With three weeks left before the May 7 primary Election Day, a scientific poll shows most voters still unsure about their choice of candidates in local Monroe County races.
In the three-way race for the Democratic Party’s nomination for District 3 Monroe County commissioner, 60 percent of poll respondents are still unsure.
Jennifer McCormick, candidate for Democratic Party gubernatorial nominee (Nov. 11, 2023 NOW conference)
Shruti Rana, Bloomington city councilmember-elect for District 3 (Nov. 11, 2023 NOW conference)
Kerry Thomson, Bloomington mayor-elect (Nov. 11, 2023 NOW conference)
From left Carolyn Jackson and Shelli Yoder (Nov. 11, 2023 NOW conference)
On Saturday, downtown Bloomington was host to some prominent Democratic Party figures on at least three levels of the political landscape—city, region, and state.
The occasion was the 2023 Indiana NOW State Conference, which was held at the Monroe County History Center.
In about three months, nine people will be sworn into office to start a four-year term on Bloomington’s city council.
The image links to an email message sent by Bloomington city council president Sue Sgambelluri to other councilmembers.
Just four councilmembers will return. Five members will be new.
Unless Republican Brett Heinisch prevails in the District 3 race against Democrat Hopi Stosberg, the council that is sworn into office on Jan. 1, 2024 will consist of nine Democrats.
That’s because the District 3 race is the only contested race on a full ballot of Democratic Party nominees.
Bloomington has seen all-Democrat city councils for more than a decade. The most recent non-Democrat to serve was Republican Brad Wisler, whose final term ended in 2011.
The recent one-party dominance of all elected positions of the city, including mayor and clerk, appears to have had an impact on the way councilmembers conceive of the nine-member body.
Namely, it appears that city council incumbents think of the council like an organ of the Democratic Party, at the same time that it is also the legislative branch of city government.
Shelby Means (Switchyard Park, Bloomington, Indiana, Aug. 24, 2023)
Molly Tuttle (Switchyard Park, Bloomington, Indiana, Aug. 24, 2023)
Dominic Leslie (Switchyard Park, Bloomington, Indiana, Aug. 24, 2023)
Molly Tuttle (Switchyard Park, Bloomington, Indiana, Aug. 24, 2023)
From left: Kyle Tuttle, Molly Tuttle, Dominic Leslie, and Shelby Means. (Switchyard Park, Bloomington, Indiana, Aug. 24, 2023)
Kyle Tuttle and Molly Tuttle (Switchyard Park, Bloomington, Indiana, Aug. 24, 2023)
Bronwyn Keith-Hynes and Molly Tuttle (Switchyard Park, Bloomington, Indiana, Aug. 24, 2023)
Molly Tuttle (Switchyard Park, Bloomington, Indiana, Aug. 24, 2023)
Molly Tuttle (Switchyard Park, Bloomington, Indiana, Aug. 24, 2023)
Bronwyn Keith-Hynes and Kyle Tuttle ((Switchyard Park, Bloomington, Indiana, Aug. 24, 2023)
Kyle Tuttle and Molly Tuttle. (Switchyard Park, Bloomington, Indiana, Aug. 24, 2023)
Kyle Tuttle (Switchyard Park, Bloomington, Indiana, Aug. 24, 2023)
On Thursday night, Grammy-award winning artist Molly Tuttle and her band Golden Highway delivered more than an hour and a half of bluegrass bliss in Bloomington’s Switchyard Park.
The temperature of 92 F degrees, combined with a relative humidity of around 66 percent, made for a heat index of 109 F.
Opening for Tuttle were the Chicago-based Henhouse Prowlers, featuring Bloomington native Chris Dollar.
After filling more than 90 sweltering minutes mostly with songs from her two most recent albums—”City of Gold” and “Crooked Tree”—Tuttle closed out her show with ”White Freightliner Blues,” which is an old Townes Van Zandt tune.
The fire pole from the former fire station on Rogers Street, which is now home to Lotus Education & Arts Foundation, is housed at the Monroe County History Center.
From left: deputy mayor Mary Catherine Carmichael, police chief Mike Diekhoff, deputy police chief Scott Oldham, and fire chiefJason Moore
Bloomington police chief Mike Diekhoff.
Bloomington fire chief Jason Moore
Former deputy mayor Don Griffin and Bloomington public engagement director Kaisa Goodman.
Mayor John Hamilton addresses the audience on the occasion of the Feb. 9, 2023 annual public safety report.
Community and family resources department director Beverly Calender-Anderson
Among those incentives is a $100,000 no-interest housing down payment loan that is completely forgivable at the rate of $10,000 a year for up to 10 police officers and 10 firefighters—if they buy a house inside the city limits.
The recruitment challenge can be seen in the current staffing levels.
