Public safety, incarceration and the economy were discussed at the Monroe County Council at Large forum last night.
Candidates for Monroe County Council at Large debated in a League of Women Voter’s forum last night at the Monroe County Public Library. This forum is the fourth part in the League of Women Voter’s forum series. The group is a nonpartisan political organization that encourages citizens to be informed and exercise their right to vote.
Hal Turner, the Republican candidate, is campaigning against three Democratic Party candidates — Lee Jones, Geoff McKim and Cheryl Munson, all running for re-election.
The League of Women Voters moderator said straight party voting does not include county council at large. Candidates must be voted for individually on election day.
“People get up in a roar about Trump and Bernie,” Lillian Henegar, a Bloomington resident, said. “But the most important races are the local elections.”
Jones, originally from Bloomington, owns the Stranger’s Hill Organics farm with her husband. It is the oldest certified organic farm in Indiana.
She said she is proud of the work she has done on the council, including the public safety local income tax and switching the veterans affair officer job to a full time position to provide greater support for local veterans.
If re-elected, Jones said during her next term she will work to maintain a balanced budget to keep the county fiscally strong, strengthen the local safety net and fund community correction so non-violent criminals can be kept out of overcrowded jails.
“We’ve kept the needs of the county at the front of our considerations,” Jones said.
McKim is a program manager and e-government consultant at Technology Service Corporation in Bloomington. He has served eight years on the county council, three of which were as president, and McKim said he hopes he will have another opportunity to continue to grow the vibrant Monroe County economy.
McKim’s priorities during his next term would be to strengthen the local economy, fund alternatives to incarceration, because county jails are at capacity; and pass a sustainable budget that reflects progressive values, he said.
Urbanization in Bloomington is something to look forward to, McKim said. A project to connect the industrial drive to the white house crossing area has potential, and building infrastructure near the shuttered Asea Brown Boveri and General Electric plants will raise employment.
“If you return me to office, I will continue to work to make local government effective and accessible to all,” McKim said.
Munson, an archaeologist and research scientist at IU, loves Monroe County, which is why she is running for reelection, she said.
Adding five additional road deputies in the county will help public safety, and Munson would like to continue to work to increase public safety, she said. It will be funded by annual allocation through the county from income taxes.
Munson said she wants county residents to be involved with local government and see where council members vote to place priority on providing services through public forums. Encouraging government transparency is important, she said.
“The council is responsible to the voters, not other elected officials,” Munson said.
This is the first time Turner has run for public office.
“I haven’t run for office since the seventh grade when I ran against my girlfriend,” Turner said. “She won by one vote.”
He has lived in Bloomington since 2007, according to his website, and over time he had become aware that a “certain group of people” appeared to be running every election. This group all have the same ideology and regressive plan for Monroe County, he said. He added, the political game of musical chairs is not serving the people well.
Turner said fresh blood is needed in office to create change and eliminate the entitlement expressed by the party in power.
He said the public safety tax passed last night is concerning to Turner because public safety should also include what happens to the money. The money can be redirected at a whim.
The county council members are supposed to act as trustees of the people’s money, which Turner said hasn’t always happened properly in the past.
“We have to ensure as trustees that we’re answerable to you,” Turner said.
William Ellis, chairman on the Monroe County Republican Party, said he was pleased to see a united front on public safety. However, Turner was the only candidate to pledge to not fire employees without probable cause, while Democratic candidates unsurprisingly ignored the issue, he said.
Lillian Henegar, a Bloomington resident, said it was clear to her, based off of tonight’s forum, that the current county council members work well together and know what they are doing.
“They’re really solid public servants,” Henegar said. “You want smart, capable people running your local government because these are the important races.”
