By: Diane Benjamin Maybe this will help: . Rob Fazzini is the former Bloomington alderman who claimed gas taxes don’t raise the price of gas. He stated that to justify a Bloomington gas tax. Before Fazzini a local gas tax didn’t exist. https://blnnews.com/2014/01/27/culture-tales-bloomington-council-retreat/ Below are the facts, local gas taxes are not included in these […]
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 BlnNews.com now has a ton of history – all the way back to early 2012. Here’s a nugget you might have forgotten: Bloomington didn’t have a gas tax until 2014. They didn’t have an Amusement Tax either. Fazzini and Fruin voted for for both. The gas tax only meant nothing had to […]
By: Diane Benjamin A reader sent me the ad below. It’s really funny since Rob is running as a Democrat – check your ballot. How can Fazz run on the Democrat ticket and claim he wants to make the office “not party affiliated”? It’s hilarious to see candidates unwilling to admit they are democrats! In […]
By: Diane Benjamin The audit is done, not released though: Evidently the City doesn’t think they have to print the P-Card spending list anymore, just 1 big amount. Amazon purchases are listed without a descriptions – pages of them. Link to Bills and Payroll: https://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=25260 Agenda: http://bloomingtonil.iqm2.com/Citizens/FileOpen.aspx?Type=1&ID=1090&Inline=True Tari wants to re-appoint Rob Fazzini to the […]
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 On February 14, 2020 I sent a FOIA request to the Town of Normal for CIRBN Board meeting minutes. Since Normal calls their 3 employees Town employees, we should see what these employees are up to. This is what I FOIA’d: “Minutes of all CIRBN Board meetings held between April 2018 and […]
By: Diane Benjamin Two readers contacted me yesterday about the candidate who announced for County Auditor as a Republican. Her name is Trisha Malott. She voted Democrat in the last two primary elections. Voting in a Democrat primary used to make people ineligible to run on the GOP ticket – it sure does in reverse. […]
By: Diane Benjamin I think I know what is going on between the McLean County Auditor and Treasurer, it isn’t the huge problem Michelle Anderson is making it out to be. Back in 2014 there was a referendum asking if the Auditor job should be abolished. I said NO – but the person holding that […]
By: Diane Benjamin I’ve known for quite awhile that for Bloomington Alderman Rob Fazzini had sued people involved with the Cornbelters. Since I was at the courthouse yesterday I decided to pull the court documents. If you ever want to see a file, get the Case Number from Public Access ( https://www.mcleancountyil.gov/137/Public-Access-Search-System ), then go to the […]
Bills and Payroll – City of Bloomington for 7-6 http://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=22163 All bills marked Bulk Disp are for hauling trash dropped off at the “convenience center”. Henson frequently hauls standard sized dumpsters numerous times a day. Every bill will show an $80 charge for trucking. 97 loads x $80 = $7760. The City could have hauled […]
By: Diane Benjamin The former Normal City Manager isn’t sitting back enjoying retirement on his fat pension, he has a new job: https://www.govhrusa.com/associates/mark-peterson/ Mark is a Vice President for GovHR! Click the link above to see his glowing resume. Quotes: Mark doesn’t mention the still empty first floor of 1 Uptown Circle. He also doesn’t […]
By: Diane Benjamin Bloomington’s former City Manager, who never found time to look at reports from the Coliseum, has moved on to Joliet. Hales will always be known as the guy who the City Council heaped praise and huge raises on while theft of taxpayer dollars was happening right under his nose. I know many […]
By: Diane Benjamin I need to correct this story: https://blnnews.com/2018/03/28/why-is-fazzini-signing-contracts/ Rob Fazzini signed a contract for the City of Bloomington dated 3/10/16. He was not an alderman when he signed it. He was also not authorized by the City Council to sign anything on behalf of the City of Bloomington. All other contracts were signed by […]
By: Diane Benjamin Remember former Bloomington Alderman Rob Fazzini? You might remember him from his attempt to create Super Aldermen who represent the whole City, or you might remember his plan to turn the garbage into jet fuel, or maybe his statement that gas taxes don’t necessarily raise the price of gas. Since I heard […]
By: Diane Benjamin Former Bloomington alderman Rob Fazzini announced to WGLT he is thinking of running as an independent for the County Board: http://wglt.org/post/ex-alderman-fazzini-considers-run-mclean-county-board Fazzini thinks the Board elections should be non-partisan. It’s easy to see why since Bloomington and Normal Council elections are non-partisan. Big spenders, who think everything needs managed and regulated, find it […]
By: Diane Benjamin Tari’s campaign speech is probably memorized by everybody now. Repeat things often enough some people might believe them. No, transparency doesn’t exist at City Hall. I dare anybody to file a FOIA request and actually get the information they filed for. The windows are NOT “wide open” as Tari claims. Here is […]
By: Diane Benjamin Besides Tari Renner, you have to remember former Alderman Rob Fazzini to understand this story. Fazzini is the guy who claimed a gas tax doesn’t raise the price of gas and he wasted tons of staff and legal time trying to get both Bloomington and Normal to sell him their garbage so […]
By: Diane Benjamin Two months in a row Renner bought former Alderman Rob Fazzini lunch: http://blnnews.com/2015/10/23/september-eating-at-your-expense/ For new readers, when Fazzini was an Alderman he created lots of news by saying things like “A gas tax doesn’t raise the price of gas”. http://blnnews.com/2014/01/27/culture-tales-bloomington-council-retreat/ Fazzini was also behind the failed attempts for Modified Wards and Paradigm […]
by: Diane Benjamin The editorial staff at the Pantagraph does a Cheers and Jeers column every Friday. I thought there was hope when they jeered the City of Bloomington for the failed retreat posting and the cost/inconvenience it caused. Today all hope was dashed. Not one mention in the column about the failed joint Council […]
