Friends,
Tomorrow is municipal election day. Be sure to vote if you haven’t already!!
For Bloomington and for our future, I urge you to support Don Griffin as our next mayor.
A mayor should bring the right vision for the future: what should Bloomington look like in 10 years? 30 years?
A mayor should bring an optimism and persistence to tackle hard challenges, even when we don’t all agree or the answers are themselves daunting.
A mayor should bring a deeply caring attitude toward all of our residents – current AND future – and our city workforce.
Don Griffin brings all of that and more. I have known him for 25 years, and we worked shoulder to shoulder while he was Deputy Mayor for two years.
Don knows Bloomington needs to lean into climate resilience and more affordable housing. He has the vision to lean into true inclusion and diversity and the understanding that we have to welcome new families to our city, with new ideas and new energy. He will dream big and help us continue to excel.
Don also is an irrepressible optimist. A mayor can’t get deterred by negativity or depressed by personal criticism – those tend to come with the territory. Don has spent his entire life in Bloomington overcoming all kinds of challenges and doubters. He’s never lost his smile or his hopeful nature. He’s never lost his belief in Bloomington, and he will help grasp our bright future.
And Don is among the most caring people I know. He cares about co-workers deeply and visibly. He cares about every one of our community residents. He has known loss and prejudice and disappointments himself, and he embodies empathetic leadership.
Don inspires people around him, as he did for 20 plus years leading a wonderful local real estate company, for two years as Deputy Mayor, and on countless community boards. He will fill his administration with wonderfully talented, committed, and diverse department heads and personnel.
I’ve served as our mayor for the past seven plus years. Through a global pandemic, a Trump Presidency, a regressive state government, and a rising climate emergency. Through all of that Bloomington has thrived, with our City Council and my administration collaborating strongly with many partners to meet challenges head on and seize opportunities. Not everyone has agreed with every step we took – that’s natural. But I hope you’ll agree Bloomington has taken great strides into a brighter future.
We have achieved new levels of excellence in our city departments, from police and fire to sanitation and parks to utilities and housing and much more. Our economy is strong and modernizing. Our affordable housing stock is 1,400 units bigger and growing. Our quality of life is unsurpassed in Indiana. And fiber internet will soon connect every home.
Don helped all of this happen and our momentum is only building. It is not time to slow down or look backward – we have to keep meeting the new challenges.
These days can tempt us to succumb to negativity. That’s a mistake. Leaders must be positive and willing to do hard things. That’s Don Griffin. I truly believe he will be a great mayor for Bloomington’s future. I hope you’ll join me in voting for Don and helping usher in an historic and vibrant next chapter for Bloomington.
Democratically yours,
John Hamilton
P.S. Get out to vote!! It’s democracy time. And progress time. It’s time to chart our future, with votes for mayor, city clerk and city council. Thanks for all that you do to care for our city.
APRIL 2023 NEWSLETTER
Friends,
During this election season I’ve mostly held my tongue, but have to share a few thoughts. Both in the mayor’s race and city council races, I hear some candidates playing to anti-government tropes and maligning public servants. Or baselessly accusing that a dysfunction plagues our government.
Politics of course often sees hyperbole or caricature. That’s perhaps unavoidable. But facts are important. And these tropes are just wrong.
The truth is that our city government is filled with dedicated public servants who over the past 7+ years have delivered outstanding results for our community. I’ve been privileged to be your Mayor and to lead a team of 850 city workers who are an inspiration. Progressive values have been put into action. Our city council has supported this progress, with a vibrant democracy front and center.
Here are some facts about Bloomington:
We have the best public-safety services in the state. No other Indiana city has both a nationally accredited police department and a highest-rated fire department like us. Not one. Overall crime rates continue to decline, and in 7 years our firefighters have saved 11 people and lost 1 life to fire – an unprecedented record.
Our economy is humming. We’ve had over $3.5 Billion invested and thousands of new jobs created, with local wages climbing faster than peer cities. Including small business growth, and the fastest growing co-work space in the state at The Mill.
We’ve made unprecedented progress on affordable housing. Together we’ve created or preserved nearly 1,400 units of affordable housing, a twenty-fold increase over our previous pace. Nearly 25% of the 5,600 new units in our city are affordable units including over a hundred for supportive housing.
