District 3 Monroe County commissioner hopefuls: VanDeventer, Madeira field forum questions
The only local race that gives Monroe County voters a choice between a Democrat and a Republican on Nov. 5 is the District 3 county commissioner contest between Jody Madeira (D) and Joe VanDeventer (R).
On Saturday, Madeira and VanDeventer fielded questions at a candidate forum held on Saturday in Bloomington’s city hall. The forum was recorded by CATS: Oct. 26, 2024 candidate forum.
Whichever candidate prevails, the District 3 seat will see a new face starting in 2025. Madeira won the Democratic Party’s primary over incumbent Penny Githens. VanDeventer won the Republican Party primary over Paul White, Sr.
Madeira or VanDeventer will join incumbent Democrats Lee Jones and Julie Thomas (District 2) as the third county commissioner. Jones’s seat is not up for election this cycle.
Also appearing on Saturday was Thomas, who is unopposed on Nov. 5, after prevailing over Peter Iversen in the Democratic Party’s primary. In addition to county commissioner candidates, invited to appear on Saturday were county council at-large candidates, and candidates for the board of the Monroe County Community School Corporation.
The school board candidates—April Hennessey, Tiana Williams Iruoje, Erin Cooperman, and Ross Grimes—are all unopposed in their respective races.
The race for the three county council at-large seats features one write-in candidate, Joe Davis, and three Democrats. The Democrats on the ballot include Cheryl Munson and Trent Deckard. David Henry was the third place candidate in the Democratic Party’s primary, which gave him the final nomination slot over Matt Caldie. Incumbent Geoff McKim did not seek re-election.
Any B Square coverage of the county council candidates on Saturday will be published separately.
Saturday’s questions from moderator Jessica McClain covered a range of topics, including the motivations of candidates to seek office, strategies for addressing the growing unhoused population in the city and county, and priorities for allocating additional resources in county services.
Other questions focused on repairing communication between commissioners and other county officials, plans to engage and ensure safety for marginalized communities, and the perspectives of candidates on maintaining diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).
The forum was hosted by Kappa Tau Omega Chapter of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, cosponsored by the Bloomington Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, and the Upsilon Kappa Zeta Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority.
Madeira and Van Deventer bring contrasting backgrounds and motivations for seeking office.
Madeira, is a law professor at Indiana University, who said on Saturday her decision to run for office stemmed from a desire to have an impact on her own local community. She said, “I was really tired of writing law review articles that I felt were going to be read by five people. So I wanted to have a bigger impact on my community.”
Madeira said she first thought about running for the District 62 state house race, two years ago. (The 2022 race was won by Republican Dave Hall over Democrat Penny Githens.)
But as she began talking to people, Madeira concluded that the state legislature was the “wrong level” for her to be involved in. She said she’s been involved in statewide politics as an advocate against gun violence and on reproductive health issues, but felt that as a state house representative, she would be “screaming into the void.” The more she talked to people about potential public service, the more she became interested in local issues, Madeira said.
VanDeventer is currently director of street operations for the city of Bloomington’s public works department—he’s worked for the city for two decades, and before that for Monroe County government for 19 years.
On Saturday, VanDeventer described himself as a lifelong resident of Monroe County—that’s 58 years. He wants to bring practical, blue-collar perspectives to the role of county commissioner. He hopes to improve local job opportunities and bring balanced development to Monroe County, particularly in light of the growth anticipated from the completion of I-69.
VanDeventer said there are a lot of people who live outside the city limits of Bloomington who don’t think they have much of a voice, whether they are Republicans or Democrats. He said, “ I work in the city all day, but I live on the outskirts, in Monroe County, and there are different concerns and different needs and wants out there.” He continued, “ I feel like those folks don’t always get listened to.”
On the topic of homelessness, Madeira said that it’s key not to criminalize the behaviors that are associated with homelessness. But she thinks that’s exactly what will happen across the country after the Grants Pass U.S. Supreme Court decision. (That 6–3 decision found that local governments can enforce bans on sleeping or camping in public spaces, even if unhoused individuals have no other shelter available.)
Madeira also called for Bloomington and Monroe County governments to collaborate on the construction of permanent housing to address the needs of those who are homeless, pointing to the example of San Jose and Santa Clara County in California.
Madeira also called for continued support of Monroe County’s existing problem-solving courts.
VanDeventer agreed with Madeira’s call for access to drug-addiction and recovery treatment. He called for partnering with Indiana University on mental health and addiction counseling. He added, “I do think there has to be accountability on the other end.”
VanDeventer said he sees the attraction of businesses to Monroe County that can provide long-term blue-collar employment as one of the keys to approaching a solution to homelessness. That can help people get themselves “out of that rut” and possibly buy or even build a house, he said.
One of the questions that candidates were asked to answer touched on several points of friction in city and county government over the last few years.
County commissioners have been at odds with Monroe County sheriff Ruben Marté over issues related to maintenance of the current jail. County commissioners have been at odds with elected county clerk Nicole Browne, over space allocations for election operations, and more recently over software for reporting election results.
A central issue in connection with the ongoing annexation litigation is the extension of sewer service to areas not inside city limits. Bloomington’s policy on not extending sewer service outside city limits has had an impact on deliberations about the location of a new county jail.
The question posed at Saturday’s forum asked candidates: “What specifically will you do to repair the disconnect that has developed between the commissioners and the city, county clerk, and the county sheriff.”
Madeira responded by citing her PhD in communication studies. One of her areas of research is understanding how people can break down their differences. She said that “Nine times out of 10, getting people in the same room is really what matters.” Madeira said, “It’s in everyone’s best interest to meet, and meet in person, not meet online, but meet in person.”
VanDeventer said he agreed that meeting in person is “the best way to build those relationships.” He pointed to the fact that Bloomington’s mayor, Kerry Thomson, started her first term at the beginning of the year, as did a majority of city councilmembers. “We have a new mayor, new council, “ VanDeventer said. He added that he thinks it’s an “exciting opportunity for the city and the county to work together.”
VanDeventer recognized that the annexation litigation is ongoing, but said, “Maybe that’ll be over soon,” adding, “I think as soon as that’s over, I think it would be a good time to move forward together.”
