Tag: profanity

Column | On Bloomington city council appointments to boards: Stop, in the name of gov…think it over

A special committee on city council processes is set to meet at 3 p.m. on Monday in  the McCloskey Room of Bloomington’s city hall.

traffic sign consists of a standard stop sign with a yellow sign bolten under it, which would normally read: Traffic from left does not stop. But the text on the yellow part of the sign reads: Do you redongize the names on the list of these appointees?The committee will be continuing its deliberations on a recommendation to the full council about how to proceed with councilmember Dave Rollo’s motion, made at the council’s Feb. 1 meeting, to remove Greg Alexander from the city’s traffic commission.

Rollo wants to remove Alexander for the cause of “posting obscene and inappropriate statements” on Twitter.

Positions on the traffic commission are unpaid. The city’s traffic commission is an advisory board that, among other things, recommends to the city council and other city officials ways to improve traffic conditions and the enforcement of traffic regulations.

It might seem like a subtle point, but the question of Alexander’s removal is actually extra work the council has created for itself. Continue reading “Column | On Bloomington city council appointments to boards: Stop, in the name of gov…think it over” →

2 more meetings on removal of traffic commissioner set by special Bloomington city council committee

From left: city clerk Nicole Bolden, city councilmember Sue Sgambelluri (Feb. 8, 2023).
Bloomington city councilmember Isabel Piedmont-Smith (Feb. 8, 2023)
Bloomington city councilmember Matt Flaherty (Feb. 8, 2023).
Feb. 8, 2023 meeting of the Bloomington city council committee on council processes.

On Wednesday night, a four-member special committee of the Bloomington city council met to consider the possible removal of Greg Alexander from the city’s traffic commission.

The outcome of the committee’s deliberations included scheduling two more meetings, both of them before a deadline of March 1. The full council set the deadline when it referred to the committee a motion for Alexander’s removal, which was made at the council’s Feb. 1 meeting.

The next committee meetings are scheduled for Feb. 20 at 3 p.m. and Feb. 23 at 8 a.m.

The motion for removal was made by Dave Rollo—that Alexander be removed from the city’s traffic commission, for “posting obscene and inappropriate statements…that are unbecoming of an appointed member of a public body…” Continue reading “2 more meetings on removal of traffic commissioner set by special Bloomington city council committee” →

Referred to committee: Should city council remove member of Bloomington’s traffic commission for “posting obscene and inappropriate statements…”?

Bloomington councilmember Susan Sandberg (Feb. 1, 2023).
From left: Isabel Piedmont-Smith, Sue Sgambelluri, and Dave Rollo (Feb. 1, 2023).
From left: Dave Rollo, Jim SIms and Ron Smith (Feb. 1, 2023).
Greg Alexander addresses the Bloomington city council (Feb. 1, 2023).
Bloomington city councilmember Steve Volan (Feb. 1, 2023).
From left: Kate Rosenbarger and Susan Sandberg (Feb. 1, 2023).
Bloomington councilmember Dave Rollo (Feb. 1, 2023).
Greg Alexander (Feb. 1, 2023).
Eric Ost (Feb. 1, 2023).
Stephanie Hatton (Feb. 1, 2023).

The question of removing Greg Alexander from Bloomington’s traffic commission won’t get a vote by the city council until March 1 at the earliest.

At this past Wednesday’s city council meeting, the matter was referred to a special committee that already existed, after it was appointed by council president Sue Sgambelluri at the first meeting of the year.

By March 1, the four-member special committee on the council’s legislative processes is supposed to deliver to the full council some kind of recommendation on the question of Alexander’s removal.

The committee’s first meeting is set for next Wednesday, Feb. 8 at 7 p.m.

At this past Wednesday’s meeting, the motion to remove Alexander was made by Dave Rollo, for a cause that included “posting obscene and inappropriate statements…that are unbecoming of an appointed member of a public body…” Continue reading “Referred to committee: Should city council remove member of Bloomington’s traffic commission for “posting obscene and inappropriate statements…”?” →

Bloomington city council wants research on possible ouster of traffic commissioner for social media posts

Bloomington city council member Sue Sgambelluri (Jan. 25, 2023).
Bloomington city council member Isabel Piedmont-Smith (Jan. 25, 2023).
Bloomington traffic commissioner Greg Alexander (Jan. 25, 2023).
Former Bloomington city councilmember Jeff Richardson (Jan. 25, 2023).
Bloomington resident Stephanie Hatton (Jan. 25, 2023).
Bloomington traffic commissioner Greg Alexander (Jan. 25, 2023).
Jeff Richardson delivers public comment as Greg Alexander looks on from the audience.
Letter sent by Greg Alexander to Stephanie Hatton.

At last Wednesday’s city council meeting, several speakers during general public commentary time objected to the previous week’s re-appointment of Greg Alexander to the city’s traffic commission.

The commission is an an advisory board that, among other things, recommends to the city council and other city officials ways to improve traffic conditions and the enforcement of traffic regulations.

After public commentary time was finished, council president Sue Sgambelluri said, “We are in conversation with our attorney administrator, Mr. [Stephen] Lucas, and have asked him to research possible steps forward.”

Those steps forward could include an effort to remove Alexander from the traffic commission pursuant to Bloomington’s local code.

Local law says the city council can “for cause” remove a council appointee to a board or commission. The definition of “cause” is specific only for one kind of infraction—excessive absences. But it leaves room for other reasons: “Cause shall include, but not be limited to, failure to attend three consecutive regularly scheduled meetings of the board, commission, or council…”

A legal question that Lucas will be researching is whether councilmembers can remove Alexander, based on the kind of statements he has posted to the Twitter social media platform. Continue reading “Bloomington city council wants research on possible ouster of traffic commissioner for social media posts” →