Originally published on April 2, 2021 9:18 am
Candidates competing for three open seats on the Normal Town Council sparred Thursday over how best to handle town finances and infrastructure, future development, and whether divisive politics is tainting town governance.
Pantagraph Media hosted the forum, moderated by Central Illinois Editor Chris Coates. He asked candidates what they viewed as Normal’s recent successes, what policy ideas they’d bring to the table if elected, and how they’d prioritize infrastructure funding, among other questions.
The hour-long debate was livestreamed, due to pandemic restrictions. Eight of the nine candidates took part, including incumbents Chemberly Cummings, Kevin McCarthy and Scott Preston, along with challengers David Paul Blumenshine, Steve Harsh, Brad McMillan, Karl Sila and AJ Zimmerman.
Much of the debate in the Normal Town Council and mayor's races has centered on taxes, debt and town essentials, including roads and water. But several
Staff / WGLT
The nine candidates running for Normal Town Council split down the middle on the proper role of government in building the tax base and offering development incentives.
There are, in effect, two distinct slates of candidates: four who generally have reservations about using town government to stimulate development; and five who generally want to use development tools, though their willingness to do so depends on several variables.
Donna Toney is the firmest of those against using town government to stimulate economic development, though she said she s not up on the issue. Well, um, I am not that versed on that particular subject there. I m dealing totally with local, but if I had to answer I would really have to know the ins and outs of that to give an answer that would be suitable, said Toney.
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A candidate for Normal Town Council participated in the events that became an insurrection and riot at the nation’s capital on Wednesday.
David Paul Blumenshine hosted an event called the “Stop The Steal Bus Trip” to Washington, D.C., with Cities 92.9, a conservative talk radio station in Bloomington owned by Great Plains Media. Blumenshine hosts a weekly show on the station. The trip was in support of President Trump s baseless claims that there was election fraud that overturned a result that favored him when, in fact, Joe Biden was elected president.
David Paul Blumenshine is now running for Normal Town Council.