By: Diane Benjamin Watch a Normal Council meeting. Kathleen Lorenz will attempt at least one to convey that Stan Nord has no idea what he’s doing. In emails she is even worse. Below are a few choice picks – from FOIA: Response from Kathleen: This issue isn’t dead, I’m just waiting for more information. How […]
By: Diane Benjamin Normal Mayor Chris Koos was nominated by Sen Dick Durbin to the Amtrak Board of Directors. Amtrak and Koos are a perfect fit. It does mean that Koos can no longer participate in discussions about building an underpass since all decisions involve Amtrak. See PDF page 5: http://www.normal.org/DocumentCenter/View/12829/2017-Purchasing-Policy-Manual-x?bidId= Amtrak will be paying […]
By: Diane Benjamin The next election can’t come fast enough because all but one of the elected officials are not working for the people in Normal. Covering last night’s meeting is going to take more than one story. Start with Trustee comments at the end of the meeting. Chemberly Cummings lectured the public on wearing […]
By: Diane Benjamin The Town of Normal has a LONG history of over-paying for properties and then selling them for much less. (or just giving them away!) I’ve done numerous stories since 2012 detailing some of them. Here are 3 blatant examples: https://normal.org/archivecenter/viewfile/item/2115 In 2015 Normal bought 513 N School for $170,000. 509 N School […]
By: Diane Benjamin In case you forgot, see this story: https://blnnews.com/2020/02/01/fake-news-wglt-2/ WGLT did a story attacking Stan Nord using a letter City Manager Pam Reece sent to Stan Nord. WGLT couldn’t possibly have obtained it by FOIA. That letter was leaked to them, yes folks your government is either anti-business or willing to destroy anyone […]
By: Diane Benjamin Last night’s Normal Town Council meeting will take more than one story. It’s becoming really easy to tell the political leanings of people just through one thing: Do they put people in boxes? People who lean left, even if they claim to be Republican, segregate people by all possible means: gender, race, […]
By: Diane Benjamin Need proof Normal’s spending is to provide union jobs? Keep reading. When the private sector isn’t providing jobs, government is the only alternative. Mike Matejka is the Governmental Affairs Director, Great Plains Laborers District Council representing LiUNA locals in central Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota. Why is Mike Matejka arranging official […]
By: Diane Benjamin Received by FOIA: Below is part of an email City Manager Pam Reece sent to the Normal Town Council on November 21st: Yes, they are spending your money with consultants. Below is Stan Nord’s response on November 22nd, I’m not posting the entire email because it covers 4 other things too. Once […]
By: Dine Benjamin Normal Trustee Kathleen Lorenz compiled a form email she sent to numerous residents who asked why she changed her vote. Yes folks, she was convinced the Town’s credit rating is more important than not fleecing residents for more money. She still spews the AAA credit rating from the much smaller Fitch Ratings […]
By: Diane Benjamin When a candidate for office declares what they plan to do if you vote them into office they should actually do it. Some members of the Normal Town Council have openly criticized Stan Nord for doing just that. He is accused of playing politics because he isn’t rubber-stamping “the plan”. He is […]
By: Diane Benjamin Sometimes I can put puzzle pieces together on my own, sometimes I can’t. It takes you readers filling in the missing pieces! Many have, it is much appreciated. The underpass has MANY puzzle pieces! Frequently I forget what I have written and what has happened at Council meetings – I am a […]
By: Diane Benjamin Our current Illinois Attorney General is starting off worse than Mike Madigan’s daughter. They still have not ruled on the Request for Review submitted by Karyn Smith when she was denied the right to speak on an item not on the agenda. It is getting close to a year since she filed, […]
By: Diane Benjamin If Illinois had a competent Attorney General a ruling against Normal for their public comment policy would have been written many months ago. (the law requires them to rule within 90 days) We don’t, so Normal continues to stifle citizen speech only because they can. A complaint was filed with the AG […]
By: Diane Benjamin Pam Reece can’t understand why Stan Nord is questioning the actions of past Councils. If Pam can’t understand why Stan was elected, she had an opportunity handed to her: Stan has raised questions about a number of issues. Some of them included Town owned properties being leased for much less than market […]
By: Diane Benjamin Kathleen Lorenz claims to be a Republican, so does Scott Preston. It is Republicans like these that made me leave the Republican Party years ago. The days of voting for party are long gone. Base your vote on the CHARACTER of the candidate, not the party. Both Lorenz and Preston know Normal’s […]
By: Diane Benjamin Normal Town Council last night: First to speak was Craig Stimpert. (4:27) The topic was pensions funding and the constant raising of property taxes to fund them. Craig called this Town practice unsustainable. The Town uses property taxes because they refuse to make pension funding part of the budget. He called out […]
By: Diane Benjamin This statement is on the Town of Normal website – even though Chris Koos and company try to tell Stan Nord and Karyn Smith talking to citizens about locating in Normal isn’t their job: http://normal.org/97/Contacting-the-Council It looks like citizens would rather contact Stan and Karyn: Once again, Karyn speaks for many of […]
By: Diane Benjamin Why did the Sports Complex come back? It looks like it’s being pushed by the Convention and Visitors Bureau: (CVB) That email was included in one of the FOIA request I received. Another email shows the Normal City Manager’s response to a citizens opposed to the complex. I redacted he name: Meanwhile, […]
