By Eric Stock
BLOOMINGTON – Bloomington mayor Tari Renner said if the city council doesn’t want the city to pay for a full-time mayor’s aide, aldermen should be willing to take on additional tasks.
PODCAST: Listen to Scott and Patti’s interview with Renner on WJBC.
Renner handed out a list of tasks to aldermen as they discussed the idea at a meeting on Monday. The list appeared to take several aldermen by surprise.
“Alderman David Sage birthed a watermelon over this,” Renner quipped. “That’s unfortunate because he needs to step up to the plate and other (aldermen) need to step up to the plate if they aren’t going to approve something,”
Renner had suggested Sage serve as the city’s liaison to the McLean County Chamber of Commerce, as an example. A majority of council members have said they don’t support the full-time position. Renner says if the council doesn’t want to pay for an aide not, it will happen eventually.
“Whether it’s under me or another mayor, it’s going to happen,” Renner declared. “This is inevitable, we know how this plays out because we are not a small town anymore.”
Renner, a politic science professor at Illinois Wesleyan, said he can handle a full-time mayor’ job, but he says many other’s can’t. He’s worried that the position has become so involved only those who are retired would have the time for it.
Eric Stock can be reached at [email protected].
