Bloomington’s mayor blasts blogger’s claims of police misconduct

Posted on February 23, 2021

*Bloomington Mayor Tari Renner. (WJBC file photo)*

BLOOMINGTON – Bloomington Mayor Tari Renner is angrily denying claims city leaders covered up alleged misconduct by a former police officer.

Renner on Monday night broke with usual practice of not responding to comments from the public during council meetings. choosing instead to call claims by conservative blogger Diane Benjamin and Edgar County Watchdogs as “garbage” and “outrageous nonsense.”

“They’re just people talking out of a body orifice that’s not your mouth,” said Renner.

Benjamin and Watchdogs co-founder Kirk Allen initially addressed the council in September 2019, claiming the officer fabricated evidence, but was allowed to resign.

No criminal charges were filed against the officer, and Renner said there’s no cover-up.

“Nobody’s pushed anything under the rug from any of our police officers. That’s not the case. That’s not how we do things,” Renner added.

This is not the first time Renner and Benjamin have battled in public.

In 2015, during Renner’s first term as mayor, the city council censured Renner for the way he angrily responded to Benjamin’s criticism on her blog.

Renner is not running for reelection this year.

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