes […]
By: Diane Benjamin His REAL dog! While the new mayor was reading a proclamation his dog tried to steal the show. 13 second clip: As predicted the meeting was pretty boring, nothing was pulled from the Consent Agenda. Mboka laid out a new Public Comment policy at 9:30, he threatened to cut off comments that […]
By: Diane Benjamin From Facebook: 1) The Dobskis should sue Jeff Crabill for defamation. Executive Order’s aren’t law Mr. Attorney. You should know that: 2) Quit being the SILENT MAJORITY! Hundreds of “them”, TENS of THOUSANDS of YOU!
By: Diane Benjamin John Butler and his lawyers have been telling media John didn’t know his employees were stealing concession money. Evidently he’s such a great guy he agreed to a misdemeanor and paid $450,000 in restitution just because. That of course was after spending who knows how many thousands (hundreds of thousands?) on attorneys […]
By: Diane Benjamin If written many stories about the Art and Camille Taylor incident, they are all linked in this story along with the body cam videos: https://blnnews.com/2020/08/08/was-art-taylor-attempting-to-incite-something/ More information has been received by FOIA after an earlier FOIA obviously didn’t produce all of the documents involved. It was filed by John Boch. Start with […]
By: Diane Benjamin Committee of Whole meeting 5/18 http://bloomingtonil.iqm2.com/Citizens/FileOpen.aspx?Type=1&ID=1076&Inline=True Alderman Mathy doesn’t understand people don’t want to pay for parking. That is why strip malls and other shopping options are where people go – not downtown. Mathy has 3 Council initiatives for the Council. They will vote Yes they want to hear more or NO […]
By: Diane Benjamin Hitler was elected. The people of Germany voted for a socialist because he promised to save them. Democratic Socialism. Those wanting to re-write history don’t want you to know his party was called: National Socialist German Workers’ Party. Socialists always come to power promising equality and free stuff. It’s easy to get votes […]
By: Diane Benjamin The project at 2220 E Lincoln was announced last May. Tari Renner claimed he had known about the project for many months: https://www.pantagraph.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/m-affordable-apartment-project-planned-for-bloomington-s-southeast-side/article_4c472d43-f960-54ed-a61e-16e8dc485048.html If this project is a done deal, why is this sign still up on the property? More questions, what is in this redacted email I received by FOIA? Why […]
By: Diane Benjamin The picture below is from the Facebook page of the downtown Bloomington business that holds Drag Queen story hour for kids. Can anybody honestly say this is not an attempt to sexualize children? Note the names of books they are reading to the kids. There aren’t other life lessons as told […]
By: Diane Benjamin Tari Renner declared May Building safety month at last night’s Council meeting. First, I guess he didn’t notice May is almost over. Second, a City building recently burned to the ground. The only “safe” part was nobody was in the building when it burned. The media still hasn’t reported that fire. When […]
By: Diane Benjamin Almost $28 million is sitting in the Water Fund. This is the same Fund that lost out on MILLIONS of Dollars because the City neglected for a decade to charge the right Fire Protection fee. Doesn’t this prove that fee isn’t needed? The fund balances were presented at Monday’s Bloomington City Council […]
By: Diane Benjamin The video of last night’s Council meeting claims to be 34:26 long. Since the meeting didn’t start until almost 14:00, the meeting was incredibly short. I wonder if the budget will be passed in 10 minutes too? Karen Kinsella, a west-side rental property owner, addressed the Council about the recent increase in […]
By: Diane Benjamin It sounds like both Unit 5 and District 87 are as tired of TIF Districts as the citizens. Both Barry Reilly and Mark Daniel spoke about 23 years of diverted taxes being ridiculous. The Council tabled any changes until better language agreeable to the school districts could be worked out. Bloomington may […]
By: Diane Benjamin Must see video is below the Council video! Even though “Friends of the BCPA” showed up at Public Comment to urge the Council to approve hiring their fundraiser, Karen Schmidt got the agreement tabled. She claimed not enough discussion has taken place about the future of the Creativity Center. Or, maybe she […]
