Campaign email
pennygithens@gmail.com
Educational background
BS Chemistry and math education; MS Educational Psychology
Occupation(s)
Monroe County Commissioner
Monroe County Government already works with Bloomington and Ellettsville on multiple projects: waste reduction, animal shelter, dispatch, trails, and transit. We hope to work with Bloomington officials on ways to jointly use opioid settlement money. We combined our Human Rights Commissions to simplify the process for residents. By the time this is published, I expect the interlocal agreement for the Monroe Convention Center expansion to be signed by all parties, along with an easement for a City trail. The county needs a new correctional campus. The Commissioners are in regular talks with the Sheriff and other County officials on this issue. Residents should know that we also work with the entities like the BEDC, DBI, United Way and Beacon.
As my sons were growing up, I helped with their school activities and served as a volunteer special education advocate; I remain in contact with many of those families. As a Commissioner, I hold 2 virtual office hours every month, 1 in the middle of the day and 1 in the early evening. I attend many events in the community, such as the Ellettsville Chamber of Commerce and BEDC meetings, along with the Canopy of Lights and the Monroe County Fair. When there are rezone requests, I often drive out to the property so that I can see first-hand what the issues are. I do volunteer work, such as delivering food for Pantry 279 at Thanksgiving and assisting with drive-through food distributions. In short, I’m an active member of this community.
There are 3 big financial challenges facing Monroe County in the upcoming years. The 1st is building a new correctional campus. We know we need to build a new jail. While it will be costly, it will cost less to build offices for other parts of our correctional system if we do it all at once, and it will save money on the staffing needed for inmate transport. The 2nd is developing a transit system that meets the needs of all residents of Monroe County. Residents outside of Bloomington should be able to take public transportation to and from Bloomington for work, dining, recreation, and healthcare. The 3rd is the expansion of the Monroe County Airport and upgrading of its terminal, something that is needed by local industries, Crane and IU.
I recently learned that if an unhoused person is medically stabile before being housed, they are more likely to remain housed. Healthnet-Bloomington has a street-outreach program, and when I asked what their greatest need was, they said they needed another vehicle. Monroe County quickly donated a truck to them. We are active partners with groups like Heading Home, Beacon, New Hope for Families, and the Community Kitchen. We hope to use opioid settlement dollars to add beds for individuals in recovery. We donated land to Habitat for Humanity for Osage Place to increase affordable housing, and we are working with them on another possible neighborhood. Finally, we are looking at where it is environmentally safe to increase housing density.
Campaign email
jodymadeira@gmail.com, jodyformonroecounty@gmail.com
Educational background
B.S. Comm Studies /B.A. English, Millersville University of PA; MS Sociolinguistics Georgetown, Ph.D./J.D. University of Pennsylvania
Occupation(s)
Professor of Law, Indiana University Maurer School of Law
I want to change the dynamics of how the county and city interact. I would start with the basic premise that we're all working towards the same goals - the good of this community to which we all belong. "Winning" is moving the community forward together, with a shared vision and a mutual willingness to roll up the shirt sleeves and get to work. As a county official, I would thoroughly educate myself on issues, reading and speaking with stakeholders and impacted individuals. I would be kind and respectful, actively listen to those with whom I interact, and avoid personalizing issues. I would avoid obstructionism and would especially seek out those with different views to maximize the chances that decisions are fair and fully informed.
It's important for elected officials to be present and visible within their communities to listen to and learn from constituents. I want to hear how certain issues impact residents and listen to their viewpoints and ideas. I would seek out as many opportunities as possible to meet with residents in person. I would hold regular "listening meetings" where residents could meet with me at local coffee shops or businesses and share concerns and insights. Bigger "town halls" are also useful forums. I would attend community events where I could meet residents. I would also invite residents to email me with questions or concerns and would diligently respond to those messages. Finally, I would seek out residents whose voices are often marginalized.
This question can be answered two different ways - for residents and for the county. Monroe County residents' biggest challege is financial survival. A 2023 Monroe County ALICE report found that 24% of county households are in poverty. That's why affordable housing is such a priority, including addressing housing insecurity, rental housing, and increasing home ownership. As a political subdivision, Monroe County's biggest financial challenge will be financing maintenance and repairs for county properties (e.g, the jail) while also building new facilities as expeditiously as possible and ensuring that all county facilities are maximally accessible via public transportation, particulary expanding routes outside the city.
Homelessness is a complex issue involving mental health, substance use, medical concerns, and underemployment/unemployment. The county must work towards long-term sustainable solutions that have buy-in from government, service providers, individuals with lived experience of being unhoused. This includes making information on vacant low-market rentals easily accessible; providing permanent housing to people experiencing homelessness that also includes access to other support services like counseling, medical care, and substance use treatment; use preventative measures like mediation and emergency funds to avoid eviction; creating court diversion programs for homelessness-related offenses; and increasing communication between stakeholders.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Campaign email
steeveevee@gmail.com
Educational background
Master of Arts in Geography, IUB 2019
Occupation(s)
Host and Executive Producer, The 812 Show; Instructor, IUB
The Commissioners are the most powerful entity in County government; they set the tone for everyone else. I’d start by doing the opposite of what the current Commissioners have been doing: discouraging communication, ignoring input from everyone. I’d restore the Community Justice Response Committee, for example, invite representatives from Bloomington and Ellettsville, and then rely on the CJRC’s advice for the jail. ¶ After 20 years serving the city, I have a better working relationship with City Hall than anyone. The county must stop pretending like the city is a problem; the city and county need each other. Without someone in the Courthouse who engages with the city instead of shutting it out, everyone in the county will miss out.
I’d actively solicit opinions that aren’t usually heard. In my time with the city, I saw that public comment periods favor people who can afford to be in the room — who aren’t working, who aren’t caring for children — or who think that maybe their voices just don’t count. ¶ I now host and produce a daily podcast interviewing local decision makers, so my ability to listen seriously to people is available for download every weekday. In the same way that I solicit interview subjects to come on the show, I’d proactively ask to meet with groups underrepresented by the normal comment process. ¶ And I’d go to them, not wait for them to come downtown. We could do worse than to host such meetings where people are at, all across the county.
Rebuilding the giant, ongoing human-rights violation that is the county jail. Because the Commissioners dithered for so many years on fixing the jail, inflation and interest rates have blown up their consultants’ estimates (just like with Mayor Hamilton’s attempt to move BPD HQ to Showers West). Their ambition for some 25-acre “justice campus” is folly now, and bad policy for lots of reasons. ¶ There’s only one place for the jail to be, and that’s downtown. Instead of wasting millions on new land, and the $9+ million parking garage they built just a few years ago, we have land in the city center where we could build a more decent facility. We have to get going now on something good enough — not their unattainable “perfect” solution.
If our community (meaning the whole county, not just the city) has a shortage of housing at all levels, we shouldn’t be surprised by the degree of the homelessness problem. ¶ The county needs to take advantage of the ordinance I authored last year that expanded Bloomington Transit’s limits to the whole county. Transit makes more housing more affordable. Shrewd expansion of it can serve every income level, but is crucial to people experiencing extreme poverty. ¶ Less-expensive housing also means smaller lot sizes, smaller building footprints, and lower parking mandates. Nodes of smaller homes built close together can be served by transit, and allows homes in many more places, both outside and inside the city, that could alleviate the crisis.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
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