A fundamental part of the Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce’s mission is our focus on advocacy and public policy. Chamber members are deeply committed to making our community a better place to live, work, and have fun. We understand that businesses and local government must work closely together to achieve the quality of life that our residents deserve here. Along those lines, the Chamber takes local elections very seriously, and our goal with any election is to maximize voter participation. This year, we have three candidates on the ballot for Mayor of Bloomington – an elected office that has a significant impact on Bloomington businesses and residents. It is my opinion that local government has more day-to-day impact on a person than any other level of government. It is imperative that we elect local leaders who reflect the needs and values of the community. Further, it is critical that as many people as possible participate in the decision to elect our leaders. If you’re an eligible voter, we need you to vote! This may come as a surprise to many readers but mark my words: in less than two weeks, we will know who the next mayor of Bloomington is. To be exact, we will know on May 2nd because that is primary election day. You will not have to wait until the general election in November because the decision on who will lead our city for the next four years will be made in the Democratic primary on Tuesday, May 2nd. And, like it or not, the electoral math tends to favor Democrats in Bloomington. It has been that way for several decades, and that trend is not expected to change this year. As a former elected office holder myself, I knew that if I could win the primary, I was essentially guaranteed a win in the general election. In fact, there are often no Republican opponents on the other side of the ballot, which makes the general election completely irrelevant for many local offices. Given the electoral realities of Bloomington, we should all be interested in the anticipated voter turnout numbers for the upcoming primary election on May 2. The only way to meaningfully project these numbers is to examine the data from the most recent competitive primary election for city offices, which was 8 years ago in 2015. There were also three Democratic candidates running for mayor of Bloomington in 2015. When examining the voter turnout numbers in the 2015 primary election, it is astounding that in a city of over 85,000 people, only 7,027 people cast a ballot. In other words, about 8% of the total population of Bloomington had an interest in deciding who would lead our city for four years. Unfortunately, 8% is about the same turnout that we expect again this year. What is even more astonishing is that Mayor John Hamilton – the winner of the 2015 Democratic primary election – received a total of just 3,790 votes. That translates to about 4% of the Bloomington population that decided the winner. It is important to note that although all the candidates for mayor this year are running as Democrats, you do not need to be a Democrat to vote for one of these individuals. If you are an independent or a Republican, you can still vote. Contrary to popular belief, you do not need to register with the Democratic Party to vote in the Democratic primary. You can simply walk into your polling place and tell the election workers that you want to vote for mayor. Regardless of your political beliefs, do not disenfranchise yourself in this election. Who we elect to lead our city for the next four years is far more important than staying silent in this election. Use the power of your vote to make your voice heard on May 2. Based on the numbers above, every single vote will assuredly count this year. - Eric Spoonmore, President/CEO of the Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce
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On April 24th, the Indiana Senate approved House amendment changes for SB 7: Physician Noncompete Agreements. If signed into law by Governor Holcomb, this law would allow physicians who have been terminated or fired from their positions to seek employment at hospitals outside of their previous network. This bill has been considered a success by lawmakers who believe these types of agreements decrease competition and increase consumer costs. Other lawmakers say that a recent amendment change to this bill, which only applies this ban to primary care physicians, will have negative effects on specialists who want the same protections. There are two more amendments that are up for Senate approval, and lawmakers have until the end of the week to approve changes (according to legislative session deadlines). To learn more about SB 7 and track changes, click HERE! I live in a politically active community. The mayoral race in Bloomington has had a lot of interest. The Monday night Chamber Mayoral Forum on Business, my employer, was one of many such events hosted by community/civic groups. We are like many Hoosier communities with a 1 party system. The primary on May 2nd essentially elects the winner. I’ve lived in other states with similar circumstances. It’s why I’ve voted in both parties’ primary elections. In Indiana, you don’t even have to specify your party affiliation when you register. Show up to the polls and pull the lever. Every vote counts, but it matters more when fewer people go to the polls. We have seen shifts in many city councils’ makeup by organized minorities focused on issues such as growth. Here in Bloomington, we will be lucky to trot out 8,000 voters in a town of 80 odd thousand. We are fortunate to have 3 distinct options available for mayor. There are choices to be made, and fallout from said choice. I hear people bemoan the 1 party system in our local government. In a perfect environment, we would have a strong 2 party system here in Bloomington and the entire State of Indiana. Where I push back is that we do not have a strong party apparatus on any level of government. It remains candidate driven. Individuals are welcome to run for office and vote how they feel when they become elected officials. I attend city council meetings weekly where I see the divisions on full display. “Growth” is a funny local issue unto itself. It does not have a party identification. For different reasons, both sides of the political spectrum can be against it and for it. I tease my Carmel resident colleagues about the top-down government-laden approach to their planned growth. I can poke fun at the method but not the results. The 2023 Solar, Energy Efficiency, & Lighting (SEEL) program provides grant funding and technical assistance for nonprofits, community organizations, and small businesses to improve building efficiency and install solar. Eligible projects for funding under the 2023 SEEL program fall into two application tracks: energy efficiency or solar grants. Each type of grant has different funding amounts. Details are listed below:
