Friends,
The weather warms and days lengthen. The virus wanes, thank goodness.
Eleven days ago, I presented the annual State of the City to the City Council and the community. If you want to check out the music, spoken word, and visual arts as well as the speech, it’s available here.
One joy in sharing the “state” of Bloomington is highlighting extraordinary colleagues who lead the sixteen departments of our City government and who with their respective staffs have accomplished so much in the past six years. It warms my heart and inspires me as we note our progress.
The evening also lets us consider big challenges and opportunities in front of us. We focused on these three:
First, our global and local climate emergency has not abated, and our whole society will be shifting in coming years. Opportunities abound. And challenges. I have called for the convening of a Green Ribbon Panel, representing a range of local institutions and views, to help us lead through this terrain together. The public, private, and nonprofit sectors all need to align and invest in this future. Local action is essential, and the Biden/Harris infrastructure bill also offers some great ways to accelerate progress.
Second, Bloomington’s future must be more inclusive – more diverse and more equitable. We have to ensure that everyone belongs and can thrive in our sustainable future, no matter their income, background, ability, race, religion, ethnicity, gender identity, or sexual orientation. We in City government are already coordinating with IU to create a DEI Coalition to reflect, strategize, and plan the most innovative solutions to foster this inclusive community, to identify and eliminate barriers and challenges for people from historically marginalized communities living in Bloomington. These diversity, equity and inclusion efforts will include institutions, alliances, and members of our wide community. Reach out to Deputy Mayor Don Griffin if you are interested in getting involved.
Third, for us to grasp the future we imagine and expect, Bloomington needs more annual revenue. Among Indiana’s 20 largest cities, we have nearly the lowest property and income tax rates. I am very proud of what we have done as a community, but we have to recognize that without new local revenue we simply cannot meet our community’s ongoing potential – with better, more affordable housing, with more sustainable infrastructure, with better jobs, and with the best City employees providing the highest quality basic services. Success requires investment, and we cannot rely on state or federal sources to do the job. It’s our turn to assure we have what’s needed to realize our future.
You all know me well enough, I think, to know that I do not tend to shrink from a challenge. I hope you also know me well enough to know that I will always do my level best to help Bloomington become a better place, and to help all of us here – now and in the future – live better lives.
Democracy is how we decide how best to achieve progress. I hope you will engage with us in the coming weeks as we address these big opportunities and challenges. Let me know your thoughts, and thanks for all you do to help Bloomington blossom!
Democratically yours,
John
P.S. If you’re looking for an interesting book, I’ll recommend The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson. It’s a fascinating science-fiction novel imagining the next several decades on earth, dealing with climate change. It’s a terrific, thought provoking read (and is commended by Barack Obama and Ezra Klein too)!