BLOOMINGTON, IL. (ECWd) –
After posting an article exposing the fact that the City of Bloomington, Illinois had purchased an airplane ticket for Margot Erhlich, Mayor Tari Renner’s girlfriend, to presumably accompany him on his “business trip” to Japan this week, Renner decided to leave a nasty comment on her webpage.
A commenter claiming to be Tari Renner, and we believe it is, demanded an apology and claimed without one a lawsuit would be filed for slander. He claimed Margot was not a public figure and that she paid her own way. He also said Diane, the author of the article, shows contempt for human decency.
Human decency demands compliance with law and demands Truth about misuse of public funds. Just because you are the Mayor, Mr. Renner, does not mean you get a free pass on alleged illegal activity.
Margot is a public figure/official for two reasons: First, she is a teacher at Illinois State University, and, Second, public funds were used to purchase airfare for her to go on vacation (see the charged ticket, with her name listed, at this link). Would it have been better if the article had been entitled “City of Bloomington pays for Illinois State University employee to vacation in Japan“? It might have been slightly more accurate, but we all know it never would have happened without Renner’s influence.
If Margot paid her own way, then why was there a charge for her airfare, voted on and approved by the Bloomington City Council?
Whether or not any funds were ever “reimbursed” for that purchase is irrelevant, you cannot un-rob a bank once you rob it. The alledged rime, or at least part of it, was the “USE“ of public funds, property, or credit. The former Mayor of Pekin, Illinois could probably enlighten Renner on the consequences of this constitutional violation – read about his felony conviction for illegal public credit card use, and the Supreme Court’s upholding of the conviction HERE.
An apology? Tari, an apology is what you owe the citizens and taxpayers of Bloomington for bringing more embarrassment to the City of Bloomington and for using the city’s public funds and credit for illegal purposes.
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10 Comments
Illinois State University - TRUTH
Posted at 22:05h, 16 AugustAnd now the Illinois State Police are investigating!!!! FINALLY!
Mike
Posted at 03:21h, 02 August“Bloomington-Normal has added Canterbury, England, and Vladamir, Russia, to its sister cities roster, and Renner has been seeking to revive Bloomington’s sister city relationship with Caibarien, Cuba, which dates back to 2002.”
Pantagraph
Bonding: B-N mayors head to Japan for 55th Sister City anniversary
by Maria Nagle
July 30, 2017
http://www.pantagraph.com/news/local/government-and-politics/bonding-b-n-mayors-head-to-japan-for-th-sister/article_5e12b56f-e518-5571-8b79-e0b80d3aafe7.html
– Taxpayer funded plane tickets and travel expenses to England, Russia, and Cuba in the future?
Bruce Brown
Posted at 20:50h, 31 JulyHey, there, Bloomington! It could be worse!
You could have ‘little jimmy artless’ the ‘mayor’ of Peoria!
His ‘Twitter Raid’ a year or so ago COST THE CITY $250.000 in a legal settlement … the City ‘settling’ … ‘for the good of the City’ (translation, ‘little jimmy’ didn’t want to get deposed under oath, as he would have had his, ah … ‘foot’ in it).
Worse?
Here’s his response to two Twitter guys with 12 followers … making fun of ‘jimmy’, so ‘jimmy’ had the Police bust em up … ‘jimmy fights back with this!’ … in front of MANY CAMERAS, in his real stupid voice, out of his real stupid face …
A. Lincoln
Posted at 19:28h, 31 JulyI know it’s old and been repeated ad nauseum, but it’s the elephant in the room so let’s just say it. These two characters who skated off to Japan, paid for by Bloomington tax dollars, are just a bit below Normal.
calskinner
Posted at 16:34h, 31 JulyWhat about the case in which the Pekin mayor used city money to gamble/
Didn’t that result in his losing his pension after a felony conviction?
Warren J. Le Fever
Posted at 13:31h, 31 JulyNothin’ like gettin’ the goat of a high horse. Chuckle, chuckle, hee, hee, hee, HAR! HAR! HAR!, Snort! Snort! Tari’s good at showing the world what he is…..
MdStine
Posted at 11:30h, 31 JulyAt what point will there be a lawsuit filed against an elected official for intimidation when the respond like this especially when the facts are obvious? High 5 to the mayor for switching from a shovel to a trackhoe for that hole they own.
G. Barraclough
Posted at 09:31h, 31 JulyOh, goody, goody! Let’s have a lawsuit. Then we can see everything in the production of discovery and won’t have to be bothered by those pesky FOIA rules and meaningless Illinois Attorney General opinions, e.g.”This letter serves to close this file.”(http://3.133.133.226/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/AG-opinion-on-Police-FOIA-911-call.pdf)
Dave
Posted at 08:38h, 31 JulyGaslighting or gas-lighting is a form of mental and psychological abuse in which false information is presented with the intent of making victims doubt their own memory, perception, and sanity. Instances may range simply from the denial by an abuser that previous abusive incidents ever occurred, up to the staging of bizarre events by the abuser with the intention of disorienting the victim.
Dave
Posted at 08:34h, 31 JulyWhat incredible unmitigated arrogance!