Our quality of life is unsurpassed. Parks employees earned a second national gold medal because of amazing Switchyard Park and 30 miles of trails and 2,300 acres of natural beauty and so much more. Our artists and foodies and musicians have come through the pandemic – with significant public support – and keep our city lively. People keep coming to Bloomington because it’s a great place to live and work.
We’re creating the nation’s best digital equity access. Before summer, thousands of our households will have access to gigabit-speed, net-neutral fiber internet, and nearly every household will by next year. And every low-income household in our city – on disability, welfare, free/reduced lunch, public housing, and more – will get internet service at no cost. It’s a first in the nation and a game-changer for our future.
We’re leading the way on climate. We are investing meaningful annual funding in our first-ever Climate Action Plan, and we just founded Project 46, a regional, bi-partisan coalition of 3 counties working together to lower our carbon footprint and improve sustainability.
Those are facts about our city that our city government has helped make happen.
Do we face challenges? Of course! Like every city in America. When I came into office, we had dilapidated fire engines, lake water threatening to violate federal safety standards, and a 1950s era sanitation system injuring our employees. We met those needs and much more. And we must keep addressing gun violence, addiction, homelessness, public health, and more. All this while facing a reactionary state government that destroys reproductive freedom, civil liberties, and public education, while worshipping guns and property rights.
Many repeat the trope that our local governments can’t get along, are at loggerheads. The fact is that every day, city and county government cooperate beautifully and intensively to bring quality services to the public – in police and fire services, in planning, in parks, in animal welfare, in streets and utilities and much more.
True, some parts of local government disagree sometimes – not a surprise. We’ve had different opinions about annexation and zoning, or whether and how to expand the convention center or the jail. But democracy isn’t a tea party. Disagreements are expected and get worked out through the process. It’s ok. It’s democracy.
And you know what, when it matters most our community has come together magnificently. During the terrible pandemic, our local governments and partners at IU and IUHealth set a standard for the state on local cooperation. Our weekly press conferences and intensive collaboration saved lives and informed and sustained our community.
That’s who we are. A city government filled with great people doing great things for us every day. Don’t let anyone tell you different. Don’t succumb to the finger-pointing and blame games. Let’s stick to facts and expect our candidates to be specific about how they plan to improve our wonderful, thriving Bloomington.
Democratically yours,
John Hamilton
P.S. It’s time to vote!! Early voting started April 4th, and Election Day is May 2nd. Because of what I’ve noted above and because I know him well, I’ll be voting enthusiastically for Don Griffin for Mayor. (See his new video here.)He’s got the vision and the positive embrace of our progressive values to keep our great momentum going. I hope you’ll join me and support all our candidates who lean into the future and embrace that direction.
MARCH 2023 NEWSLETTER
Friends,
Last month a couple hundred folks gathered online and at the beautifully restored Waldron Arts Center for my 8th and final State of the City. You can check out the full evening event or transcripts here. But in case that dose is too much, let me share a summary.
Our theme -- “Your Future is Here” – meant not only we hope everyone here today sees a vibrant future here, but also is a message to the world at large, and future residents. Two families who joined us, one from Ukraine and one from Congo, reminded us how important that open door is.
We thanked 16 extraordinary department heads and our Mayor’s Office team for so many accomplishments together over the past 7 years. I’m very proud of the work we’ve done, together with our community, to advance Bloomington in many ways. You can get details here. And watch for “Your City at Work” in coming weeks too. The state of the city is very strong, and we are very well positioned for the future.
As a final such message, it also felt important to look to that future with some cautions and some calls to action.
Our future is not automatic – like thousands of cities around the globe, we have choices to make to be the best community we can be. Change is hard, and essential. We can be limited by nostalgia or lethargy. We need to be self-reliant. The state often is at cross purposes with our goals, and even with great federal partnerships in the short run, we cannot count on that consistently.
I called us to imagine four big areas of improvement by 2030, and related specific goals:
For the climate emergency, continue to invest annually in our Climate Action Plan, and build America’s very best small-city public transit system
For better jobs and quality of life, enhance collaborations with IU and others, and establish and fund universal, free pre-K for our residents
For more affordable housing, continue our momentum, and accept more density and height to avoid more sprawl and unsustainable patterns, and plan for a 30% growth in our metropolitan area population, to 250,000.
