By: Diane Benjamin Tari Renner’s claims to now be protecting the taxpayers of Bloomington in the Metro Zone flap are a joke. Why? Besides the fact that 5 Aldermen put Metro Zone on the agenda, not Renner – what happened to the letters Tari received at Rosie’s from citizens about their health insurance costs? We […]
By: Diane Benjamin I really hope you enjoy seeing huge empty or almost empty buses running all over Bloomington-Normal because you are paying for them! The January finances are on online: http://www.connect-transit.com/documents/February%2028,%202017%20Regular%20Board%20Meeting%20Binder1.pdf Income in January was a whooping $110, 632. Expenses were $1,052,685. Anybody see a problem? Anybody see the same problem connect Transit has […]
By: Diane Benjamin Think back to when Bloomington’s Public Comment Policy was changed to 30 minutes. Tari Renner was out of the country, Karen Schmidt was acting mayor for that meeting. Since Renner has never been fond of Public Comment, and previously it had only been 15 minutes, he probably wasn’t happy when he got […]
By: Diane Benjamin I can’t believe the comments on Facebook from people saying they never vote in primaries because they don’t want to say what party they are voting for. Aside from the FACT yesterdays primary didn’t have parties, that is the lamest excuse possible. The GREAT candidates lose in the primaries because of that […]
By: Diane Benjamin When very few people bother to vote in local elections, this is what happens. I redacted the name of the sender. Kids are voting, most won’t be staying in town. The Bloomington residents get stuck with their choice because they stay home. Polls are open until 7. . . .
By: Diane Benjamin At last night’s Bloomington City Council meeting: 1) Local attorney Chris Gramm was fed up with Renner citing the reading of Green Eggs and Ham to the local media as a reason to change the Public Comment policy. Chris did read it years ago as a protest to Renner’s pending tax increases. […]
By: Diane Benjamin The budget Tari Renner inherited when he became mayor was $167 million. (2014) Page 3 http://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=5104 2015 budget was $180.4 million Page 3 http://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=7075 This took 13.4 million out of the local economy 2016 budget was 186.3 million Page 15 http://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=9210 This took another 6.3 out of the local economy for a […]
By: Diane Benjamin From 5-7 pm last night WJBC had a round table discussion with 4 of the 5 mayoral candidates. Unfortunately, the sound was awful! As soon as the news director started talking, the sound quality went far south. It’s a shame the broadcast quality wasn’t better. Ian Bayne did not show up for […]
By: Diane Benjamin Tari is a Political Science professor, he should have known that partisan registering of voters is illegal. Anything to win re-election Tari? Don’t expect the media to report this however. See this story from yesterday: https://blnnews.com/2017/02/22/illegal-unethical/ Tari has now removed the video from his Facebook page. Here’s proof it was there – […]
By: Diane Benjamin I started this project to show how much David Hales has increased spending on Administration. The 2017 budget numbers could be immaterial since spending over budget could be happening. The 4/30/2016 financial statements are still a secret, the 2017 statements won’t be available until at least October. All of the page numbers […]
By: Diane Benjamin Why did she write this? I believe she wrote this when Tari’s petition signatures were being challenged. (Note the City stationary) Just so you know it’s really her, this is from her campaign literature left on a citizen’s door: I admit I cropped the propaganda!
