This is the WFHB Local News for Monday, April 10th, 2023.

Later in the program, the local chapter of the League of Women Voters hosted a mayoral candidate forum at the Tri North Middle School. More in today’s feature report.

That’s Pealer from the Community Bike Project, a volunteer-run do-it-yourself bicycle shop “re-cycling” hundreds of bikes back onto the streets of Bloomington every year. More from Pealer later in the show on a new episode of Activate!, featuring real people working for positive change in our community.

But first, your daily headlines:

Monroe County Election Board

On April 6th at the second Monroe County Election Board meeting of the week, County Clerk Nicole Browne gave an update on early voting.

During public comment, Local Journalist Dave Askins asked if the Election Board could verify that they received a letter from David Wolfe Bender. Browne responded that she had not personally received a letter from Bender. She said did get a letter from the I-D-S.

Both board members Donovan Garletts and David Henry said that they had received a copy from Browne.

County Attorney Molly Turner King shared that she received two letters that appear to be from Bender and his new lawyer.

Turner King also announced that the proxy Henry had assigned to the matter, Guy Loftman, resigned from the appointment of proxy.

Garletts responded that they should wait to formally receive the letters until they are able to verify the source of the letters. He also shared with the public that Loftman resigned from being a proxy for logistical reasons.

Browne thanked Loftman for his work standing in as proxy.

The Election Board will meet again the day before the 2023 Primary Election, on Monday, May 1st.

League of Women Voters Hosts Mayoral Candidate Forum

Last Monday, the local chapter of the League of Women Voters hosted a mayoral candidate forum at the Tri North Middle School.

Bloomington mayoral candidates Susan Sandberg, Don Griffin and Kerry Thomson all attended the candidate forum. They discussed affordable housing, homelessness, climate change and their vision for the city if elected to the mayor’s office.

During her opening remarks, candidate Susan Sandberg – who currently holds a position of Bloomington’s City Council – discussed her credentials in light of the mayoral campaign.

Kerry Thomson was the former CEO of Habitat for Humanity in Monroe County. Right now, she’s the executive director of IU’s Center for Rural Engagement. Thomson said her executive leadership would serve her well as mayor if elected.

Don Griffin was deputy mayor for the City of Bloomington from March 2021 until December of last year. He also owns Griffin Realty. Griffin touted his achievements during his opening statement.

Each of the candidates were asked how they would alleviate the problems facing the city’s unhoused population. Griffin said that a collaboration between the county and the city would be essential in addressing the housing crisis.

Sandberg agreed that partnerships and collaborations would need to be a key element to address homelessness. She brought up the Heading Home initiative through United Way and other community partners as a step in the right direction.

Thomson said the way to solve this crisis is by building more affordable housing. She also reiterated the values of the Heading Home partnership.

In the same vein, moderator Laura Rusk – a student at IU’s Mauer School of Law – asked all three Democratic candidates what their first step would be to address the need for affordable housing. Sandberg responded first.

Then, Thomson responded by acknowledging the complexity of the housing crisis. She discussed her five-point plan on housing.

Griffin then offered his views on affordable housing. He agreed that the 2020 Housing Study would need an update. Griffin discussed the “Missing Middle,” the new Hopewell neighborhood and annexation.

The full candidate forum is available on CATS – Community Access Television Services. To watch or listen to the forum, you can visit catstv.net.

The primaries will happen on May 2nd, and the election will occur on November 7th. Stay tuned for more coverage of the mayor’s race on the WFHB Local News.

Feature Report:

In this episode, Pealer from the Community Bike Project talks about this volunteer-run do-it-yourself bicycle shop “re-cycling” hundreds of bikes back onto the streets of Bloomington every year. We turn now to the latest edition of Activate on the WFHB Local News. This segment is a partnership between WFHB and the City of Bloomington Volunteer Network, working together to build a strong, healthy and engaged community. You can learn more about volunteer opportunities in the WFHB listening area at bloomingtonvolunteernetwork.org or by emailing [email protected].

Credits:

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