Energy Efficient Grants
Applications are accepted on rolling basis with deadlines for Cohorts 2 and 3 on May 15th and August 24th respectively. If you would like to learn more about how to apply or which types of organizations are eligible, CLICK HERE. “But at the core of it, we have to be centered on what we’re trying to accomplish. And I think sometimes, I see in our community—I see some challenges.” - Cook President Pete Yonkman at the February Governor’s Luncheon. The Chamber is set for our next Community Conversation luncheon “Working Better, Together” on Tuesday, April 4th at the Fountain Square Ballroom. The impetus of this topic was the lack of progress on many critical issues that plague the community. These range from housing, convention center expansion, and justice reform to annexation. It is easy to point fingers, but harder to take the lead, and confront these challenges. What these endeavors require is a certain sacrifice and compromise among all the parties. The basis of progress has to be “trust”. Too often I have witnessed what appears to be clashes over territory. The greater good becomes more about protecting one’s self-interest. This goes beyond the strained city-county relations. We lack real champions to move the process along that is inclusive of all stakeholders. One cannot be a leader if the communication channels are not open. This community remains rich in resources. We have the tax base, the talent, and the drive to accomplish far more than we have in the last five or so years. What how this luncheon provides is a sense of what has gone wrong and how we fix it. The cliché about this being an important municipal election cannot be overstated. Bloomington is electing a new mayor with three strong candidates on the Democratic side. At a minimum, we will have four new members on the City Common Council. Change is not just brewing, it remains inevitable. The conversations I have had appear to indicate the winning candidate for mayor needs to reach about 3,500 votes in the primary to pull off a victory. In this demographic, that pretty much entails sailing through the general election. That is not a lot of votes for a town of 80,000. Your vote matters, and statistically has a real impact on the results. The Chamber is hosting its first of two election events on Tuesday, March 21st at 5:30p with Elect Connect. This will center on the council candidates. Each candidate in a contested race will have an opportunity to speak for 3 minutes. The atmosphere is light, with a networking vibe inclined to provide an opportunity to get to know the candidates. On February 14th, Indiana Senate Bill 1 was referred to the House of Representatives with unanimous approval from the Senate. This behavioral health matters bill was written by Senator Michael Crider and is expected to make major improvements to how the state responds to mental health issues. If passed, SB1 would allow Medicaid recipients to pay for community behavioral health clinic services through reimbursements. It would also establish the Indiana Behavioral Health Commission as well as a confidential hotline for people who are in distress or seeking mental health services. The House has also referred a mental health bill to the Senate, HB 1006. Where these two bills diverge is their target populations. SB 1 primarily focuses on those who qualify for Medicaid whereas HB 1006 focuses on those who are incarcerated or have been incarcerated. If enacted, HB 1006 would allow those who have been arrested and are in need of mental health services, to be committed to a facility where they can receive proper care. It would also create a referral program for inmates to receive counselling services. If you or someone you know is currently experiencing thoughts of suicide, or a mental health or substance use crisis, please call 988 to reach Suicide & Crisis Lifeline and speak with a trained crisis specialist 24/7. For more information on 9-8-8, CLICK HERE. At the end of 2020, Indiana ranked 41st in the nation for its public health system according to a review by IU Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health. As a result, Governor Holcomb formed a commission to address areas of concern and has since proposed a statewide budget that makes increased investments to Indiana's county health departments. With health care as a major policy interest in our 2023 State & Federal Advocacy Agenda, the Chamber fully supports the governor's public health budget for its provisions of increased resources for mental health and addiction services. Please CLICK HERE to learn more about the Governor's 2022 Health Commission Report.
Contact your state representative HERE Last night, during public comment, The Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce President/CEO Eric Spoonmore passionately advocated for improved public safety before the Bloomington Common Council. He provided a sobering assessment of the situation highlighted by the shortage of police and the uptick in crime. HERE is the video of his speech with the transcript below. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Eric Spoonmore Statement to the Bloomington City CouncilGood evening, Council. I’m Eric Spoonmore, President of the Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce.
