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This page provides information about local candidates running for City Common Council seats in the 2023 Municipal Elections. The map to the left shows the results of redistricting that occurs every ten years following the national census. Within this map are six districts for which candidates will be competing with three additional seats not included for at-large members.
As we get closer to the primary voting date, May 2nd, 2023, the Chamber will make updates and post its questionnaires and interviews with each of these candidates. Stay tuned! |
City Council District 1
Joe Lee (D)
Joe Lee is an artist, cartoonist, author and illustrator. He has contributed illustrations and writing to several periodicals and is currently the editorial cartoonist for the Bloomington Herald-Times. Lee has been a volunteer and board member of the Monroe County Humane Association and a co-creator of the Youth Mural Project. He is also a six-year "graveyard shift" volunteer for the InterFaith Emergency Winter Shelter as a member of the First Christian Church. Lee is running because of the necessity of increasing affordable housing and fixing an aging infrastructure that Lee believes was not built to support the city’s construction boom. He also wants to pursue a committed response to climate change and promote fairness and equity
Click HERE to email Joe
Click HERE to visit his campaign website
Click HERE to read his response to Chamber's Questionnaire
Click HERE to email Joe
Click HERE to visit his campaign website
Click HERE to read his response to Chamber's Questionnaire
Isabel Piedmont-Smith (D)
Isabel Piedmont-Smith is a Bloomington native and first-generation American born to German immigrants. She is a graduate of Bloomington High School South and received a BA in History from Oberlin College and an MAT in Social Studies Education from Boston University. From 1998 to 2022, she served as fiscal officer and department administrator in the Department of French & Italian at Indiana University-Bloomington. First elected in 2007, Isabel served one term (2008-11) on the City Council, sat out a term due to family obligations (2012-15), and was elected again in 2015 and in 2019. She lives in the McDoel Gardens neighborhood in a 1925 bungalow with her husband and two cats. Isabel's priorities are to involve more residents in government decision-making (especially those from underserved communities), to enact the city's Climate Action Plan, and to strengthen the local social safety net (especially regarding housing).
Click HERE to visit her campaign website
Click HERE to visit her Facebook page
Click HERE to read her response to the Chamber's Questionnaire
Click HERE to visit her campaign website
Click HERE to visit her Facebook page
Click HERE to read her response to the Chamber's Questionnaire
City Council District 2
Kate Rosenbarger (D)
Kate Rosenbarger has served on Bloomington's City Council since January 2017. She is a graduate of Indiana University’s Maurer School of Law and the School of Public and Environmental Affairs, and has made a career in community development and housing affordability. At NeighborWorks America, Rosenbarger worked with residents in neighborhoods across the U.S. to determine their neighborhood strengths, what was missing, and to set goals for improvement. In 2018, she served as Deputy Campaign Manager for Liz Watson for Congress, and is now TEDxBloomington’s first Executive Director.
Click HERE to visit her campaign website
Click HERE to visit her campaign Facebook page
Click HERE to read her response to the Chamber's Questionnaire
Click HERE to visit her campaign website
Click HERE to visit her campaign Facebook page
Click HERE to read her response to the Chamber's Questionnaire
Sue Sgambelluri (D)
Sue Sgambelluri has served on Bloomington's City Council since January 2020. She is the Director of Development for the College of Arts & Sciences at IU and has worked for the university since 1992. In those 25+ years of living in Bloomington, she has served the most vulnerable in our community through leadership and advisory roles with Habitat for Humanity, South Central Indiana Housing Opportunities (SCIHO), the CDBG Block Grants Citizens Advisory Committee, the Jack Hopkins Social Service Funding Committee, and many other organizations.
Click HERE to visit her campaign website
Click HERE to visit her campaign Facebook page
Click HERE to read her response to the Chamber questionnaire
Click HERE to visit her campaign website
Click HERE to visit her campaign Facebook page
Click HERE to read her response to the Chamber questionnaire
City Council District 3
Brett Heinisch (R)
Brett Heinisch grew up in Syracuse, Indiana and moved to Bloomington for college at IU. He said his priorities include addressing crime, especially on campus, reducing drug abuse and making Bloomington a great place to live and work. He went to school from 2013 to 2016 for his bachelor’s in Political Science and received his master’s in Public Affairs at the O'Neill School in 2019. Heinisch lists several internships, including working for then-congressmen Todd Young and Luke Messer and current congressman Larry Buchson, as well as a D.C. internship for Freedomworks. He also lists volunteer and work experience on for campaigns, including State Rep. Curt Nisly, State Rep. Dave Hall, Senators Mike Braun and Todd Young and New England Citizens for Right to Work.
Click HERE to email Brett
Click HERE to read Brett's response to the Chamber questionnaire
Click HERE to email Brett
Click HERE to read Brett's response to the Chamber questionnaire
Ron Smith (D)
Ron Smith has served on the Bloomington City Council since January 2020. After earning a degree in Political Science from Indiana University, Smith started his thirty-year career working for the state in a number of different capacities. His work in the public and nonprofit sectors has primarily involved policy areas such as: developmental disability services, child welfare services and fiscal reimbursement issues. In his spare time, Ron is an avid Chicago Cubs fan and volunteers for the Habitat for Humanity Restore near college Mall on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Click HERE to visit his campaign website.
