In a recent milestone for Bloomington, Kerry Thomson took office as city’s first directly-elected-female mayor, heralding a new era of leadership. With just four months under her belt, Thomson wasted no time in confronting key issues head-on and charting a path towards progress.

“What we’re looking at is creating a really vibrant community that really speaks to the personality of Bloomington and attracts and keeps some great residents here.”

The number one issue that Thomson wants to tackle is housing, more specifically, housing affordability. At her first state of the city address earlier this month, Thomson made it clear that she has heard Bloomington residents’ concerns about soaring housing costs, and plans to do something to bring those costs back down.

Taking swift action, Thomson has already initiated efforts to relocate “disruptive” homeless encampments, with a steadfast commitment to securing safe and stable housing for the unhoused population.

“There are too few affordable places to live in Bloomington, and too many unhoused neighbors.”

When dealing with the housing crisis, Thomson draws from her 20 years of experience as the CEO of the Monroe County branch of Habitat for Humanity. She maintains that working with the disadvantaged taught her to be a visionary who knows how to execute a plan.

During the state of the city address, Thomson laid out her plan to reestablish affordable housing in Bloomington, along with plans of action for other key issues facing the city.

 

Since being sworn in, Thomson says she has committed to a hands-on approach to governance that relies heavily on community outreach, transparency and “meeting people where they are.” This new approach has garnered Thomson praise from other city leaders.

“I think that she has been pretty transparent so far in what she’s been doing… and I think its going pretty well,” said City Council President and District I Representative Isabel Piedmont-Smith. 

Thomson has started hosting traveling town halls and coffee shop office hours across the city to give residents an opportunity to voice their concerns to her directly. On her first day in office, Thomson ordered two independent audits of the city’s finances and plans to release those findings to the public as soon as they become available.

She said she is also committed to “bringing more people to the table” in an effort to make more informed decisions about the wants and needs of Bloomington residents.

As a mother of four, Thomson said she recognizes the power of digital connectivity and frequently utilizes social media platforms to share updates and connect with residents on a personal level through weekly video updates.

Above all, Thomson says her experience as a mother allows her to govern Bloomington through a compassionate lens.

“As a mother, you see everyone’s possibility, right? And, you are able to really look at an individual and believe in them and root them on. That is the most fundamental thing that I have learned from motherhood about leadership.”