Kerry Thomson emerged victorious in the three-way Democratic primary race for Bloomington mayor Tuesday. Thomson is currently unopposed and will take office in January if no challenger files to run against her by this summer.
Thomson won with 43% of the vote, beating out Don Griffin with 24% and Susan Sandberg with 33%.
Thomson garnered more donations than her competitors and lauded her experience as CEO of Habitat for Humanity of Monroe County as an example of how she would approach the affordable housing crisis. Thomson is currently the executive director of the IU Center for Rural Engagement.
TAt the Ivy, a downtown event venue where Thomson’s watch party occurred, former mayors Mark Kruzan, John Fernandez and Tomi Allison introduced Thomson.
As she approached the podium, the crowd started chanting: “Kerry! Kerry!”
Dealing with issues with the microphone, Thomson asked “Can I turn this off?”
“You can do whatever you want, you’re the mayor!” someone shouted.
Thomson expressed gratitude for her large crowd of supporters and said her campaign had knocked on almost 13,000 doors.
Thomson said everyone’s voice was important in the city, regardless of what they believed in or how much money they had. She said she hoped Bloomington could set an example for the rest of the country.
“This is a new leaf for Bloomington,” she said.
During her speech, Thomson also thanked Griffin and Sandberg for running a great race, saying they made her a better candidate.
