Bloomington Alderman Diana Hauman is running for Mayor.
Hauman said she prefers to say she is not running against Mayor Tari Renner, who appointed her, so much as she is running for the City of Bloomington in April of 2017.
"I am not a politician. I really consider myself a public servant. I feel that by running, I am being loyal to Bloomington, which is my adopted city," said Hauman.
Hauman has lived in the city for 21 years.
"In terms of being visionary, we don't have a strategic plan. We tend to do more let's do this, let's do that and we don't have an overarching plan about what we want our Bloomington to look like, taste like, smell like in the years going forward," said Hauman.
Hauman said there are elements of a strategic plan, such as the downtown plan, but they need to be put together so residents know what to expect on a time line.
Hauman acknowledged the city still has a lot of work to do on the backlog of basic needs such as streets and infrastructure.
"We are woefully behind as anybody who has driven on our streets knows. Even if we had every dollar that we needed right now to fix our streets we wouldn't have the materials or the manpower to do it. So, with the plan that we have, our streets plan, Public Works has identified the streets, and prioritized them, and we'll be working to make sure the infrastructure below ground is solid before we start doing the above-ground work," said Hauman.
Hauman said she is an optimist, a visionary, and a collaborator. She is optimistic about Bloomington with the many assets the city has including excellent healthcare and education systems, a talented workforce, and transportation options.
She said her 30 years leading a micro-business has reinforced awareness of the need to collaborate.
"Collaboration with other businesses, our neighbors to the north, and with the county that surrounds us, especially in the area of economic development," said Hauman.
Mayor Renner is the other announced candidate in the race.
