By Mike Matejka
Like a parent berating a child, one often hears said of Bloomington, “why can’t you be more like Normal?”
Looking across Division Street, some people see two very different cities. Normal has built an Uptown Station, redeveloped its core business district, led the nation in adopting strict green building codes, and everyone seems to bask in the good things happening.
Meanwhile, the Bloomington City Council can’t convene without the same people lining up, week after week, to berate the City Council as wild and crazy tax and spenders. How demoralizing can that be, as a citizen volunteer council member, to have a small but persistent contingent, always needling you and making accusations that often have little context in reality? Meanwhile, the rough gem called downtown Bloomington awaits the political and community support to turn it into a renewed center of activity and visitation.
We need to remember that the path to uptown was not an easy one, particularly in the early years of Mayor Koos’ leadership. But with calm persistence, he unified the Town Council, built a supportive staff and convinced residents that Normal’s core could be more than t-shirt shops and pizza joints. Today we have an amiable and diverse uptown, that invites one to linger, socialize and enjoy a feeling of community.
No one can fault Mayor Renner’s energy; he too has a vision for a renewed and revitalized Bloomington. What is needed is for citizens to not only see the possibilities, but also, quit allowing the negative voices to suck up all the oxygen. Blame me for the Colesium if you wish, and for the Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts, because as a Bloomington city council member, I voted for them. I am not ashamed of that vote. If Bloomington’s core is going to redevelop, it needs some anchor properties. Uptown has the Station and the Marriott, and retail and other activities flourish around them. The Colesium and Performing Arts Center are the anchors downtown Bloomington needs. They give people a reason to come downtown, and then come back again for the Farmers’ Market, to shop or visit the Museum of History.
Negativity only breeds negativity. With the Mitsubishi announcement and continued unease about State Farm, now is not the time to wallow in the mud. As a community we need to see the possibilities and then ask, what can we do to make them happen? Compared to much of downstate Illinois, the last 30 years have been kind to us. That did not happen by accident, but because the Twin Cities were willing to venture into new possibilities. Let’s quit trash talking our own community and instead, constructively engage in a dialogue for renewal.
Mike Matejka is the Governmental Affairs director for the Great Plains Laborers District Council, covering 11,000 union Laborers in northern Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota. He lives in Bloomington with his wife and daughter and their two dogs. He served on the Bloomington City Council for 18 years, is a past president of the McLean County Historical Society and Vice-President of the Illinois Labor History Society.
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