Kerry Thomson, executive director for the IU Center for Rural Engagement, filed paperwork to form a principal committee to run for mayor of Bloomington on June 8. She is the second Democrat to formally indicate interest in running.
A principal committee is different from an exploratory committee, which requires candidates to file paperwork to convert to a principal committee if they decide to run. City council president Susan Sandberg formed an exploratory committee to run for mayor June 1.
Mayor John Hamilton has not yet said if he will run for reelection.
Thomson worked as CEO of Habitat for Humanity of Monroe County from 1997 to 2017. She has served on the Indiana Habitat for Humanity board, Habitat for Humanity International’s U.S. council and the IU Credit Union Board of Directors.
Thomson received a Bachelor of Arts in sociology, anthropology and women’s studies from Randolph-Macon College.
In spring 2021, Thomson was a member of the “Go Farther Together” group, which called for a pause in Mayor Hamilton’s attempt to change the unified development ordinance to allow for further study. The proposed changes involved allowing multi-family housing in places previously zoned for single family homes.
