The John Waldron Arts Center in Bloomington. (Devan Ridgway/WTIU)
Bloomington city council members agreed on one thing Wednesday: Doris Sims should be the the lone council-appointed member to the five-member board of directors for a new city capital improvements 501(c)(3) nonprofit introduced by Mayor John Hamilton.
But while eight of the nine council members present at last night’s regular session expressed confidence in Sims’ experience and ability, many disputed the uneven split of board appointments between the mayor’s office and city council — and more broadly, how much city council members have been involved in discussions about the board.
Many council members said Hamilton’s administration has not been transparent with them. Council member Stephen Volan took issue with the fact that the four mayor-appointed board members of the nonprofit City of Bloomington Capital Improvements Inc., selected officers and adopted bylaws at its meeting last Friday before the council had named an appointment.
“Do we even have a meaningful representative on the board if the very important initial step they take to create bylaws and select officers was done without even waiting for our appointee to be consulted?” Volan said. “I mean, I find this to be disturbing. I was supportive of the 501(c)(3). I was definitely not supportive of it under these conditions.”
Background: Hamilton announces nonprofit to focus on arts, tech, housing
The nonprofit board will oversee projects focusing on arts, technology and housing — including the Buskirk-Chumley Theater, the Waldron Arts Center, the Trades District, and housing projects in the Hopewell neighborhood.
Hamilton announced his appointments to the board last month. They include Mick Renneisen, Sarah Bauerle Danzman, John West and Valerie Peña.
Doris Sims is the former director of the city’s housing and neighborhood development department and is married to council member Jim Sims, who was one of many council members who criticized the four-to-one split of board appointees.
Jim Sims also said he was concerned by a section in the group’s bylaws that states that any vacancy on the board would be filled by an appointment by the remaining board members.
Background: Mayor’s office names board appointments for capital improvements nonprofit
“Let’s say, for example, it’s our appointee — then that board replaces that person; it don’t come back to us,” Sims said. “So, we don’t have an opportunity to appoint someone else to replace our own appointee, and that seems a little off to me, if I’m reading it correctly.”
But the bylaws also specify a board-appointed member would only serve the rest of their predecessor’s term. That means if a council-appointed board member were to leave and the board appointed someone to fill in, that person would only serve temporarily. City council would still appoint someone new once the term expires.
Council member Isabel Piedmont-Smith said what’s written in the bylaws was “not as egregious” as Sims implied and questioned why her colleagues did not raise issues at the council’s previous meeting, when Deputy Mayor Mary Catherine Carmichael was present.
Hamilton’s communications director Andrew Krebbs said the proposed by-laws were shared with the council as part of a mid-January memo and can be amended if deemed necessary.
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He added that any vacancy on the board would be filled by the board for the unexpired portion of that term only.
"Doris Sims is an excellent choice for the City Council appointment on the CBCI," Krebbs said in a written statement. " Doris is an accomplished professional with housing experience, specifically affordable housing, and is a well-respected community leader. Activating the nonprofit CBCI is the best path to realizing the full public value of projects like the new Hopewell neighborhood supplementing the core work of city departments. The Administration looks forward to continuing conversations with City Council and Council Leadership to address their concerns."
Council president Sue Sgambelluri has the authority to make an appointment to the board without a vote from the rest of the council, per the CBCI’s bylaws. But she opted to call a vote, the other option allowed under the bylaws, after her colleagues raised concerns.
Doris Sims’ appointment was approved by a vote of 6-0-2. Council members Susan Sandberg and Dave Rollo abstained, and Council member Kate Rosenbarger was not present.
“I think this entire process lacks the transparency and the public debate that something of this importance absolutely requires,” Sandberg said, adding that the council never voted on or discussed the nonprofit’s merits.
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Sandberg also cited concerns about a perceived “privatization” of city assets, particularly the art venues that would be managed by the nonprofit. She wanted to postpone the vote on Sims’ appointment and questioned whether it would be possible to have additional council-appointed board members.
“To me, this is a gross violation of the public’s trust,” Sandberg said. “I have the utmost confidence in Doris Sims’ to be able to be a member of any board; she’s a tremendous resource and has been and will continue to be. But I can’t agree to this, because I have not had any decision-making about this formation.”
Rollo felt similarly to Sandberg about Hamilton’s approach.
“I have a lot of trepidation for making an appointment to the CBCI, as it may be interpreted as giving my consent,” he said. “Rushing to get things moving without the participation of the stakeholder seems to be the modus operandi of the administration, unfortunately.”
Council members plan to revisit discussions about the CBCI with Hamilton at their next meeting on March 29.
