An election worker at Fairview Elementary School sets up the boundaries past which no campaigning can take place (May 1, 2023).
Voting maps on the wall at Election Central at 7th and Madison streets (May 1, 2023).
From left: Fairview Elementary School location election inspector Justin Aronson and Monroe County election board member David Henry (May 1, 2023).
Final preparations for tomorrow’s May 2 primary elections in Bloomington and Ellettsville are now pretty much complete.
Monroe County’s election board met on Monday evening at Election Central at Madison and 7th streets to field telephoned questions from the workers at the 18 polling locations, who were setting up for 12 hours of voting on Tuesday.
Making calls to inspectors at the 18 locations to confirm that all the equipment was set up were Monroe County clerk Nicole Browne, and deputy clerk Tressia Martin.
Browne is a member of the election board. Also on hand Monday evening were Democratic Party election board appointee David Henry and Republic Party appointee Donovan Garletts. Henry is also Monroe County Democratic Party chair.
Bloomington voters are electing party nominees for mayor, clerk, and nine city council seats. Ellettsville voters are electing party nominees for clerk/treasurer and town council. Preliminary results from Bloomington and Ellettsville precincts will be published as updates to this article as they are available.
On Monday night, some pre-forum banter among the three seemed a bit more relaxed than for previous events. During their small talk, the trio managed to conjure up an imaginary scenario involving a ukulele duet and parachute pants.
Monday’s forum took place in the auditorium of the Monroe County Public Library.
The event was hosted by the city’s police union (FOP Lodge #88), the fire union (Bloomington Metropolitan Firefighters Union Local #586) and AFSCME (American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees) Local #2487. Questions came from union members.
Putting the questions to the candidates was moderator Amy Swain, who is Monroe County’s elected recorder.
Monday’s event was the last scheduled forum before Primary Election Day, which is May 2, now just a week away.
Screengrab: Breaking Away, crowd scene Mark Kruzan
Early voting at Monroe County election operations at 4th and Walnut Streets. (April 4, 2023)
Screengrab: Breaking Away, finish line “Cutters win, Cutters win!”
Today (Saturday April 22), walk-in early voters for this year’s May 2 municipal elections can cast a ballot at the election operations center at 3rd and Walnut streets. It’s open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Bloomington voters will be electing party nominees for mayor, clerk, and nine city council seats. Ellettsville voters will elect party nominees for clerk/treasurer and town council.
At a Wednesday morning forum, the three candidates for the Democratic Party’s nomination for Bloomington mayor talked with Cook Group president Pete Yonkman about the job of mayor, jobs in general, and economic development.
The forum was hosted by the Bloomington Economic Development Corporation at the Monroe Convention Center.
Seeking the Democratic Party’s nomination for mayor of Bloomington are: Don Griffin, Susan Sandberg and Kerry Thomson. No Republican has declared a candidacy for mayor this year.
At a forum for mayoral candidates hosted on Monday night by the Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce, not a lot of new, additional daylight emerged between the three candidates as far as their known policy positions.
But a sharp difference in perspective emerged in response to a couple of the questions—one involving public safety and another involving the working relationship between city and county governments.
Moderating the forum was Paul Helmke, who was a three-term mayor of Fort Wayne, and is a professor of practice at Indiana University’s O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs.
Ron Smith (District 3 Bloomington city council candidate)
Hopi Stosberg (District 3 Bloomington city council nominee)
Conner Wright (District 3 Bloomington city council candidate)
The Democratic Party’s May 2 primary election for city council District 3 is a choice between Ron Smith, Hopi Stosberg, and Conner Wright.
One Republican candidate has declared for District 3 Bloomington city council—Brett Heinisch.
This write-up provides specific background on the District 3 city council Democratic Party’s primary race, as well as general background.
April 20 is the last day to apply for an absentee ballot. Application for an absentee ballot, verification of voter registration, and a preview of the ballot are available through the Indiana secretary of state’s voter information portal.
Shruti Rana (District 5 Bloomington city council nominee)
Jenny Stevens (District 5 Bloomington city council candidate)
The Democratic Party’s May 2 primary election for city council District 5 is a choice between Shruti Rana and Jenny Stevens. There is no Republican candidate in District 5.
This write-up provides specific background on the District 5 city council primary race, as well as general background.
April 20 is the last day to apply for an absentee ballot. Application for an absentee ballot, verification of voter registration, and a preview of the ballot are available through the Indiana secretary of state’s voter information portal.
Joe Lee (District 1 Bloomington city council candidate)
Isabel Piedmont-Smith (District 1 Bloomington city council nominee)
The Democratic Party’s May 2 primary election for city council District 1 is a choice between Joe Lee and Isabel Piedmont-Smith. There is no Republican candidate in District 1.
This write-up provides specific background on the District 1 city council primary race as well as general background.
April 20 is the last day to apply for an absentee ballot. Application for an absentee ballot, verification of voter registration, and a preview of the ballot are available through the Indiana secretary of state’s voter information portal.
Early voting at Monroe County election operations at 4th and Walnut Streets. (April 4, 2023)
Monroe County clerk Nicole Browne’s “I Voted!” sticker.
Early voting at Monroe County election operations at 4th and Walnut Streets. (April 4, 2023)
On Tuesday morning at 8 o’clock sharp, Monroe County clerk Nicole Browne opened the door to the election operations center at 4th and Walnut streets and called out: “Hear ye, hear ye, the polls are now open!”
That’s how in-person early voting kicked off this year for the May 2 primary elections in Monroe County.
For 90 minutes on Monday night at Tri-North Middle School, the three candidates for the Democratic Party’s nomination for mayor of Bloomington fielded questions at a forum hosted by the League of Women Voters of Bloomington-Monroe County.
Seated from left to right on the stage of the school’s performance center, in front of an audience of about 40 people, were: Susan Sandberg and Kerry Thomson, and Don Griffin.
Asking the questions was Indiana University Maurer School of Law student, Laura Rusk. This report does not try to cover every question asked at the forum.
Monday’s forum took place on last day before the start of early voting, which begins Tuesday, April 4 at 8 a.m. The League of Women Voters maintains a list of upcoming candidate forums, for mayor and for city council races.
Annexation was a topic where some daylight had already been established between the candidates, and that distance was also apparent on Monday night. Griffin is in solid support of annexation, Sandberg in solid opposition Thomson is somewhere in between.
Although they disagree on annexation, Sandberg and Griffin found common ground on a recent proposal by Bloomington mayor John Hamilton to close Lower Cascades Road (Old State Road 37) to car traffic. Neither Sandberg nor Griffin want to see the road closed to automobiles.
The wording of the question went like this: “The sense is that those who would like to see Old State Road 37 closed, and the space transition to a green space, have few advocates in government. What is your position?”
Thomson did not state a position on the road closure, but analyzed the preamble to the question, saying, “The problem that this questioner has brought up, is not actually about the road—it’s about their access to their government.”
At Monday’s forum, the three candidates also responded to a question about the Seminary Park encampment that was the subject of a proposed ordinance in 2021.