By: Diane Benjamin SOURCE Seems pretty clear that every elected official MUST file. Diana Hauman has not filed as a Bloomington Alderman. She did file as a Township Trustee, a position she wasn’t elected to. This is what she filed in May of 2017: http://seionline.mcleancountyil.gov/public/PublicSEI.aspx Kimberly Bray does not have a statement on file Mboka […]
By: Diane Benjamin On May 1st when the newly elected Council members were sworn into office the City threw a party. It didn’t matter the oath they took was illegal. I received this email this morning from the City Attorney: Yes, I told him I want copies of the new oaths WITHOUT the signatures redacted! […]
By: Diane Benjamin The second session of the retreat was 3 hours and 33 minutes. I DID NOT LISTEN TO EVERY SECOND! I jumped around and listened to more than half. It was obvious Quality of Life is not going to be in proposed cuts. The discussion involved real spending for the first time in […]
By: Diane Benjamin Maybe some members of the Bloomington City Council finally realized their fearless leader has been abusing his government credit card. We’ve listened to Mayor Renner spew his “there are no free lunches” for years in order to raise taxes while he was dining on the backs of taxpayers. The Japan trip finally […]
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 […]
By: Diane Benjamin Deficits are just fine with the Bloomington City Council because they can tax you. It doesn’t matter if you can’t afford it, they have needs – you have the money. Only David Sage realized that last night – years late, but better late than never. He voted against hiring the Downtown Bloomington […]
By: Diane Benjamin “Resistance to tyrants is obedience to God.” –Thomas Jefferson “Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is argument of tyrants. It is the creed of slaves.” –William Pitt in the House of Commons November 18, 1783 Just this year the City of Bloomington created a Transportation Committee, a […]
By: Diane Benjamin Police: Police Officers have a LOT of discretion in who gets a ticket, who gets their car searched, and who gets hauled off to jail. You respect their authority under the law and they will respect you. You act like a jerk and you will be treated like a jerk if you […]
By: Diane Benjamin Every vote was 9-0 with virtual no discussion, so the Council part of the meeting was boring. Public comment was better. Note to City: The length of public comment isn’t 30 minutes – the time citizens spend talking is 30 minutes. The chair is capable of wasting the public’s time. First up […]
By: Diane Benjamin New Alderman Jamison Mathy didn’t show up last night for the Bloomington City Council meeting. As usual, nothing was said. Everybody acted like it’s perfectly normal for an elected representative to be a no-show. Unfortunately, his absence might have cost one family their property rights. (stay tuned) Alderman Diana Hauman didn’t show […]
By: Diane Benjamin Go ahead and pretend you have a mandate. 4644 people voted AGAINST Tari Renner Jamie Mathy only won by 319 votes, more than that voted against him. Close to half the people in Ward 3 voted AGAINST Mboka Mwilambwe Joni Painter only won by 97 votes The guy ineligible to serve from […]
By: Diane Benjamin The ballot will say Sue Feldkamp or Jamie Mathy for Bloomington’s Ward 1. Mathy owns two businesses downtown, but I’ve heard he claims Bloomington’s attorney Jeff Jurgens doesn’t see a problem with him voting on downtown issues. I bet the taxpayers will have a problem with him voting to enrich himself! Conflict […]
By: Diane Benjamin Flashback to February 2013. Consolidated elections were coming up in April. Kevin Lower was the only candidate on the ballot for Ward 1 because Alderman Bernie Anderson had resigned and decided not to run for reelection. Steve Stockton was mayor. At the February 11th regular City Council meeting, Stockton wanted to appoint […]
By: Diane Benjamin State Farm is facing a $7.6 BILLION class action lawsuit. What effect will that have the local economy? At the end of 2015, State Farm reported a Net Worth of $82.7 Billion. http://www.mcgisweb.org/Html5Viewer/index.html?viewer=public The lawsuit is close to 10% of their total value. Keep spending Bloomington/Normal – at least towns (unlike states) […]
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 […]