The chart has been corrected. Normal actually has FIVE loans they are only paying interest on. Debt payments in FY 2020 total $5,549,176. Interest is $3,344,176. TIF revenue will not cover the payments. (This was incredibly difficult to do!) By: Diane Benjamin The theme for Monday’s Normal Town Council meeting was we LOVE Uptown. Kathleen […]
By: Diane Benjamin In 2017 I FOIA’d the Town of Normal for all properties they rent: https://blnnews.com/2017/01/10/normals-rental-properties/ At least one property didn’t make the list of what I received: The ISU Art Gallery. The gallery is tucked under the west end of the parking garage by City Hall. One thing is clear from the latest […]
By: Diane Benjamin One person responded to Kathleen Lorenz’s survey with more information than requested. He accuses Kathleen of campaigning one way on issues and then changing after being reelected. Then he goes on to call Stan Nord “not a nice guy” and a “bully”. Jeff must prefer politicians that misrepresent their positions to get […]
By: Diane Benjamin See Part 1 here: https://blnnews.com/2019/08/26/lorenz-koos-and-nord/ Questions for Kathleen: Why do the opinions of only a few matter? Why were the opinions of those wanting to save the building in Uptown with the mural immaterial? Why were the opinions of the people not served by Connect Transit immaterial? The Working Group isn’t even […]
See Part 2: https://blnnews.com/2019/08/27/lorenz-koos-and-nord-part-2/ By: Diane Benjamin https://www.wglt.org/post/koos-says-nord-went-lone-wolf-fire-department-merger-uptown-recruitment#stream/0 In the above article Chris Koos said this to WGLT when he tried to denigrate Stan Nord: Has WGLT or the Pantagraph reported Stan Nord has proof Koos lied to them? https://blnnews.com/2019/08/23/the-normal-council-knew-the-truth/ Nope! According to Koos, Trustees aren’t allowed to gather information – the staff does […]
By: Diane Benjamin Everything below was received by FOIA. I received another treasure trove of emails – stay tuned. Remember this note Mayor Koos sent to Bloomington and leaked to the media? This note was in the Pantagraph on July 17th. https://blnnews.com/2019/07/31/did-chris-koos-lie/ On July 26th, Stan Nord sent proof to the Mayor and the entire […]
By: Diane Benjamin Received by FOIA. I seem to remember Pam Reece saying at meetings that staff can’t investigate any issues the Council doesn’t authorize. Since the sport complex suddenly reappeared, Stan Nord sent this email to Pam: Pam responded – note she responded to the entire Council instead of who Stan copied. Is Kathleen […]
By: Diane Benjamin Update to the story on Normal paying property taxes they don’t owe: https://blnnews.com/2019/08/11/normal-like-paying-property-taxes-you-dont-owe/ Every day that Normal fails to file the PTax 300 form to change the taxable status of properties that should be exempt means more taxes. Normal will get billed next year for the number of days it was taxable […]
By: Diane Benjamin If you watched the video of last Monday’s meeting, you saw Trustees and a mayor trying to silence the new members: Stan Nord and Karyn Smith. Kathleen Lorenz even told them they should sit back and watch how things are done instead of questioning. Below is “how things are done”. It isn’t […]
By: Diane Benjamin Two candidates in Normal have been busy putting up signs by polling places. The only reason to do this is to try to catch a few extra votes from uniformed voters. I do know if the signs have been placed illegally, they are being taken down. I saw the same thing in […]
By: Diane Benjamin If you don’t like the direction Normal is taking change the people taking it there. RC Bride seems to be touting Normal’s AAA credit rating as one of the reasons he should be reelected. He doesn’t say Normal has that credit rating because they aren’t afraid to pass tax increases. If you […]
By: Diane Benjamin I might have to say this once a week until the election: Do Not Vote for 3 people even though the ballot says 3. You are handing people votes who you really don’t want on the Council. Voting for 1, maybe two, gives them a much better chance of winning since Normal […]
By: Diane Benjamin Some angry citizens of Normal appeared at Public Comment asking the Trustees to at least investigate moving the proposed fire station to a different corner. Staff had spent too much time to backtrack, they voted to proceed with “the plan” as presented anyway. Kathleen Lorenz and Scott Preston voted against it. One […]
The first public comment speaker was Karyn Smith (not Karen) – also a candidate for Normal Town Council. Other than her comments last night I don’t know anything else about her – yet. By: Diane Benjamin When Chris Koos began public comment he made clear he would time limit the speakers so they could get […]
By: Diane Benjamin The Normal Town Council meeting lasted more than 10 minutes last night! It actually went over an hour because of the mandatory recycling ordinance. ISU kids showed up to demand their right to recycle. Some called it a necessity, one claimed she had to drive 5-10 minutes to drop hers off and […]
By: Diane Benjamin The Town of Normal has done the same thing with Enterprise Funds that Bloomington did. Segregate funds, like water, and then insist the fund pays for itself. These essential services were formally funded by taxes you already paid. You continue to pay all the old taxes, but new taxes are levied for the […]
By: Diane Benjamin Years ago I heard the developer of the Marriott felt he pulled off a legal robbery of the Town of Normal taxpayers courtesy of the hayseed Council hell-bent on a downtown hotel. The rich continued to get richer last night courtesy of the Normal Town Council. Two citizens spoke during public comment. […]
