Mayor Thomson says she'll continue to veto city council resolutions that don't directly affect Bloomington, including ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war.
In this week’s installment of Ask The Mayor, Bloomington Mayor Kerry Thomson addresses these issues and more during a visit to City Hall. Listen to the full conversation with Indiana Newsdesk anchor Joe Hren by clicking on the play button above, or read some of the questions and answers below. A portion of this segment airs 6:45 and 8:45 a.m. Wednesday on WFIU. Here are some highlights.
This conversation has been edited for clarity and conciseness.
Hren: Total solar eclipse was a couple of weeks ago, but quick debrief, how did it go, any issues, what did the city learn from an event like this?
Thomson: Our focus was to keep everybody safe, get the logistics done early, and prepare for what some would say is the worst, but we might say is the best. We ended up with about a little over 13,000 people in our parks. And we were really pleased with that. Switchyard, of course, had the most at a little over 8,000. But police actually that day had fewer calls than normal, fire was right about normal. And the biggest crisis we had at Switchyard Park was a child got stuck in a swing for a few minutes. But our firefighters got her out.
I think the the only thing that we didn't think of was that after the pandemic, when you tell people to stay home - they do. And so, we were having a great party at Switchyard Park and most people who felt like maybe they couldn't drive because the traffic was going to be too bad, they stayed home. So they missed the party. And that that was unfortunate. We documented 25 different states that we talked to people from in Switchyard. And as far away as China.
Read more: Eclipse 2024 (indianapublicmedia.org)
Hren: City Council expressed its opposition to the Indiana LEAP pipeline, that's in Lebanon would be from the Wabash River. First, do you oppose that pipeline? And second, if not, why veto the resolution?
Thomson: What I have advocated for with the City Council is that we keep our resolutions directly focused on things that impact the city of Bloomington business, because a resolution is really a tool to govern our city. So I do think that the state of Indiana needs a smart water policy. And we can advocate for that. And we can work on that together with others. But I actually did not sign that resolution and won't be signing that resolution.
My time is already overloaded with the opportunities and challenges right here in Bloomington. And that's what I was elected to really care for. And that's what I'm going to focus on.
Hren: So it's not that you're against or for this pipeline?
Thomson: Yes, what happens behind the scenes is dozens, sometimes hundreds of correspondences, meeting requests, it's a lot of time, and we really have a lot to focus on here. And if we could spend in that time creatively focused on our opportunities and challenges in Bloomington, we will really advance our community.
Hren: City Council also calls for a ceasefire in the Israel, Hamas war. Some people spouted some hateful rhetoric which prompted an emotional a Facebook message from you. So what needs to be done during government meetings when something like that happens?
Thomson: First of all, I think we need a plan. And so as soon as hate speech comes up, it needs to be addressed and labeled as hate speech. I am supportive of our freedom of speech here in the United States. If you don't have a plan to address it, frequently people freeze, and I think that's probably what we saw at city council. But I think even more than that, one of the things we can spend our time on is addressing whether or not people feel safe here, and what are the creative responses we can have? But also what actions can we take when we hear this kind of hate speech and to prevent it, to educate people and really fight against the ignorance that comes with that kind of hate speech.
Hren: Let's get to the second part of that ceasefire resolution as well. That's another that you said does not directly affect Bloomington. So I assume your answer is the same. We had someone talk to us about could there be an exception? And Daniel Siegel from the Jewish Voice for Peace says, "does this mean it should never be addressed when there's genocide? It's all hands on deck. He says we cannot do too much. Is this the time to make an exception?"
Thomson: A resolution ordinance is an act of the City of Bloomington and the business of the City of Bloomington. Absolutely, we should be speaking out and advocating for humanitarian aid for Hamas to release those hostages. We should be speaking out for what we believe in. And that should be addressed to our federal representatives to President Biden, this is international policy.
Hren: During your State of the City Address, you mention another homeless encampment being removed, where and when is that scheduled?
Thomson: There has been a grouping of camps near Switchyard Park, and they have grown in size, those are on private property. And so that happens differently than if it's on city property. However, the property owners, we think are going to be very cooperative, they have asked for a no trespass order there. They're cooperating with the city and planning. May 1 is the date that we planned to move people out of that camp.
However, we've been working hand in hand with the Housing Network with Heading Home, and the outreach workers that are involved in various organizations engaged with those two teams. And they had asked that we implement a new policy that when possible, we give 30 days notice and those outreach workers can work with people in camps to try to get them housed. So actually, we've been doing that since about April 1, and most people have already moved.
Read more: City removes homeless camp for second time under new mayoral administration
Hren: We have an email from Andrew, he feels like the city has been wrecked by over-development, the acceleration of changes and traffic congestion. I'll ask this in regard to an upcoming hearing on the proposed Sudbury Development as well. What's your response to Andrew looking for balance between development and quality of life and civility?
Thomson: So directly related to the Sudbury development, we have had traffic studies done, we are creating plans around that. One of the things I ran on and one of the reasons that I got engaged with government in the first place is to create a table where we can have civil dialogue even when we disagree. And so my hope is really that through my administration through opening the doors and creating some some safe spaces to have real dialogue, we can get to a more civil conversation even when we disagree.
Read more: Plan commission OK’s new student apartment buildings, Beacon facility
One perspective is that more people can enhance our quality of life. Many in the arts community have been asking for a larger performance venue. We can't get that unless we have a population to support it. So there are many assets that come with larger tax base and more people living in the downtown area. And we do have to figure out things like transit. Our Bloomington transit is applying for a significant grant. We hear a lot about about cars and bikes. But we don't talk enough I would say about transit and that is going to be a key piece to how we move people and in cities that really work. We have bus systems that get people where they need to go more efficiently than a personal car. And I think we can be one of those cities.