By: Diane Benjamin The video below was posted to Tari Renner for Mayor Facebook. The guy in this video is Arthur Haynes, a convicted felon who Tari appointed to the Bloomington Housing Authority Board in May of 2015. See the list of Board members here: http://www.bloomingtonha.com/board-of-commissioners According to this Pantagraph article, Haynes was convicted of […]
By: Diane Benjamin Citizens have a right to know what their government is doing. Obviously both local governments don’t think you have that right – just look at the North Main Property the City of Bloomington has $1.4 million tied up in. The City purchased the land a year ago without ever saying why. Now […]
By: Diane Benjamin I thought pretty much everybody knew the story of Tari Renner’s comment he left on BlnNews that led to his censure. They don’t, so before Bloomington votes for the next mayor, everybody needs to know who Tari is. See the whole story here: https://blnnews.com/2015/02/11/tari-attacks-me-again-not-in-our-town/ Why didn’t Tari slink away? If he had […]
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 I’ve written for months about Bloomington NOT making their financial statements public yet from almost a year ago. In fact, very little financial information has been released, Renner’s transparency claims are now ridiculous. The City was required to submit this information to the Illinois Comptroller’s office. The year ended 4/30/2016, but with […]
By: Diane Benjamin Facts matter, but the Pantagraph doesn’t have them. Today they decided to endorse Renner (no surprise) and Bob Fike for mayor. They want Tari, Fike will be the easiest to beat. Very predictable. Their decision was made on faulty facts however. They even PRINTED their faulty facts. This should PROVE why all […]
By: Diane Benjamin This is a continuation of the previous post: https://blnnews.com/2017/02/17/how-many-facts-does-tari-get-wrong/ The Coliseum was a hot topic. Renner and Hauman continue to believe the Coliseum can be a success. Renner still wants a hotel, Hauman thinks VenuWorks can make a profit. Both of them are living in the same make-believe land as whoever projected […]
By: Diane Benjamin The League of Women Voters/WGLT debate last night was held in a horrible room. Many people trekked to Uptown to see it, but the room was too small to hold them all. University Gallery staff were busy telling people they weren’t allowed to lean against the walls. A lot of people didn’t […]
By: Diane Benjamin The current year budget contains a preview of where Bloomington wants to go in the future. An aquatics park has been mentioned at several Council meetings, probably because $8.5 million is in the Capital Budget for the year that starts May 1st. See all the proposed spending HERE The source is pages […]
By: Diane Benjamin Robert Fike says some good things, but I’m not sure he is informed enough to be mayor. He mentioned offering early retirement to highly paid people so cheaper ones could be hired. The last time the City did that, it cost around $4 million in Sick Leave Buy Back. Just a view […]
By: Diane Benjamin The Pantagraph has a video on-line of their mayoral candidate interviews. See the video below. Yes, as Tari likes to say FACTS do matter. The video is less than an hour – watch it. Diane Hauman is already planning to increase fees for garbage service even though a January 17, 2017 presentation […]
By: Diane Benjamin Can $20 million be cut from Bloomington’s budget? David Hales thinks disaster would strike Bloomington if the tax increases were rolled back. (The media happily reports it!) Here’s a better question: The 2012 TOTAL budget was $165.3 million (Pre Tari) The 2013 TOTAL budget was $167 million (Pre Tari) That 2017 TOTAL […]
Quite by chance, the Pantagraph has an anonymous editorial today concerning their version of Fake News! By: Diane Benjamin If the Pantagraph gets their news from Tari Renner, they need a new source. See this story they did for an article on the mayoral candidates: http://www.pantagraph.com/news/local/government-and-politics/bloomington-mayoral-candidates-taxes-streets-biggest-concerns/article_9cead315-4b3f-5c04-8516-6df801039cd1.html This statement is included: #FactsMatter The amusement tax was […]
By: Diane Benjamin Tari Renner is claiming this: Tari forgot to say the City borrowed $10,000,000, imposed a .04 per gallon gas tax, and a .25% Sales Tax increase to do it. Aren’t streets and infrastructure maintenance what citizens expect from government? Previous Councils spent money recklessly on pet projects instead of essential services, Tari […]
By: Diane Benjamin From today’s rennerformayor Twitter: What risk? I thought local elections were called non-partisan because everybody runs to make Bloomington better! Obviously Renner thinks something is at risk! What would that be and who are these amazing residents you talked to Tari? Does this mean residents who don’t support your agenda aren’t amazing […]
