Social services funding, water treatment among issues discussed at forum

Elections 2007
Candidates for city council Districts 2 and 6 answer questions about priorities

By Emily Veach 331-4243 | eveach@heraldt.com
October 3, 2007

Four of the candidates running in contested races for Bloomington City Council participated in a forum Tuesday at Ivy Tech Community College.

They each answered 10 questions from panelists and community members.

District 2 candidates Democrat Jillian Kinzie and Republican Brad Wisler were first on the stage. Both stressed their availability to constituents, but differed in their answer to a question about social services funding.

Wisler, the incumbent, sees a need for more transparency in awarding funds such as the annual Jack Hopkins funds. He pointed to committee meetings held in the council office and said there should be a more public discussion.

The meetings are public and advertised in the council’s weekly calendar.

Kinzie said she would put her trust in the council members serving on the funding committee.

Both candidates are in favor of increasing the city’s water treatment capacity. But they agreed that there should be more study of the idea, which the city’s Utilities Service Board is conducting.

Wisler said his campaign is focusing on getting “back to the basics” of city government: public safety, sanitation, snow removal and infrastructure. Kinzie said she would maintain what’s working in the city and expand funding to initiatives such as the B-Line Trail and Miller-Showers Park.

The next two candidates to answer questions were District 6 Republican candidate Marjorie Hudgins and Democrat Stephen Volan, the incumbent. They differed significantly in their answers to the question about allocating city funds.

Hudgins said that as a result of her experience owning apartments, and thus having to pay high amounts in taxes, she would not institute any new city programs without some deep thought.

Volan advocated for the recently proposed downtown shuttle. He said it is part of the answer to Bloomington’s parking problem, along with a metering system. This is another area where the two disagreed. Hudgins said that in the past, parking meters “contributed to the downfall of downtown,” so she is opposed to them.

District 6, mostly made up of students, faces different challenges than the other five districts. Both candidates pledged to try to get students involved through the Internet as well as neighborhood meetings.