Kerry Thomson elected Bloomington mayor; gives remarks
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Following Kerry Thomson’s election tonight as Mayor of Bloomington, she delivered the following remarks at the Monroe County Democratic Party’s Election Night Watch Party.
“It’s the honor of a lifetime to be elected Mayor of Bloomington– a city I fell in love with on a cross country cycling trip. Thank you so much for your support and for caring as much as you do about Bloomington.
Tonight, together, we begin writing a new chapter for this community. Every day each one of us has a choice in life: we can wake up and look at what’s wrong with the world and choose despair, or we can look at our opportunity to make it right and choose a bold vision. I know Bloomington is better than choosing frustration and hopelessness, I know because you told me as much at your front door, in your community centers, and our library.
Bloomington is a city ready to commit to our next chapter. Ready to look to what light we can create tomorrow. We look forward to becoming the Bloomington we have imagined together. We will be the place that welcomes all and ensures their safety. We will be the place with an incredible research university, with renowned restaurants, and with extraordinary musicians. We will be the place with a thriving business community, and with smart, passionate neighbors who work together to solve the challenges we face. We will be the place where housing affordability is not a bullet point or a slogan, but an actual, working set of policies and programs. We will be the place where we all operate at the very top of our human potential—the place that believes, as I do, that homelessness is solvable, and where people do not die alone on our streets. We will be the place where we listen first, and welcome all to the table, with a responsive and open government that’s easy to work with.
Tonight, you’ve elected a bright and energetic new city council—and we will work together to make this the place that you deserve. I am grateful to the incredible team of volunteers who got me here, and my remarkable family who supported me through this process.
I understand the challenges we face. But I am never daunted. I am eager. I am optimistic. And I am ready. Together, we will make this the place that you are proud to call home. And on January 1st, I will be proud to say that I work for you.“
Known for her work building better communities, Kerry Thomson is a former Bloomington Habitat for Humanity CEO and now leads IU’s Center for Rural Engagement. A long-time resident of the community, Thomson has served on the boards of the IU Credit Union, Indiana Habitat for Humanity and the Tithe Advisory Board among others. A graduate of Randolph Macon Woman’s College, Kerry is a long-time Bloomington resident and lives with her husband and children.