By: Diane Benjamin Thanks to the Vidette, video exists of Tari’s speech at the NIOT Democratic rally. Tari’s portion is less than two minutes. They took short clips of various speakers and put them together. I have no idea what Martin Luther King had to do with this event since it was supposedly to oppose […]
This sign is at U-High. Normal Community also has one. Evidently being here legally isn’t a requirement. ____________________________ By: Diane Benjamin This is the sign Not In Our Town supporters are putting around town: It means one thing to the people upset that Hillary Clinton lost the election and something totally different to everybody else. […]
By: Diane Benjamin Thank Alderman Joni Painter and Mayor Tari Renner for the 30 MPH speed limit. The citizens of Bloomington paid for TWO studies of Hershey Road and BOTH were ignored. The speed limit was lowered to 30 because of 100 signatures on a petition. The petition to change it back now has close […]
By: Diane Benjamin Watch this REALLY short video: . HyVee is in a strip mall . Renner created a TIF for the old K-Mart Plaza strip mall . GreenTop Grocery is in a strip mall. . The old GE Plant may be turned into a strip mall . Eastland Mall is dying But, Renner learned […]
By: Diane Benjamin From Page 10 – City Manager’s December report: http://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=11954 From page 44 of the December 2015 City Manager’s report: http://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=9706 Information for December 2015 isn’t available. Library information is missing from many of the new jumbled City Manager reports. David Hales is DONE winning awards for delivering information to citizens! The transparency […]
By: Diane Benjamin All the way back in October of 2000, Tari Renner had his students do a survey of Bloomington residents about building an arena on the EAST side. 63% opposed a tax increase to build it. The estimate to build it was only $25 million. Renner lamented the questions asked were worded negatively. […]
By: Diane Benjamin Yes Facts do matter. Tari Renner campaigns using his own: What’s the truth? Comparisons between Normal and Bloomington are not available, but the other cities are. City property tax rates are meaningless to compare because a City with higher Assessed Values doesn’t need a tax rate as high as cities with lower […]
By: Diane Benjamin Tari Renner appeared with Scott Laughlin this morning on WJBC. The interview was mostly a campaign commercial! Listen to it HERE Somebody at WJBC frequently reads stories on BlnNews – especially before interviews. This morning was no exception: Did Scott Laughlin ask Tari Renner about this Moody’s report which clearly states Bloomington […]
By: Diane Benjamin I don’t think Tari Renner and most of the City Council are keeping up to date! We are constantly told we need Complete Streets because millennials want to ride their bikes to work. We need to spend millions downtown because millennials want to live there. Since (I think) Tari just got back […]
By: Diane Benjamin Yesterday the Pantagraph did a story about County union employee salary increases: http://www.pantagraph.com/news/local/mclean-county-highway-workers-get-raises/article_e1a807b1-6dcc-535b-83dd-f39b4b00079f.html This paragraph is in the story: Two problems: The City of Bloomington has been hit by at least 24 penalties amounting to around $1.6 million. (it could be more by now) That’s not “several”. Second, the County negotiated with […]
By: Diane Benjamin Tari Renner has decided to print his own news. He started his own blog: http://www.rennerformayor.com/category/renners-review/ The biggest difference between BlnNews.com and Tari’s site is: He doesn’t allow comments! Luckily, I can comment here. Roads were important to Tari during his first election, the election two years ago, and now right before the […]
By: Diane Benjamin All of the information below is from the Illinois Comptroller’s website. See it HERE Would you invest in a company that fails to issue Financial Reports? Why would anybody invest in Bloomington – they haven’t issued last year’s statements yet. Tonight there will be a presentation on how this year is going […]
UPDATE: See what the 2010 Plan cost HERE By: Diane Benjamin Under Tari Renner, taxpayers have been forced to pay for plan after plan after plan. Departments have been dragging their multi-million dollar plans in front of the Council for months while Tari claims it’s all a wish list. The wish of the next Mayor […]
By: Diane Benjamin There are people in Bloomington who don’t care what high taxes under Tari Renner are doing to the poor. How many Bloomington residents know the City DOUBLED the amount landlords pay to register properties? Who is hurt? Renters – the poor. If any members of the Council complain about high rents so […]
