Bloomington's deputy mayor Don Griffin, Jr. filed paperwork on Dec. 2 to register as a candidate for Bloomington mayor in the 2023 election. Griffin will be the third democratic candidate to officially express interest in becoming the city’s next mayor.
Bloomington City Council President Susan Sandberg and former Monroe County Habitat for Humanity CEO Kerry Thomson both filed paperwork with the Monroe County Clerk’s Office in June, indicating a run for major. Both women launched their campaigns in November.
Read more: Kerry Thomson launches Bloomington mayoral campaign
Griffin’s plan to run comes two weeks after Bloomington mayor John Hamilton announced he will not be running for reelection in 2023. Hamilton has served two terms and eight years as Bloomington mayor.
Griffin has been Deputy Mayor since being appointed by Hamilton in the spring of 2021. A Bloomington native, Griffin founded a real estate agency, Griffin Realty Holdings, Inc., prior to joining Hamilton's administration.
Griffin serves as president and co-founder of the Monroe County Black Democratic Caucus, president of the City’s Redevelopment Commission (RDC), and past vice president of the Monroe County Branch of the NAACP, according to a 2021 press release.
He has also served on the boards of several local nonprofit organizations, including Eskenazi Museum of Art, the Monroe County History Center and The Project School, Habitat for Humanity of Monroe County, Lotus World Music Festival, and the Bloomington Board of Realtors.
Read more: Sandberg announces plan to run for mayor of Bloomington
The paperwork filed by the three candidates so far establishes campaign committees. The candidacies will not be official until declarations of candidacy can be filed on January 4, 2023.
