By Howard Packowitz
BLOOMINGTON – Bloomington Mayor Tari Renner said the nastiness that infiltrated national politics has trickled down to the local level, even though he said his critics who triggered a police investigation against him represent a very small minority of people.
Last week, Renner acknowledged he had been informed that Illinois State Police were investigating the use of a city credit card used to book his girlfriend’s airplane ticket so she could join him on an official visit to Bloomington-Normal’s Japanese Sister City.
A city staffer used the credit card to book the flight for Renner’s girlfriend, Margot Ehrlich, but the mayor said she reimbursed the city.
Renner said nastiness in local politics started long before Donald Trump ran for President, but he said he’s given up trying to understand why his opponents are so angry at him.
The mayor claims civility can still be found at his every-other-week open houses in which residents are invited to voice their concerns. Almost everybody at those sessions, according to Renner, talks to others with respect and decency.
“What’s most important is that we move forward and we grow our local economy, revitalize our older neighborhoods, the things we’ve been trying to do,” the mayor said.
“That’s what’s most important, and there are people who are clearly trying to distract us from that goal,” he added.
Renner said the accusations of impropriety are frivolous and he expects to be vindicated by the police investigation.
Howard Packowitz can be reached at howard.packowitz@cumulus.com.