Click HERE to visit his campaign Facebook page.
Click HERE to read his response to the Chamber questionnaire
Click HERE to visit his campaign website.
Click HERE to visit his campaign Facebook page.
Click HERE to read his response to the Chamber questionnaire
Hopi Stosberg (D)
Hopi Stosberg has a background in education, executive-level volunteering, and a plethora of community service experience. She is originally from Vermont, but moved to Richmond, Indiana to study at Earlham College before moving to Bloomington in 2013. Her policy interests include affordable housing, accessibility to city services, safety, education, and childcare.
Click HERE to visit her campaign website.
Click HERE to visit her campaign Facebook page.
Click HERE to read her response to the Chamber questionnaire
Click HERE to visit her campaign website.
Click HERE to visit her campaign Facebook page.
Click HERE to read her response to the Chamber questionnaire
Conner Wright (D)
Conner Wright is a second-year undergraduate student at Indiana University pursuing a dual degree in Business and Political Science. He is the Vice President of College Democrats at IU and has experience campaigning for candidates running for local, state, and federal government.
Click HERE to visit his campaign website.
Click HERE to visit his campaign Facebook page.
Click HERE to read Conner's response to the Chamber questionnaire
Click HERE to visit his campaign website.
Click HERE to visit his campaign Facebook page.
Click HERE to read Conner's response to the Chamber questionnaire
City Council District 4
Dave Rollo (D)
Dave Rollo has 24 years of public service and have served on 15 boards, commissions, committees and task forces (see details below). He has served 16 years on City Council, including three terms as president. Dave worked as a research scientist at Indiana University in micro-molecular biology in a variety of laboratories. Dave has been an active Democratic Party member for the Monroe County Democrats for nearly 30 years. He has worked on a number of local and regional campaigns including Congressional campaigns for Frank McCloskey, Baron Hill and Jim Jontz.
Click HERE to visit his campaign website.
Campaign endorsement HERE from the Dissident Democrat
Click HERE to visit his campaign website.
Campaign endorsement HERE from the Dissident Democrat
City Council District 5
Shruti Rana (D)
Shruti Rana is a mother, lawyer, community leader and professor. At IU, she works as senior assistant dean and is also a faculty member specializing in international law and human rights. Rana is running for city council to promote inclusion and expansion of access to childcare and healthcare. Rana has previously served as the Chair of the Monroe County Election Board and is a member of the City of Bloomington Board of Public Safety and the Bloomington Commission on the Status of Women. She is also a board member for the nonprofits All-Options Pregnancy Resource Center and Exodus Refugee Immigration, a founding member and previous co-chair of the Indiana Chapter of National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum.
Click HERE to email her campaign
Click HERE to read her response to the Chamber questionnaire
Click HERE to email her campaign
Click HERE to read her response to the Chamber questionnaire
Jenny Stevens (D)
Jenny, a Bloomington resident since 1995, has extensive experience in financial management, budgeting, and project planning through her roles as a leader in healthcare and higher education. Jenny is running on issues including infrastructure, affordable housing, and public safety. She currently works (virtually) for the University of Cincinnati as a Senior Research Grant Accountant and periodically for Indiana University’s Physics department. Jenny has a deep interest in her community evidenced by her work leading the 2010 community-wide canvassing effort which resulted in the first successful MCCSC referendum initiative and ensured education opportunities for all students. As an active volunteer, Jenny has been involved in many community projects including Girl Scouts, TEDx Bloomington, and Leadership Bloomington. In 2018 Jenny earned her master’s in educational leadership. Jenny is committed to listening to diverse voices and promoting collaboration to promote progress and ensure that Bloomington remains a vibrant and welcoming place for all.
Click HERE to visit her campaign page
Click HERE to visit her campaign Facebook page
Click HERE to read Jenny's response to the Chamber questionnaire
Click HERE to visit her campaign page
Click HERE to visit her campaign Facebook page
Click HERE to read Jenny's response to the Chamber questionnaire
City Council District 6
David Wolfe Bender (D)
David Wolfe Bender is an undergraduate student at Indiana University and serves as the Director of City Relations for the university's student government. Drawing on his experience as an intern for WFYI News Radio, David has covered a variety of local issues for a local newspaper including housing affordability, homeless encampments, and Anti-Semitic hate crimes. In 2022, he was appointed by Mayor John Hamilton to serve on the Bloomington Parking Commission.
Click HERE to visit his campaign website.
Click HERE to read his response to the Chamber questionnaire
Click HERE to visit his campaign website.
