Eric Stock / WGLT
Former Bloomington Mayor Rich Buchanan, who spent more than four decades in public service and helped strengthen collaboration between the Twin Cities, died Tuesday. He was 81.
Buchanan served as Bloomington mayor from 1977 to 1985, after two terms on the city council.
In a 2019 interview with WGLT, Buchanan reflected on his time leading the city.
“I just loved being mayor,” Buchanan said. “I think I was well received. People didn’t beat up on me too much.”
Former Normal Mayor Paul Harmon served on the Normal Town Council when Buchanan was mayor of Bloomington. Harmon said Buchanan fostered a new spirit of cooperation between the Twin Cities.
Rich Buchanan, Former Bloomington Mayor, Longtime Public Servant, Dies
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Bloomington City Council Roundup
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The three candidates on the ballot for Bloomington mayor are, from left, Mboka Mwilambwe, Jackie Gunderson, and Michael Straza.
Bloomington voters this spring will choose their first new mayor in eight years. The choice is between a low-key veteran city council member and two political newcomers with very different backgrounds. One of them will replace Tari Renner, who is not seeking a third term.
Mboka Mwilambwe
Mboka Mwilambwe, who joined the city council in 2011, said his focus would be on updating the city’s roads and other infrastructure and providing core services like public safety and recreation.
“The streets are the thing that people actually see. When we have some that are in a state of disrepair, I don’t think it makes the public trust what we’re doing. If we do focus on that, we’ll be able to generate a lot more trust from the generic public. Because what we don’t want is the public to look at us engaging in other endeavors, and yet the street in front of
Mollie Ward, left, and Kelby Cumpston have claimed victory in Tuesday s primary for Bloomington s Ward 7 seat.
Unofficial results show Kelby Cumpston and Mollie Ward have won Tuesday s primary election for Bloomington s Ward 7 seat.
As the top two finishers of the five candidates, they ve earned spots on the April 6 ballot.
If the primary is any indication of what s ahead, the municipal election for Ward 7 could be close. Of the 301 votes tallied after polls closed at 7 p.m., 105 (34.9%) went to Cumpston, and 102 (33.9%) to Ward.
They were followed by Daniel Freburg, with 41 votes (13.6%), Coretta Jackson with 39 (12.6%), and June Peterson-Middlebrooks, 15 (4.9%).
Ward currently serves as alderman to the area in the northwest Bloomington. Her predecessor, Scott Black, announced in June he wasn t seeking re-election. But then he resigned as Ward 7 alderman in October and Mayor Tari Renner appointed Ward.