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Dave Askins

Dave Askins

Bloomington, Indiana

Dave Askins is editor and publisher of The B Square Bulletin. A Hoosier native with a background in math and linguistics, he previously co-founded the Ann Arbor Chronicle with his wife, Mary Morgan.

Analysis: Next verses of crescendoing UDO debate cued up for Nov. 13 city council meeting

Analysis: Next verses of crescendoing UDO debate cued up for Nov. 13 city council meeting

Put in orchestral terms, starting Wednesday night at 6 p.m., Bloomington’s city council president Dave Rollo will conduct a political choir of sorts. Not everyone will be singing from the same song book. On the council’s agenda are proposed amendments to a proposed update to the unified

“It’s time to just throw some dynamite on this thing,” says new Monroe County council president, who’s in favor of capital improvement board to re-start convention center expansion project

“It’s time to just throw some dynamite on this thing,” says new Monroe County council president, who’s in favor of capital improvement board to re-start convention center expansion project

At their regular meeting on Tuesday night, Monroe County councilors handled a raft of routine business before a scheduled presentation from county attorneys on the legalities of capital improvement boards (CIBs). The presentation and commentary from Jeff Cockerill and Margie Rice confirmed in more detail, what was already generally understood—

New mayoral letter sets backdrop for county council’s Tuesday briefing on governance of convention center expansion

New mayoral letter sets backdrop for county council’s Tuesday briefing on governance of convention center expansion

Monroe County councilors will be getting a presentation about capital improvement boards (CIBs) at their meeting scheduled for Tuesday night. The goal is for the fiscal body of the county to get a clearer understanding from the county’s legal staff about how a CIB might fit into the planned

Analysis | Geographic sprinkling of councilmembers in Bloomington still uneven after election: Implications for redistricting?

Analysis | Geographic sprinkling of councilmembers in Bloomington still uneven after election: Implications for redistricting?

Now that Bloomington’s municipal elections are over, the composition of the city council from 2020 to 2024 is settled. The new edition of the council, which takes office in 2020, includes four new councilmembers. Kate Rosenbarger will take Chris Sturbaum’s seat in District 1. Sue Sgambelluri will take

Election equipment vendor choice for Monroe County still getting mulled by board, vote centers unlikely for 2020

Election equipment vendor choice for Monroe County still getting mulled by board, vote centers unlikely for 2020

The Bloomington city council’s most recent regular meeting fell on Nov. 6, the day after municipal elections were held in Bloomington for just two of six council districts. Elections had been cancelled by the election board in the other four districts because races were uncontested there. None of the

Odds good for historic conservation district on near west side of Bloomington

Odds good for historic conservation district on near west side of Bloomington

At its committee-of-the-whole meeting last Wednesday—the day after municipal elections were held in two city council districts—the Bloomington city council’s deliberations included the outcome of a different kind of public vote. A referendum among the owners of 325 properties in the proposed Near West

Analysis: Amendments to Bloomington’s unified development ordinance to be debated, decided next week and beyond

Analysis: Amendments to Bloomington’s unified development ordinance to be debated, decided next week and beyond

The Bloomington city council’s hearing of a proposed update to the unified development ordinance (UDO) has already stretched across four separate evenings recently, starting with the first one on Oct. 16. It was followed by meetings on Oct. 22, Oct. 23 and Oct. 30. The hearings each night on