IU Bloomington Today Newsletter

NOTE: This article with featuring a Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce event was originally published on April 6, 2023 in the IU Bloomington Today newsletter.

Voters who are interested in Bloomington’s mayoral race have two upcoming opportunities through Indiana University to learn more about the three Democratic candidates, Don Griffin, Susan Sandberg and Kerry Thomson.

The Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce’s mayoral forum will take place April 10 in Presidents Hall inside Franklin Hall. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., and the forum start at 6:20. Issues of focus will include public safety concerns, collaboration with the county and university, infrastructure, and accountability.

WFIU/WTIU News is hosting a live debate from 8 to 9 p.m. April 13, with Indiana Newsdesk anchor Joe Hren moderating. A livestream of the debate will be available at indianapublicmedia.org. The candidates will take questions, and people can submit them now on the Indiana Public Media website, or through WTIU’s or WFIU’s Facebook pages. Debate updates will be posted on Twitter with the hashtag #IPMDebate.

The primary election is May 2; no Republican candidate is on the ballot. The elected mayor will be dealing with issues such as annexation, the convention center expansion project, housing, homelessness, jobs and infrastructure.

Griffin, the former deputy mayor under current Mayor John Hamilton, is president of the Monroe County Black Democratic Caucus and owns Griffin Realty. Sandberg is president of the Bloomington City Council. Thomson is executive director of the IU Center for Rural Engagement and the former CEO of Habitat for Humanity of Monroe County.
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Learn more about the candidates and get more election information from the 2023 Bloomington municipal election guide on the IU Political and Civic Engagement website.