Over 80% of our members are small, locally owned enterprises. We also partner with our public-school corporations, numerous non-profit organizations, institutions of higher education, local government, and many large corporate employers. We believe that membership in the Chamber is a statement that you care about our community, and you want Bloomington to thrive for generations to come. In other words, we recognize that our businesses and employers are instrumental in achieving the high quality of life that our residents deserve. And so, the quality of life we all want is dependent upon our residents and visitors feeling safe in our community. And when I say safe, I don’t mean relatively safe. We need people to feel very safe. I know you’re aware of this….we’ve experienced a disturbing number of violent crimes over the past several months and weeks. Rapes, stabbings, shootings, arson, murders, attempted murders in broad daylight….these things simply cannot be tolerated under any circumstance. And ensuring the safety of the public is local government’s most important and fundamental role. I also want to let you know that too many businesses in our community are having to commit substantial resources to protect their safety and to protect their property from damage related to vandalism and other illicit behaviors that are contributing to a general degradation of our quality of place. The Chamber of Commerce even keeps our front door locked during business hours because we have experienced too many situations that have put our staff and property at risk of harm. It’s sad to me that a Chamber of Commerce – of all places – has to keep the doors locked so that our staff feels safe. And we’re not the only enterprise taking these measures. Numerous businesses are having to hire private security services, they’re installing security doors and expensive intercom systems and surveillance cameras to the tune of tens of thousands of dollars. And the businesses aren’t just eating these costs – at the end of the day, they have to pass the cost on to the customers – they don’t want to do that, but that’s the only way they can stay in business. So, this is not a good situation – especially considering the 51% increase in local income tax that workers are all now paying largely to address public safety. And so, I don’t know all the answers to addressing the very significant concerns we hear about perceived and actual safety in the community. But, I think we clearly need to look into some new crime prevention strategies. But, in the meantime, my first suggestion would be to employ the number of professional police officers that we need to provide effective public safety services. We used to have them, and I don’t know where they all went. Not too long ago, we had over a hundred sworn officers. And now we have somewhere around 80 and we need to make progress on getting back to where we were. And then another suggestion – I appreciate the weekly reports on the number of city employees who have COVID, I know there’s a lot of diligent record keeping with that data and the staff works to distribute that information to the public very reliably each week. And so, I would also be interested in using that same model to generate a detailed weekly report that shows the progress we’re making on hiring police officers to address the current shortage. And so, I cannot emphasize enough that the business community is not just concerned – we are gravely concerned – that we do not have enough employed police officers protecting the safety of our community. And then, finally, I would also suggest just more overall police visibility – day and night – especially in the high-traffic pedestrian areas. I’m sure there are community policing strategies that numerous other communities have used and do this effectively. There are a lot of theories about crime deterrence, but I think even the most progressive criminology experts generally agree that there is no better deterrent to violent, criminal behavior than knowing you will get caught in the act of doing it. So, let’s do everything we can to prevent the kinds of reprehensible, violent crimes that occurred just last week in this city. If we want people to use public transportation, if we want people to visit our city to spend their dollars here to support our businesses, and if we want our residents to enjoy our downtown and parks facilities with their families – they need to feel safe when engaging in those activities. Please always keep public safety as your number one priority. Thank you. As the calendar changes, the Chamber advocacy reflects on the past year while also looking forward to the work ahead. After years of grumbling, we have finally witnessed real progress in the expansion of the Monroe County Convention Center. This development project required shuttle diplomacy by our President and continued public comments by the Chamber to drive this message home. The result is a Capital Improvement Board (CIB) that provides for shared governance. The county commissioners formed the CIB before it was later affirmed by the city council. This breakthrough was only after the Chamber and its partners earlier in the year were able to prevent the state legislature from sunsetting the food and beverage tax. Next year, the Chamber plans to focus its work on continuing to support public K12 education, expanded owner-occupied housing, and most importantly, improved public safety in our community. The essential duty of our government is to keep its citizens safe. To do that we need to have an appreciated, well-paid police force at full capacity to address the problem behaviors our members deal with daily. There is a need for immediate remedies that can address the problem. We cannot tolerate people feeling threatened walking down the street on a way to a downtown eatery. These behaviors must be addressed and not accepted as the permanent backdrop of our community. The Chamber has been in full support of the work of the county’s justice response committee. We need real reform that entails a bigger emphasis on mental illness/addiction programs that address our recidivism rate. The current jail housed at Charlotte Zietlow Justice Center is completely inadequate in all respects. However, we are years away from seeing this type of transformative change in our justice system. In the meantime, short-term solutions must be sought. |
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