Post election reaction, response to acts of hate, Dunhill Apartment project, downtown recycling, a Trades District announcement and parking study commission.
On this week's installment of Ask The Mayor, Bloomington Mayor John Hamilton addresses these issues and more. Listen to the full conversation with Indiana Newsdesk anchor Joe Hren by clicking on the play button above, or read some of the questions and answers below. A portion of this segment airs 6:45 and 8:45 a.m. Wednesday on WFIU.
This conversation has been edited for clarity and conciseness.
Hren: Are you surprised over the election? What were you thinking as results were coming in? As a democrat, did the Democratic Party do enough to campaign Indiana?
Hamilton: I was shocked. Extraordinary gratified that our public school referendum passed 82 percent. I did not think this is where our country and state were headed. This was an extraordinary year. Democrats worked their hearts out. It's worth noting Hillary Clinton received more votes than Trump did nationally. It was a great concern to me on how the campaign was run. I was trying to think of a campaign that was so based on fear and anger. And typically that doesn't work. Americans don't want a campaign based on fear and anger. They look for campaigns that talk about positive, the future... so I was shocked.
Email from Lisa: What will the city be doing to keep vulnerable residents safe, and what actions will your administration be taking in response to acts of hate in our town?
Hamilton: It is absolutely fundamental to me and the elected officials here to keep this community safe, to protect people from that kind of hatred, we will not tolerate that kind of behavior. We will prosecute it to the fullest extent of the law because that is not Bloomington. I want everybody in the community to know, we care about everybody, everybody belongs, if you see anything you think we should know about please just call us. Call 9-1-1 if you have any question. We have a strong civil rights ordinance, we have a police force that's committed to protection.
Email from Tina: Would you consider taking on leadership role in making Bloomington a sanctuary city to protect immigrants from being turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement without due process?
Hamilton: The short answer is yes. I know it came up in a big community meeting last night, I know our council and I would be open to thinking about it. I don't know the details and logistics of that, but I certainly believe Bloomington ought to be in that front vanguard protecting against inappropriate tearing families apart.
Email from Ben: Many deportations begin when an immigrant is arrested and despite the reason for the arrest, it is flagged and INS can begin deportation procedures. Is there anything Bloomington's police department can do to prevent those flags from being raised and help protect our residents from federal incursion?
Hamilton: I haven't heard of an episode happening since I've been mayor, which doesn't mean it didn't happen. We're open with the city council to make sure this community is not part of what I view as a terrible idea that the president-elect has pushed forward, to massively deport people from our country.
Twitter from Mia: Why does Mayor Hamilton not allow Indiana Recovery Alliance into Peoples Park to give aid?
Hamilton: Well, we do allow them into People's Park to give aid. They're very active. I've met with Indiana Recovery Alliance. We have a lot of recovery issues in Bloomington, we have addiction, we have mental health and addiction issues together and we work closely with Recovery Alliance and many others. I also believe that those public parks, be public. Available to people across all walks of life and that's what public parks are for.
Hren: Regarding the new Dunhill apartment project approval and the $1 million appropriation toward affordable housing, how does the public know where that money is going and if it's being used appropriately?
Hamilton: Last week city council passed an ordinance to create a new housing development fund that will be appropriated by city council and that will be managed by the city to accomplish the objectives we agree on. It will go through the regular appropriation process so those funds will be very transparent.
