By Greg Halbleib/Patrick Baron

BLOOMINGTON – With his job being “fundamentally different” than it was several decades ago, Bloomington mayor Tari Renner said he’s all for hiring an aide to assist him.

Renner explained the task of handling the city’s business has become too great for a position intended to be part-time. He appreciates the time and work put in by the city manager and city staff on his behalf, but said at the end of the day, the roles are different.

“The city manager’s role is to carry out policy; the mayor and the elected council’s role is to make policy and be sure that the policy is effective by responding to citizen complaints,” said Renner. “So while those will certainly overlap, the mayor’s role as chief elected executive is fundamentally different from an appointed bureaucrat.”

Renner also pointed out how it may be difficult for him to attend some city events due to scheduling, even with the help of city council members such as Ward 7 alderman Scott Black and Ward 4 alderman Amelia Buragas. An aide, he suggested, would help alleviate some of those obligations from himself and the city council members.

“There’s so many different groups; being a liaison with the Chamber of Commerce, or labor unions, or civic neighborhood organizations. This is a city of 80,000 people, and the idea that you could kind of do it on the fly, which is what a $12,000-a-year salary suggests, it’s patently ridiculous and frankly it’s untenable,” explained Renner.

Renner’s proposal would allow him to appoint an aide at an annual salary of $53,000.

He also has suggested replacing the not-for-profit Downtown Bloomington Association with a city development department. The Bloomington City Council is scheduled to discuss both proposals during a special meeting on Monday.

Greg Halbeib can be reached at [email protected].

Patrick Baron can be reached at [email protected].