A competitive local primary election season concluded with several unseated incumbents, meaning the Bloomington City Council may look drastically different next January. All Democratic candidates are currently unopposed except for Hopi Stosberg, who will face Republican Brett Heinisch in November. Republican, Libertarian or Independent candidates can file to run for the general election by the summer.
District 1
Isabel Piedmont-Smith, an incumbent Bloomington City Councilmember, fended off challenger Joe Lee by winning 58.18% of the vote in the primary election.
District 2
Kate Rosenbarger won the primary race for District 2, beating fellow incumbent Sue Sgambelluri after the two were redistricted into the same area. She won 51.48% of the vote.
District 3
Hopi Stosberg unseated incumbent Ron Smith in the primary election, beating fellow challenger and IU student Conner Wright in the process. She achieved 57.31% of the vote in the three-way race. She will face Republican Brett Heinisch in November’s general election.
District 4
Dave Rollo received 1,471 votes in his uncontested bid for re-election.
District 5
Shruti Rana beat challenger Jenny Stevens with 58.13% of the vote.
District 6
David Wolfe Bender received 69 votes in his uncontested bid for District 6 in the primary election. Bender, an IU student, said he plans to stay in the race after previous intent to withdraw following questions over his residency. In a letter, Bender said he planned to attend the May 18 hearing scheduled by the Monroe County Election Board, which is meant to resolve questions around his residency.
At-Large
The winning candidates for the at-large city council primary race are Isak Asare, incumbent Matt Flaherty and former councilmember Andy Ruff. They received 19.91%, 17.69% and 18.81% of the vote, respectively.
Stephen Volan, who was redistricted out of District 6, only received 12.16% of the vote, ending his nearly 20-year tenure on the council. Volan advocated for the independent redistricting process that eventually pushed him out of his district.
City Clerk
Current City Clerk Nicole Bolden received 6,543 votes in the primary in her uncontested bid for re-election.
Editor's note: David Wolfe Bender is a former employee of the Indiana Daily Student.