by: Diane Benjamin Alderman Rob Fazzini has been known to change his mind before. Remember when he stated he would never vote for the budget if roads weren’t funded at $14,000,000? $10,000,000 borrowed and $4,000,000 from the general fund? Somehow he managed to vote YES on the budget anyway. I hope he is smart enough […]
by: Diane Benjamin Nothing epitomizes what both Bloomington and Normal are doing to you better than this letter written by a resident of Austin Texas (the most liberal city in Texas): “I’m at the breaking point,” said Gretchen Gardner, an Austin artist who bought a 1930s bungalow in the Bouldin neighborhood just south of downtown […]
I was just buzzing around the City of Bloomington website. Guess what I found? Alderman Rob Fazzini is the ONLY alderman without his phone number listed on his City Council page: http://www.cityblm.org/index.aspx?page=58 I think he is taking this public servant thing way too far! He’s definitely right there when people in his ward need him. […]
by: Diane Benjamin Yesterday there was a fascinating Letter to the Editor in the Pantagraph by Mike Matejka. He came out against the March referendum for Modified Wards! It was only a few months ago Matejka helped Rob Fazzini craft a different Letter to the Editor in support of Modified Wards: http://blnnews.com/2013/12/13/expect-to-see-this-in-the-pantagraph/ Is Matejka running a […]
by: Diane Benjamin Elected officials really hate to hear from THE PEOPLE. It makes them very nervous to be watched because they don’t believe they work for the us. They run for office with an agenda – to show everybody how smart they are and create a legacy. When did people start electing elitists to […]
by: Diane Benjamin Previously I questioned if Rob Fazzini was trying to hide the truth to get signatures to put the Ward change on the March ballot: http://blnnews.com/2013/12/18/was-rob-fazzini-trying-to-cover-up-the-truth/ He managed to convince WGLT’s Charlie Schlenker of his Six Wards and Three At-large plan. Listen to an interview aired today with Alderwoman Judy Stearns: http://wglt.org/wireready/news/2013/12/07670_12-20stearnsqa_web_085852.shtml Schlenker […]
by: Diane Benjamin The email below was received under the Freedom of Information Act. More people were listed in the TO: section, but it’s going to take another FOIA request to get an accurate printout. Read it carefully. Has Mayor Renner ever said in public that he helped WRITE the petition to change the Ward […]
by: Diane Benjamin Bloomington Alderman Rob Fazzini sends a Ward report every month to people on his email list. It’s a work of art in that he tracks every possible thing he does for the month and then calculates that he works for way below minimum wage. Rob, are citizens suppose to kneel before you […]
by: Diane Benjamin After I exposed the email written by Normal City Manager Mark Peterson (http://blnnews.com/2013/11/13/city-manager-mark-peterson-liables-me/), he wrote the following email to Bloomington Alderman Rob Fazzini: Fazzini then responded with this email: . Peterson doesn’t seem all that concerned on November 13th. Maybe today is a little more unhappy. I have filed a complaint […]
by Diane Benjamin Yesterday Bloomington Alderman Rob Fazzini wrote a long email to me stating his position on the hostile takeover, nothing new that I haven’t already reported, just more dribble. For some reason, he copied the City Manager of Normal, Mark Peterson. Why? Normal is all about limiting citizen representation, so maybe Peterson is […]
by: Diane Benjamin Do the citizens of Bloomington understand the Fazzini plan will allow the Mayor and 3 Alderman to be elected At-Large? What keeps them from running 4 candidates all from one neighborhood? Absolutely nothing. Very transparent Rob! Very bad for the citizens. ISU Political Science Professor Andrew Matthews discussed this on Cities 92.9 […]
by: Diane Benjamin Is the behavior of Alderman Rob Fazzini going to be tolerated by the Bloomington City Council? The following email was sent by Rob Fazzini to a citizen who disagrees with his petition drive to change the Bloomington City Council. Fazzini is condescending and shows contempt for a voter and senior citizen. The […]
Self-proclaimed brilliant Alderman Rob Fazzini is showing he is exactly the opposite again! He sends out a monthly report to around 80 people, but he doesn’t send them blind. Guess who now has his email list? Isn’t it a little (very) scary that this clown is spending your hard-earned tax dollars?
by: Diane Benjamin During a discussion of the future needs of the City at the Administration and Finance Committee held on August 5th, the following was presented by the Finance Director, Ms. Silva. As usual, Alderman Fazzini lives in a world of bubbles and candy where everything is wonderful and the City needs to spend […]
The program for troubled west-side youth is getting glorious reviews – by the organizers. The council members who voted against it are getting vilified by none other than Rob Fazzini: The city council members who voted for the small financial investment should be proud of these impressive results. Thanks to the Mayor and those who […]
by Diane Benjamin If you haven’t kept up on the Schmidt-Fazzini racial rout, see this link: http://blnnews.com/2013/07/25/racism-under-every-bush-if-you-want-it-there/ Fazzini couldn’t help but show his brilliance by responding again to the email: He is our President winning by a landslide, and he is a black man. We need to accept and embrace both. Robert B. Fazzini […]
by: Stanley Wonders (Where have you been hiding Stanley? Welcome back!) Since Bloomington is a proud “Not in Our Town” town, surely we can never go too far to prove it! Especially in our elected officials! But just to BE SURE, some of them have given you the apparent ultimate PROOF. In response to a […]
by Diane Benjamin First, I have two black relatives, but I had to think about it first. Non-racists don’t think about people’s skin color. They are relatives – not BLACK relatives. Judge people by the content of their character, not the color of their skin. Evidently, only people who want to see racism still do, […]