For public health and criminal justice reform, immediately invest new local dollars in public health and commit that for every new dollar invested in incarceration, we’ll invest at least a dollar in new services like mental health and substance use disorder programs.
Achieving success in those four areas would be a recipe for our future, to help us be the welcoming, inclusive, thriving community we imagine and value.
Two more ingredients are needed in that recipe. We need financial capacity, which we have plenty of, with still the second lowest income tax rate among our seven contiguous counties and a very strong local fiscal condition. And we need political will. That takes political leaders willing to challenge us, and mobilize us, and focus on results not process. I strongly believe our public sentiment supports these advances, and I hope and trust that our politics can deliver them.
That was the gist of the State of the City message: your future is here, so long as we claim it. Thanks for all that you do to help claim that future.
Democratically yours,
John Hamilton
p.s. The outdoor farmers market season begins on Saturday, April 1st outside City Hall. As in past years, Mayor's Office staff and Department Heads will take turns participating in "Mayor at the Market" every week, beginning with Deputy Mayor Mary Catherine Carmichael on the 1st--we hope to see you there!
FEBRUARY 2023 NEWSLETTER
Friends,
This month brings a simple message: I hope you’ll join a big slice of Bloomington for my 8th and final State of the City gathering, Thursday, February 23rd, starting at 6pm.
This year’s event will be different in a couple practical ways: we’ll be at the rejuvenated Waldron arts center, and we’ll be adding reception/gathering times ahead and after the formal event. I hope you can join to see the beautifully revived Waldron, and to mingle among the crowd before and after, with refreshments and hors d’oeuvres.
As usual, we’ll look back over the past year, assess where our community is, and chart a path ahead. The lens may be a little wider this year as we look back and ahead. The optimism will be familiar: we are so lucky to live in Bloomington in these times, as we navigate big challenges, yes, and also grasp enormous opportunities.
So please join us at 6pm for a reception, at 7pm for the formal event, and to stay from 8pm on for an after-party – all at the Waldron downtown. We have a lot to celebrate, and a lot to look forward to. Don’t miss it!
Democratically yours,
John Hamilton
P.S. You may be interested as well in the annual State of Public Safety report, given by three city department heads: Thursday, February 9th, at 12:30 pm in Council Chambers at City Hall.
JANUARY 2023 NEWSLETTER
Friends,
Happy New Year! I hope 2023 will bring you and yours health and happiness.
I’m excited about the next 12 months, my eighth and final year serving as Bloomington’s mayor. We have much to look forward to – continuing our momentum toward the more inclusive, sustainable, and opportunity- and fun-filled city we love.
The year ahead should include some very granular improvements, such as designing city gateways, installing welcome signs at our boundaries, and opening our first scatter garden for cremains in the historic Rose Hill Cemetery, for more sustainable and affordable family options.
The year ahead will also offer some very high-level changes, such as new annual investments in our Climate Action Plan and in our transit system and public safety, and seeing the first new customers connecting to the gigabit-speed open fiber network being built all across the city.
It’s humbling and inspiring to see how many people lean into the projects that will make Bloomington among the very best small cities in America. Change is always difficult to embrace, and steer. Yet I am consistently energized by how many institutions and innovators are at work to take us to the next level.
A good mayor must clasp two somewhat contradictory imperatives. On the one hand, embrace idealism and high ambitions – reach for the stars and aim for our highest values. And on the other hand, prize pragmatism – do what can be done today and recognize that compromise and incrementalism help people live better lives one day at a time. That’s a wonderful thing about this job – welding together high ideals with practical results. And it’s what so many people in Bloomington do day in and day out: aim high and make incremental improvements in that direction.
I’m looking forward to the upcoming city elections with lots of talented new faces involved. And I’m so pleased that former deputy mayor Don Griffin has put his hat in the ring for mayor. He brings the optimism and idealism of a visionary along with the practical experience of a decades-long local entrepreneur.
Let's all welcome the next chapter of leadership to take Bloomington even further.
