Why are you seeking public office and what are your qualifications?

REASONS FOR RUNNING
I am running for office because I feel that my skills, experience, and love for the community qualify me to play a leadership role to maintain the wonderful, diverse, and progressive aspects of Bloomington and to ensure that our city is strong and vibrant many generations into the future. I am most concerned about promoting sustainable practices in the economic, social, and environmental policies of city government, and I feel that Bloomington is in a prime position to be a leader in this area and a model for other communities in Indiana and beyond. Bringing more of the community into civic life is also a goal of my campaign - all Bloomingtonians, including the low-income sector, those with physical and mental disabilities, and those of various social backgrounds, should have a voice in city government. Together we can build a stronger community for all.

QUALIFICATIONS
Through my experience on various public service committees (see above), I have learned to work with a variety of people who bring various interests, priorities, and work styles to the table. I am very organized and goal-orientated. I also have practical experience in fiscal and personnel management through my long-term job at IU.

I am a concerned mother, who has been involved in the community as a Daisy Girl Scout Leader through Tulip Trace Council and a volunteer at the YMCA. I am also a graduate of the Indiana Leadership Forum. Community involvement and life experiences will enable me to bring a fresh voice and a much-needed perspective to City Council.

How would you support a vibrant downtown (transportation initiatives, parking, etc.)?

The parking options downtown must be clearly marked and publicized, and the way our public parking garages are managed should be changed to better serve customers and clients of downtown businesses (this is underway). Bicycle pathways downtown should be well marked so that cyclists feel safe navigating our busy city streets, and public transportation should be supported to provide alternatives to car traffic.

In addition, the city should initiate a local business network and a marketing campaign to highlight our locally-owned businesses. This would benefit many of our downtown establishments, as well as local businesses in other parts of town, which keep more of their profits invested in our community.

Finally, I believe a vibrant downtown is one with a diversity of residents. Therefore I would support affordable housing incentives to make sure gentrification does not limit the socioeconomic range of people living downtown.

Parking, parking, parking. We need adequate parking for downtown customers, employers and employees.

Are you in favor of committing city resources in the downtown? If so, specifically what would you support?

Yes. As mentioned above, I would commit funds to improve parking garage management and to publicize where parking is located. I would dedicate portions of our downtown streets to bike lanes where feasible, and clearly mark these for the safety of cyclists. I would also consider creating a pedestrian-only zone, although this would need more study. Such a zone, if designed in a smart way, could greatly benefit downtown businesses as well as serve as a community gathering place.

I would work to maintain city and county offices in downtown - providing a core base for downtown merchants. I would also support tax incentives for startup businesses in the downtown area.

Would you support a CBU proposal for a second water line (36'') from the Monroe Plant along with associated pumping and storage facilities?

Yes, I think the second water line is a good investment for the city and the ratepayers to ensure that water supply to Bloomington is not interrupted (we currently only have one water line from Lake Monroe). However, we also need to focus on water conservation for two reasons. First, the capacity of our current water treatment plant cannot be much expanded beyond the current CBU plan. Second, water pumping and treatment use energy produced from fossil fuels, which are limited in supply and when used, lead to greenhouse gas emission.

If our community seeks to continue growth, it needs a stable water supply. If plans justify another waterline, then I will support it.

Would you support funding to increase the capacity of our water treatment facility?

I support the Mayor's plan to increase the capacity from 24 to 30 million gallons per day, but I think we need to engage in active conservation efforts to live within the facility's means in the future.

If the need is there to increase our water treatment facility then yes I will support it.

Would you support allocating city resources for infrastructure improvements on east-west thoroughfares, namely the Second and Third street corridors?

We must not forget that West Second Street and the West Kirkwood/Third Street routes go through neighborhoods. Widening these streets would be detrimental to the residential areas through which they pass, not only because it would take right of way from front yards but also because it would allow higher speeds making the neighborhoods less safe for pedestrians and more noisy for residents. It has been shown in studies of traffic and development that "if you build it, they will come," meaning if you add lanes to a road, they will fill up quickly, and ultimately traffic will be just as bad if not worse than before. For these reasons, I do not support adding more car lanes to these streets. We should instead focus our attention on making Bloomington Transit more convenient for riders and adding safe bicycling and walking pathways along these busy corridors.

I have not seen the traffic studies or the city thoroughfare plans. I would need additional information to comment.

Do you support funding of infrastructure improvements that provide a good foundation to develop key areas in the community for new business recruitment?

I am more inclined to favor redevelopment than new development. We have several brownfield sites in commercial and industrial areas of the city that should be redeveloped rather than investing in infrastructure to develop new areas. Overall, we must realize that growth for the sake of growth is not sustainable and is not in the best interests of the community. With each new development or re-development we must ask ourselves whether it will ultimately meet a community need: not just jobs, but jobs with good wages and benefits; not just stores, but stores that fill a consumer need.

Yes, we want businesses to come to Bloomington. To do this our community needs to be business friendly so we need to look at these key areas and see what it will take to get new companies to come, open their business and remain here.

What are your views on the government's role in supporting economic vitality (i.e. TIFs, incentives, abatements, etc.) to promote new and expanded business in the community?

Tax incentives should only be granted to businesses or residential developments if they fulfill a community need that would not otherwise be fulfilled. For example, I am in favor of incentives for building affordable housing. I am not in favor of incentives to lure a national retail chain to Bloomington. The affordable housing is something we as a community badly need, whereas the retail chain would only provide low-paying jobs from a corporation that invests its profits outside the community. In fact, the clerks working at the retail chain would probably need to move into the subsidized affordable housing!

TIF's, incentives and abatements are very useful. It would be a mistake to abandon these types of programs.

Please list any additional information or comments here:

Communities succeed economically because people want to live in them, to visit them, and to start businesses in them. Increasingly, people make those choices based on a city.s leadership in the area of sustainability. Does the city offer green space and street trees? Does it foster an atmosphere where people of a variety of backgrounds can contribute to the community? Does it have a plan for the long-term health of its local economy? These issues all factor into the decision of a business owner to locate and expand in a certain place. Bloomington's commitment to sustainability will serve its economic interests well.