Nick Becker, left, and Patrick Lawler are running for Bloomington City Council in Ward 5, representing the city s near-east side.
Whether and how the Bloomington City Council tackles some of the thorniest social justice issues in the community may hinge on the outcome of the April 6 election.
Depending on the results, up to four new city council members could be sworn in in May. Police funding and reforms, including the Welcoming City immigration ordinance, appear likely to resurface during the next four years, as well as myriad economic inclusivity issues.
Here’s a look at each contested race:
Nick Becker, a vice president for a data services firm, will face high school teacher Patrick Lawler. Ward 5 incumbent Joni Painter is not seeking re-election.
Starting this fall, Bloomington officially will celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day the second Monday of each October.
The Bloomington City Council unanimously passed the ordinance during its meeting Monday night. And, with a 5-4 vote, the council also OK d a resolution calling on other Illinois communities, as well as state and federal leaders, to end Columbus Day as a holiday, and replace it with Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
Besides the Columbus Day-related items, the council heard a preview about the upcoming fiscal 2022 budget from Bloomington finance director Scott Rathbun. This spring, staff will tweak the $245-million budget, and the council will finalize it in mid-April.
Breanna Grow / WGLT
Council members voted 5-4 at Tuesday night’s Committee of the Whole meeting to direct staff to draft an ordinance to bring to the council for a future vote.
Council member Jenn Carrillo submitted the latest proposal, written in conjunction with fellow alderman Jeff Crabill.
In 2017, before winning the Ward 6 seat, Carrillo was one of the lead organizers behind the Keep Families Together Coalition aimed at passing Welcoming Cities ordinances in Bloomington and Normal.
Carrillo said the past and current iterations of the proposal in Bloomington have the same goal: “protect our undocumented residents by establishing a very clear separation between ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and local law enforcement.”
Bloomington City Council meets remotely Jan. 11, 2021.
The Bloomington City Council on Monday overwhelmingly voted to join the Welcoming Network, a nonprofit group that prides itself on creating inclusive environments for immigrants through community engagement, job training and other initiatives.
The 7-0 vote, in favor of the membership in the Welcoming America Initiative, means Bloomington can actively promote “breaking barriers between the immigrant community and the rest of the population,” said Ward 2 council member Donna Boelen, who drafted the proposal.
Council members Jenn Carrillo, of Ward 6, and Jeff Crabill, of Ward 8, who have opposed joining Welcoming America saying it fails to protect the city’s immigrants from an overbearing federal system, were absent from Monday night’s meeting.