Click HERE to read his response to the Chamber questionnaire
City Council At-Large
Isak Asare (D)
Isak Asare is a faculty member at Indiana University where he serves as co-director of the Cybersecurity and Global Policy Program and the executive director of the IU Cybersecurity Clinic. He also serves as a member of the Bloomington Board of Public Safety. His work has been at the intersection of technology and policy. He has advised national and local governments and other organizations on the strategic, cultural, and leadership opportunities from digital transformation and emerging technologies. Isak also co-founded FairFrame, a startup that uses Artificial Intelligence and data analytics to identify implicit bias in text which was acquired in 2022. He has lived and worked in 10 countries and speaks five languages. He lives on the Eastside of Town with his wife, Mariah and their son, Theodore.
Click HERE to visit his campaign webpage
Click HERE to visit his campaign Facebook page
Click HERE to read his response to the Chamber questionnaire
Click HERE to visit his campaign webpage
Click HERE to visit his campaign Facebook page
Click HERE to read his response to the Chamber questionnaire
Matt Flaherty (D)
Matt Flaherty has served on Bloomington's City Council since January 2020. He is a Senior Associate with the nonprofit organization Clean Energy Works, where he works on inclusive green energy financing solutions for residential energy efficiency and renewable energy. He holds a law degree from the IU Maurer School of Law and master's degrees in public affairs and environmental science from the O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs. Flaherty will continue prioritize equitable and inclusive transportation and housing policies; local leadership on climate change, including addressing its causes while building resilience to its impacts; and improvements to the council's work processes, including inclusive public engagement and a more collaborative and productive working relationships with the mayor and county government.
Click HERE to visit his campaign website.
Click HERE to visit his Facebook page.
Click HERE to read his response to the Chamber questionnaire
Click HERE to visit his campaign website.
Click HERE to visit his Facebook page.
Click HERE to read his response to the Chamber questionnaire
Andy Ruff (D)
Andy Ruff served on the Bloomington City Council for five terms. Ruff graduated with a Masters in Public Affairs from the O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs. He has taught both high school and at the Bedford Branch of Oakland City College, worked for Monroe County Government, served several terms on the Bloomington City Council, and worked as an outreach specialist on the Indiana staff for Congressman Baron Hill when he served as our 9th District representative. For more than a decade, he has been an academic advisor at Indiana University.
Click HERE to visit his campaign website.
Click HERE to read his response to the Chamber questionnaire
Click HERE to visit his campaign website.
Click HERE to read his response to the Chamber questionnaire
Lois Sabo-Skelton (D)
Lois Sabo-Skelton has filed to run for a seat on the Bloomington City Common Council at Large. A dedicated public servant she has served on the MCCSC School Board from 2005 – 2019, as well as various boards and commissions including the Historic Preservation Commission and is a recipient of the Green Acres Neighborhood Association HAND Neighbor of the Year award 2004. An avid activist for the Arts and Education, she holds a BM, MM, and Doctor of Music Education from the Jacobs School of Music, belongs to Local 3 Musicians Union, and currently teaches music courses at Ivy Tech Community College. Her political activities include memberships in the League of Women’s Voters, Reverse Citizens United, and as a founding member of the Democratic Women’s Caucus of Bloomington.
Click HERE to email the candidate
Click HERE to read a piece on the candidate
Click HERE to read her response to the Chamber questionnaire
Click HERE to email the candidate
Click HERE to read a piece on the candidate
Click HERE to read her response to the Chamber questionnaire
Jonas Schrodt (D)
Jonas Schrodt Jonas Schrodt is a lifelong Bloomington resident and small business owner. Jonas has deep roots in the community and has spent nearly twenty years working with area youth, as well as contributing to our cities arts community.
Click HERE to visit his campaign website.
Click HERE to visit his campaign Facebook page.
Click HERE to read his response to the Chamber questionnaire
Click HERE to visit his campaign website.
Click HERE to visit his campaign Facebook page.
Click HERE to read his response to the Chamber questionnaire
Ryne Shadday (D)
Ryne Shadday is an associate broker at Trueblood Real Estate. He serves on various committees and councils, including the human rights and traffic commissions for the City of Bloomington, and says his interest in public service dates back to his adolescence. Economic growth and vitality with a focus on sustainability; long-term plans for affordable housing; and a commitment to housing those experiencing homelessness. Shadday is also secretary of the Board of Directors for the IU LGBTQ+ Alumni Association; director of the Bloomington Board of Realtors Board of Directors.
Click HERE to visit his campaign Facebook page.
Click HERE to read his response to the Chamber questionnaire
Click HERE to visit his campaign Facebook page.
Click HERE to read his response to the Chamber questionnaire
Stephen Volan (D)
Stephen Volan has served on the Bloomington City Council since 2004 as the representative of what used to be Bloomington’s sixth district before the maps were redrawn. He has decided to run for an at-large seat on city council. He teaches a course at Indiana University. He founded The Cinemat, an independent video-rental store, movie screening room and performance venue in 2002. In 1995 he founded BlueMarble Information Services, the first company in Bloomington to provide Internet access to the general public. The company, now known simply as BlueMarble.net, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Smithville Telephone Company, the largest independent telecommunications company in the state.
Click HERE to visit his campaign Facebook page
Click HERE to read his response to the Chamber questionnaire
Click HERE to visit his campaign Facebook page
Click HERE to read his response to the Chamber questionnaire
