Primary preview: 3-way race for mayor, incumbent clash, big shift for city council
Editor's note: City council candidate Lois Sabo-Skelton's bio has been updated. She is currently a teacher at Ivy Tech.
This year’s Democratic primary election in Bloomington will be dominated by a three-way contest for mayor, but voters also will decide on big changes for the nine-member city council, which could see as many as seven new faces — even without a Republican winning a single seat.
The deadline to file for office passed at noon Friday, and some just-in-time filers have assured contested races for eight of nine council districts in the Democratic primary on May 2. In total, 24 Democrats are running for the 11 positions.
The mayor’s race will pit current city council member Susan Sandberg against local real estate agent Don Griffin Jr. and former Habitat of Humanity of Monroe County CEO Kerry Thomson. Griffin until recently served as deputy mayor under Mayor John Hamilton, who is not seeking re-election.
More:Bloomington mayoral candidate Thomson with big early lead in money raised, spent
The city council races could significantly shift the direction of city politics as the council’s two dominant factions could be fractured — or even disappear almost completely.
In the last two years, a five-member majority — Sandberg, Sue Sgambelluri, Ron Smith, Dave Rollo and Jim Sims — has generally come out on the winning side of clashes on big issues, including homelessness and housing density.
All members of the four-member minority — Isabel Piedmont-Smith, Matt Flaherty, Stephen Volan and Kate Rosenbarger — are seeking re-election and could remain on the council — though all four face primary opponents and therefore could lose their seats.
Meanwhile, the majority will lose at least two members, as Sims is not seeking re-election and Sandberg is running for mayor and cannot at the same time run for council. The majority could shrink further as Smith and Sgambelluri both face primary opponents. Only Dave Rollo, in District 4, is unopposed.
Who’s running for Bloomington City Council?
In District 1, which covers the city’s southwestern part, Piedmont-Smith will face challenger Joe Lee, the editorial cartoonist for The Herald-Times. Piedmont-Smith is the current incumbent for District 5, but the council approved new district boundaries last year, which has moved her into District 1. Redistricting also moved District 1 incumbent Rosenbarger into District 2.
You can see a map of the new districts here: tinyurl.com/58h7hcnt.
District 2 will see a clash of incumbents: District 2 incumbent Sgambelluri, current council president, will face off against Rosenbarger, the incumbent for District 1. Beyond the race being a clash of incumbents, it pits members of two council factions against each other.
District 3 incumbent Ron Smith will face two primary challengers: Hopi H. Stosberg, a stay-at-home parent and former math teacher; and Conner Wright, an Indiana University undergrad studying business and political science. District 3 also has the council’s sole Republican candidate, Brett Heinisch, who works for Storage Express.
More:A stop sign where none is needed? Lessons in politics, persistence, privilege.
In District 5, incumbent Piedmont-Smith has to vacate her seat because of redistricting, leaving the district without an incumbent. Three candidates have filed for the seat:
Shruti Rana, senior assistant dean for curricular and undergraduate affairs, diversity officer, and professor of law at IU’s Maurer School of Law.
Matt Caldie, who works in customer service at IU parking. (Withdrew)
Jenny Stevens, a grant accountant in IU’s department of physics.
District 6 also is without an incumbent, as Stephen Volan was moved into Rollo’s District 4 and, rather than setting up another clash of incumbents and council factions, will instead run for one of the three at-large seats. Two candidates have filed for the District 6 seat:
Benjamin Appleton, who could not immediately be reached. (Withdrew)
David Wolfe Bender, an IU student and former editor/reporter for the Indiana Daily Student.
And seven candidates, including two incumbents and a former longtime council member, will vie for the three at-large seats. While the district seats are chosen only by voters living in those districts, the at-large seats will be chosen by all voters who live in Bloomington.
More:Bloomington City Council often votes 5-4. Does it reveal something deeper?
Among the three current at-large members — Sandberg, Sims, Flaherty — only Flaherty is seeking re-election. He is joined by fellow councilman Volan, the District 6 incumbent, and former council member Andy Ruff, an academic adviser at IU who served five terms on the council before getting ousted in the primary in 2019. Those three will be facing off against:
Isak Asare, co-director of the Cybersecurity and Global Policy Program at IU’s Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies.
Lois Sabo-Skelton, a musician, actor, writer and adjunct instructor at Ivy Tech.
Jonas Schrodt, a comedian who also works at Brown County Winery, which his family owns.
Ryne Shadday, a real estate agent.
Bloomington City Clerk Nicole Bolden is running unopposed and will win re-election barring a Republican challenge in the fall election. Except for Heinisch, no Republicans filed for Bloomington city offices.
The primary also will include elections for Stinesville and Ellettsville, but all candidates are unopposed, except for Ellettsville clerk-treasurer. Current Clerk-Treasurer Sandra Hash is retiring. Three candidates, all Republicans, have filed to succeed her: Noelle M. Conyer, the current deputy clerk; Paul Turner, a facilities and fleet manager for Smithville and a photographer; and Dan Swafford, current council member for Ward 4 who is semi-retired but used to own restaurants and formerly worked for IU in information technology support and building services.
Boris Ladwig can be reached at bladwig@heraldt.com.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Who filed to run on Bloomington city ballot for May primary election
