CITYWATCH

Bloomington In Crisis

Part 1

     In the almost 3-year absence of CITYWATCH from the local political landscape, significant steps have been taken that has brought the City to an unprecedented point. An itemized review of the progress (and that term is applied indiscriminately), clearly identifies the broad expansion and impact local government has forced on the City.

      Right alongside that expose' sits the explosive increase of local government administrative structure nicely fitted with new managerial/supervisory roles. As well, interestingly woven into the fabric of your government  is the perceived need for community and economic development experts.

     At the same time local service and performance levels appear to have diminished - is that irony, coincidence or just bad luck for the citizens? It would stand to reason that the number of rank and file workers have obviously been eliminated. Does it directly imply that providing basic fundamental services and needs to the citizen is not as important as developing a modern, green, built environments while creating a new culture for Bloomington?

     For all intents and purposes, it would be reasonable to conclude something is seriously out of balance.  Out of sync, if you will.  

    CITYWATCH is not the only one paying attention and noticing and CITYWATCH is not the only one concerned.

     Here at CITYWATCH, we haven't really been absent, we just haven't been here.  Our presence has never wavered nor disappeared. Never left the scene and never stopped paying attention. And, never have we abandoned our efforts to pursue and accomplish the CITYWATCH mission and objective.  But, we are here, now!

     In our revived status, we have decided to once again go public with our concerns, facts and with the wisdom and knowledge to try and inform and educate the public and the community of the critical issues impacting and affecting the citizens of the community.

     The observations of the activity that make up a series of plans resulting in an ongoing transition of our City have become rather alarming. A review of the components of those plans and what the transition is culminating in, leaves much room for concern.  One might almost say our City has been taken over, or, even worse, held hostage.

     The City's agenda with all its plans, taxes and fees, seems disconnected from the reality of fundamental and basic needs and only seems to worsen the state of affairs as our administration and most elected officials continue to ignore the reality.

     An article in Tuesday's Pantagraph emphasizes this and highlights the lack of basic needs for many in our community (http://www.pantagraph.com/news/local/income-inequality-splits-people-from-opportunity/article_e8da8e23-2f81-53ae-b656-94a2b9942464.html).

      It begs the question, as the article implies, are we a City facing crisis, or better put, are we already there?

     Yet, our local government continues to make and pursue plans that carve out huge blocks of the City for unnecessary and unwanted development, pursue plans that increase taxes and fees, all the while worsening the state of affairs for many while ignoring basic and fundamental needs - those that are necessary and wanted.

     In part 2, CITYWATCH will address those unnecessary and unwanted plans and  the agenda that seems to have become a trade-off for our community's basic needs.  Could those be the very plans that are pushing our City into a crisis?

     Find out next in Part 2 of Bloomington In Crisis.

CITYWATCH

For The Good Of The Community