Democratically yours,
John Hamilton
P.S. Mark your calendars now for the evening of Thursday, February 23rd, my 8th and final “State of the City” event. We’re hosting this one at the spectacularly refurbished Waldron Arts Center, and you won’t want to miss a gala evening!! Please join us!
DECEMBER 2022 NEWSLETTER
Friends,
Recently I announced I won’t be running for a third term as mayor—not an easy decision. Dawn and I have felt so fortunate to help shape Bloomington’s future through city government.
But I didn’t seek election in order to be mayor. I ran in order to do things as mayor. And I’m so very gratified in all the things we’ve been able to do together in the past seven years. It just feels right to turn the page (in 13 months!), and let others carry the baton onward.
Robin Chase, founder of Zipcar, has said we should “create the world we want to live in.” (She wanted to live in a world with shared cars, so she helped create it.) Together, we’ve been creating the Bloomington we want to live in.
We are creating a Bloomington with more jobs and better wages. With more affordable housing. With great outdoor spaces and outstanding cultural attractions and activities. With top-quality and equitable digital connectivity. With great basic services and strong finances. We are addressing the climate emergency and leaning into inclusion so all feel they belong here, as they do.
We are together creating the city we want to live in, despite the headwinds of a global pandemic and recession and the worst US presidency in history. Credit President Biden and Congress for providing crucial resources to weather the storms. And incredible partners and players who make Bloomington thrive.
With 13 months of work ahead, I’m excited about Bloomington’s future and our prospects to keep improving and make this the city we and many others want to live in.
None of this happens without you – supporters, friends, advocates, activists—lovers of Bloomington. Thank you so much, for all you do, and all you mean to Dawn and me. Keep loving this city we call home!
Democratically yours,
John Hamilton
P.S. Let’s celebrate the midterms and thank all those who ran for office. Democracy prevailed despite terrible gerrymandering, voter suppression, and election deniers. We of course have lots to do to overcome those obstacles, and overcome we shall.
NOVEMBER 2022 NEWSLETTER
Friends,
Infrastructure matters. It really does.
Our water utility just celebrated some milestones. The “Hidden River” project expanded stormwater conduits under our downtown to prevent future flooding (ahead of schedule and under budget). And we upgraded the Dillman Road wastewater plant, also on time and budget, to reduce energy usage and modernize our 40-year-old main plant. That’s $36 million for basic infrastructure. (We’re also finding any place our system might have lead pipes, to win federal funding to replace them.)
Many residents don’t notice such basics. (Until they don’t work--ask Flint, Michigan.) I’m very proud of how all our city departments invest today for impact tomorrow:
Public safety – Indiana’s only city with a nationally accredited police department and a top-rated fire department
Public transit – launching new bus-rapid-transit, micro-transit, and Sunday services
Public housing – getting every unit a major rehab in five years instead of the original 25 years
Affordable housing – supporting 1,100+ units in the past six years, and adding $1 million per year going forward for ongoing expansion
Climate emergency – investing $1.6 million annually to implement our Climate Action Plan
Good jobs – launching Indiana’s fastest growing co-work space, attracting thousands of new jobs and $3.5 billion in investments, and raising wages to the top tier of the state
Digital access and equity – attracting $50 million private investment to build a city-wide fiber network and the nation’s best program to help low-income families get great broadband service
All these investments and more position Bloomingtonians to thrive.
As we celebrated the Dillman Road upgrades, we noted it was the 1972 federal Clean Water Act that launched much of our local investments, like that water plant, for a better environment. That was one example of big, ambitious federal legislation enabling a stronger, successful America to lead the way. You can tick off quite a list of similar big ideas: Social Security, the Civil Rights Acts, Medicare and Medicaid, the Clean Air Act, the Affordable Care Act, and more.
And it’s really extraordinary that the Biden/Harris administration – in just TWO YEARS! – has dramatically expanded this list with the American Rescue Plan Act ($1.9 trillion), the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill ($1.2 trillion), the Inflation Reduction Act ($450 billion), and the CHIPS & Science bill ($280 billion). This is an amazing set of powerful investments in our future.
