By Kurt Christian from the Herald Times
Democratic mayoral candidates John Hamilton and Amanda Barge engaged in a heated debate Tuesday evening over Bloomington’s and Monroe County’s affordable housing scorecards.
Indiana University’s chapter of Habitat for Humanity hosted an event Tuesday to discuss the Bloomington’s high residential costs. Hamilton stressed helping residents across the income spectrum and taking immediate action to address the city’s lacking supply.
Barge wants to see higher wages as a path to affordability and more representatives on governing bodies who are actually affected by high housing costs.
After saying his mayoral administration helped create more than 600 bedrooms of affordable housing, Hamilton asked Barge how many she has helped create in her role as a Monroe County commissioner. Barge did not give a number and said the city refused to work with the county to help create the infrastructure needed to create such housing.