Bloomington City Manager Tim Gleason says he wants the public to meet the finalists for police chief and he's willing to wait until COVID restrictions ease before the city begins its hiring search.“I’d prefer to do that in person and I’m hoping I have the ability to do that late spring (or) this summer, but if I don’t, then I’m just going to have to move forward with this,” Gleason said in an interview with WGLT this week.
He said he plans to post the job opening in May. Assistant Chief Greg Scott has been serving as interim police chief since last August, when Dan Donath retired.
Gleason said he wants the public to have a say in the hiring process and he wants a police chief who can build strong relationships with the public.
Gleason said calls for public participation in policing have intensified since 2014, when a white police officer shot and killed 18-year-old Michael Brown, a Black man in Ferguson, Missouri.
“I think what you are hearing out of communities is they want to have a say and a higher level of understanding in how they are being policed and we owe that to the community,” said Gleason, adding he prefers to bring in two finalists, but there could be up to four.
He plans to have the new chief in place by September.
Gleason came to city administration after a 25-year career in law enforcement. He serves as a member of the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board.
New council
Gleason said the recent election showed voters want the city to focus on infrastructure and other basic needs.
“I really like what I heard here from the community,” Gleason said. “We’ve got work to do here at the city and while social agendas might be something that everybody is conscious of and can be discussed at the local level, at the end of the day it truly is that nuts and bolts that play out at the local level.”
On another topic, Gleason said it's up to the city council to deal with its own internal conflicts.
He said council member Jenn Carrillo's online comment that newly-elected council members Nick Becker and Sheila Montney are "dangerous authoritarians" may have been said in haste after the candidates she had supported lost.
“Those might have been quick responses at the end of an election period where the outcome might not have gone her way,” Gleason said. “I’m hoping alderwoman Carrillo comes to the dais in May. We’ve got work to do here at the city.”
Mayor-elect Mboka Mwilambwe has said he wants the council to formally condemn Carrillo's remarks.
Gleason said he doesn’t plan to intervene in any city council clashes.
“I just know that I’ve got a city to run and I’m the one employee of that elected body, and I will let them take care of themselves and I will take care of the city,” he said.
Pandemic relief
Gleason said the city is still looking for direction from the Biden administration on how it can use the $13.8 million it expects to receive in the latest round of federal pandemic relief; the city already has used some federal money to cover earlier COVID-related expenses.
He said the city still has $260,000 in Community Development Block Grant (CBDG) funding that it can use for assistance to low-income residents.
Gleason said he plans to talk with council members about how the city can best target that money to help residents who have suffered most because of the pandemic, but he said the funding help must be tied to COVID-19.
“There’s a number of things that we’re considering and think are valid and viable uses for this money, but we also are not wanting to protect those that truly are victims and not open the door for those that would abuse the system,” Gleason said. He added he saw some abuse of emergency assistance following the Washington, Illinois tornadoes when he served as city administrator there in 2013.
Bloomington city staff had proposed resuming water shutoffs for residents who fell behind on their bills one year into the pandemic, but the city council narrowly rejected that on Monday.
The city also has issued grants to small businesses that have had lost revenue due to the pandemic. The city received $220,000 in federal funds for that program.
Downtown arena
The city-owned Grossinger Motors Arena continues to be used as a mass vaccination clinic being run by the McLean County Health Department.
Gleason hopes the city will be able to use the venue for sporting events and other entertainment by later in the summer. He said it will be difficult to book major events soon after pandemic restrictions ease, but he said the city has several possibilities.
“We have some sporting clubs that are interested in having more of a presence at the arena. (We are) talking with them. We are exploring different kinds of music and entertainment events,” said Gleason, adding that could involve local performers who could step in quickly.
City hub
Gleason said the city plans to open a customer service hub at the McLean County Government Center on May 17. The city shares the downtown building with McLean County.
Gleason said the hub on the first floor will serve as a centralized location for residents and business owners to get the help they need from city staff, or be directed to the appropriate department.
Several city departments have moved from city hall to the Government Center over the last year.
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