This is the WFHB Local News for Wednesday, July 22nd, 2026.

In today’s newscast, Correspondent Elena Bai looks into the city’s contracts with Flock Safety, speaking with two members of Bloomington Democratic Socialists of America’s Solid State Working Group, about concerns over surveillance technology. More in today’s featured interview.

Also coming up in the next half hour, “Thanks, Scammer!” on Better Beware – your weekly consumer-watchdog segment on the WFHB Local News.

Bloomington Transit picks new management firm on split vote, ending Connell’s tenure

By Dave Askins

Bloomington  Transit’s board voted 3–2 Tuesday (July 21) to replace its longtime management company, a decision that will end general manager John Connell’s five-year tenure with the agency at the end of September.

Chair James McLary and board members Don Griffin and Doug Horn voted to negotiate a contract with Keolis instead of renewing an arrangement with RATP Dev.

Nancy Obermeyer and Kent McDaniel voted against the change.

Bloomington Transit does not directly hire its general manager. The agency contracts with a private management firm, which supplies the person who fills that position. So choosing Keolis over RATP Dev means replacing Connell, even though the board did not take a separate vote on Connell. Not named at Tuesday’s regular board meeting was the general manager who will be provided by Keolis.

The board’s vote came against the wishes of the mayor’s office, conveyed during Tuesday’s meeting by deputy mayor Gretchen Knapp, who defended RAPT Dev and Connell.

The board’s discussion was wide ranging and included: concerns about microtransit; marketing; the ballooning estimated cost of a new transit operations facility; and accusations that employee members of the recommendation committee were “disgruntled.”

Tuesday’s meeting included a dramatic exit by McDaniel, who left the meeting after saying to his colleagues: “It’s been a pleasure working with some of you.”

RATP Dev’s current contract expires Sept. 30, leaving Connell about two months to oversee a transition. Among his final major duties will be completing Bloomington Transit’s proposed 2027 budget and presenting it to the Bloomington city council in September.

Board members consistently said the vote was about the management firm, not Connell personally. Their discussion included pointed criticism of conditions at Bloomington Transit, the support provided to Connell by RATP Dev, and the performance of some agency initiatives.

Concerns voiced by board members included a slow and confusing microtransit rollout, lagging marketing efforts, and an estimated full-scope cost of about $55 million for a new operations, maintenance and administrative facility. That’s up from the roughly $35 million figure board members said they had previously understood.

That was the latest edition of B Square Bites – a collaboration between B Square Bulletin and WFHB. To read the full article, you can visit B Square Bulletin  and look for the headline: “Bloomington Transit picks new management firm on split vote, ending Connell’s tenure.”

Bloomington RDC Receives Two Proposals for College Square Site

By Kade Young

The Bloomington Redevelopment Commission met on July 20th and received two proposals to redevelop the College Square site downtown. Each proposal paired a new hotel with housing, but city officials say they need time to evaluate details before deciding what comes next.

The first proposal comes from a team led by Concord Hospitality, while the other comes from Dora Hospitality. These competing plans have drawn increased attention after local advocacy group Bloomington Homes for All urged the city to pursue a land swap they say could preserve affordable housing at Seminary Pointe.

The city’s Economic and Sustainability Director Anna Killion-Hanson announced the first proposal for the convention center hotel, which contained some affordable housing.

“Our proposal recognizes the opportunity for both a hotel that meets the functional needs outlined in the offering sheet, including approximately 160 rooms, full-service amenities and support for convention center activity. And complimentary mixed-use residential component that supports downtown vitality, integrates housing, including replacement of significantly affordable below-market-rate units, and activates the district beyond event driven demand,” she said.

Killion-Hanson described the competing proposal from Dora Hospitality.

“It’s from Dora Hospitality and the Louderback Group. They’re submitting the proposal for the redevelopment of College Square,” she said. “The proposal delivers two complementary projects on a single site: a 135 room boutique upscale hotel on the southern portion of the project site along Third Street, and an approximately 100-unit market-rate apartment community on the northern portion along Fourth Street.”

She maintained the commission is merely reviewing the proposals, not officially voting on any items.

“We will need to do a deep dive into what these actually say,” said Killion-Hanson.

City officials will now evaluate both proposals before bringing them back to the RDC for further discussion. The city’s redevelopment commission will meet again on August 3rd.

Featured Segments:

Bloomington officials chose not to renew one contract for Flock automated license plate readers earlier this year. However, some contracts with the surveillance technology company remain in place. In today’s featured interview, WFHB Correspondent Elena Bai speaks with two members of Bloomington Democratic Socialists of America’s Solid State Working Group about their campaign to eliminate Flock cameras and their concerns over surveillance technology. Stay tuned for further coverage from Bai in future broadcasts of the local news.

Up next, “Thanks, Scammer!” on Better Beware – your weekly consumer-watchdog segment on the WFHB Local News. We turn to host and producer Richard Fish for more.

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