Locally, too, we’re making critical investments for our coming decades. Our 2016 Public Safety Local Income Tax supports those outstanding police and fire services. Our 2017 Food & Beverage Tax will expand our convention center to strengthen downtown. Our $10 million in 2018 Bicentennial bonds will build four new trails and plant hundreds of trees. Our modernized sanitation services protect our workers and increase recycling. This year’s $10 million bonds (planned for every five years) will let us maintain and improve parks and sidewalks and side-paths. And perhaps most importantly, our Economic Development Local Income Tax ($16 million annually) lets us walk the walk: expanding transit, affordable housing, climate responses, and equity, and supporting our outstanding public servants across all of city government.
Governments can get good things done, when we believe in ourselves. Critical investments are not always prominent, or even visible. But they are essential. And you know what? Democrats get it done. Nationally, and locally.
I’m an optimist, looking at Bloomington, and America – bright days are ahead. Yes, of course there are disappointments and dangers. Forces to contend with. But when we put our minds to it, and our shoulders to the wheel, and work together, there’s nothing we can’t accomplish.
Thanks for all you do to help Bloomington continue to prosper.
Democratically yours,
John Hamilton
P.S. I know you all know – vote! Early voting is underway. more details here. There is one week left to volunteer, donate, make calls, knock doors, and get the victories we need. Thanks for helping!!
P.P.S. If you want to receive regular updates of Bloomington city government’s goings on, consider signing up for a weekly email that summarizes news of the week. I think you’ll find it interesting, and efficient. Sign up here.
OCTOBER 2022 NEWSLETTER
Friends,
We just concluded a big week for Bloomington’s future.
On Tuesday, we hosted the first ever Regional Climate Convening, a joint effort with Mayor Lienhoop of Columbus that included leaders from our communities as well as Brown County. About 100 people gathered to discuss and plan how we might work together to address climate change in coming months and years. This bipartisan project, I hope, will lead to real progress among business, academia, government, and grassroots organizations. I’m excited to continue the efforts together and encourage you to check out the event here.
On Thursday, three CEOs came to Bloomington from New York, Atlanta, and Seattle, to break ground on our $50 million city-wide, gigabit-speed fiber network. Some of you may remember I’ve been working toward this since 2016. It’s a game-changer for our future. Meridiam, from New York, is providing the financing and will own the open-access network, as infrastructure. AEG from Atlanta is building the network within two years, ready to connect the first customers by January, and the entire city by 2024. GigabitNow from Seattle will be the founding Internet Service Provider, providing great speeds with net neutrality and a commitment to digital equity. More details here.
The most exciting part of the fiber program is that it is for everyone. Thousands of low-income Bloomington households will get 250Mbs internet (up and down) FREE--changing lives for kids in schools, parents working from home, elderly needing health care, and more. In terms of digital equity, it is the best such program in the country. We are committing $1 million in city funds (including federal APRA money) to join with Meridiam/GigabitNow in assuring any qualifying Bloomington low-income family essentially free great service. Here’s how it will work:
Bloomington households that qualify for the Biden/Harris (thank you!) Affordable Connectivity Program’s (ACP) $30 monthly subsidy will pay just that amount for GigabitNow service (thus a net $0 monthly cost).
Households qualify for ACP in many ways: if they receive Food Stamps (SNAP), Free or Reduced school lunch program, welfare (TANF), Medicaid, SSI, public housing, Women Infant & Children benefits (WIC), and more.
Meridiam and the City will cover the “drop” charges to connect from the household to the fiber in the street, saving each household hundreds of dollars.
The digital equity program also includes an annual $85,000 payment to the city to support local grant programs and a new digital equity position.
Addressing climate change together, as a region. Launching into the 21st century with state-of-the-art digital infrastructure and a groundbreaking equity approach. That’s what we do as Democrats in Bloomington.
And that’s why we need to elect more Democrats, from local to national spots. Elections are one month away. Get involved! Knock doors, make calls, tell your friends, donate money!! And be sure to vote! Our progress depends on it.
Democratically yours,
John Hamilton
P.S. Thanks for all who made the Hamilton Family Picnic last month – we had a blast and helped lift our candidates up! Now let’s get them into office!! Early voting starts this Wednesday, October 12th – more details here.