At Thursday’s event, Bloomington police chief Mike Diekhoff announced the hire of five new officers, who will start at the end of February. That puts the department’s staffing level at 88 sworn officers, which is still 17 short of the budgeted number of 105.
The Monroe Convention Center expansion project needs to make some progress, state representative Democrat Rep. Matt Pierce (District 61) said at a Friday luncheon hosted by the Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce at The Mill.
Looming during this year’s legislative session is a threat to the project’s planned funding source, which is the county’s 1-percent food and beverage tax. The threat cited by Pierce is Senate Bill 37, which has already been filed by Republican Sen. Mike Gaskill (District 25).
If SB 37 is passed, it would end food and beverage taxes across all counties in the state 20 years from now, on Jan. 1, 2043, or the date on which all bonds or lease agreements that are outstanding on May 7, 2023, are completely paid—whichever is later.
Pierce summed up the stalled effort of Bloomington and Monroe County government to collaborate on the convention center expansion like this: “We gotta get moving on that.”
Pierce was joined at the event by three other area state legislators: Sen. Eric Koch (District 44); Sen. Shelli Yoder (District 40); and Rep. Dave Hall (District 62).
Pierce’s comment on the convention center expansion came in response to a question from chamber CEO and president Eric Spoonmore.
Bloomington Polar Bear Plunge Lake Monroe (Jan. 1, 2023)
Bloomington Polar Bear Plunge Lake Monroe (Jan. 1, 2023)
Bloomington Polar Bear Plunge Lake Monroe (Jan. 1, 2023)
Bloomington Polar Bear Plunge Lake Monroe (Jan. 1, 2023)
Bloomington Polar Bear Plunge Lake Monroe (Jan. 1, 2023)
Bloomington Polar Bear Plunge Lake Monroe (Jan. 1, 2023)
Bloomington Polar Bear Plunge Lake Monroe (Jan. 1, 2023)
Bloomington Polar Bear Plunge Lake Monroe (Jan. 1, 2023)
Bloomington Polar Bear Plunge Lake Monroe (Jan. 1, 2023)
Bloomington Polar Bear Plunge Lake Monroe (Jan. 1, 2023)
Bloomington Polar Bear Plunge Lake Monroe (Jan. 1, 2023)
Even though daytime high temperatures have reached the 50s for the last four days, on New Year’s Day, a 3-inch layer of ice crusted over much of the water at Lake Monroe’s Paynetown Recreation Area beach.
Still, around 10 o’clock Sunday morning, The B Square counted at least 40 people who managed to make their way into the frigid shallows near the shore.
Room 404 at the Indiana state house, where the recount commission met on Dec. 20, 2022.
From left: Left to right: Bradley King, co-counsel for the recount commission; Republican Party appointee Mark Wynn; secretary of state Holli Sullivan; Democratic Party appointee Michael Claytor; and Mathew Kochevar, co-counsel for the recount commission.
Recount commission co-counsel Matthew Kochevar.
Democratic Party appointee to the recount commission Michael Claytor holds aloft a ballot for review.
Monroe County Democratic Party chair David Henry.
Samantha Dewester, legal counsel for Dave Hall
Secretary of state Holli Sullivan.
Monroe County Democratic Party chair David Henry (standing) with Penny Githens.
Indiana state police first sergeant Brad Stille shows there’s nothing left in the ballot envelope that he just sliced open.
Indiana state police first sergeant Brad Stille hands over the ballot envelopes to general counsel for the state board of accounts, Kendra Leatherman.
Around 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Indiana’s recount commission confirmed Republican Dave Hall as the winner of the election for District 62 state house over Democrat Penny Githens.
From left: Dee Owens, watcher for Penny Githens, and SBOA chief of staff Jennifer Gauger. (Dec. 14, 2022)
From left: Monroe County election board member Donovan Garletts, Monroe County election supervisor Karen Wheeler, and Jackson County clerk-elect Amanda Lowery. (Dec. 14, 2022)
(Dec. 14, 2022)
From left: Penny Githens, Dee Owens, and Susan Luther. (Dec. 14, 2022)
Election Central in Monroe County at 7th and Madison streets in Bloomington. (Dec. 14, 2022)
Recount activity in Monroe County at Election Central. (Dec. 14, 2022)
By around 5:15 p.m. on Wednesday, the recounting activity in Monroe County for the District 62 state house race between Republican Dave Hall and Democrat Penny Githens was completed.
That wrapped up the recounting for all of District 62, which also includes precincts in Brown and Jackson counties.
Recounting in Monroe County took place at Election Central in the old Johnson’s Hardware building at 7th and Madison streets.
The results of the recount won’t be finalized until the state recount commission meets next week.
The final certified tally of votes, before the recount, gave Hall 12,990 votes, which was 40 more than Democrat Penny Githens received.
