Case Date:

7/6/2016

Dear Bill With Indiana's gun laws pre-empting any local action, it may be challenging for City Legal to find a way to revise parade policy to prevent people from carrying assault weapons through the parade. On Monday I fled the parade upon seeing men with assault weapons bearing down on my family as they rode down College Avenue. If they had opened fire, I would have no time, and no where, to escape. So I left immediately. Since then I have pondered on how our City might protect us from this experience in the future. Posting about this on facebook, 100 comments ensued. My suggestions are: 1) At parade line-up, insist on verifying gun licenses belonging to people bearing weapons. Call in BPD for help, if necessary. (I hear a rumor that City employees failed to check gun licenses this year). 2) Make an explicit statement requesting no assault weapons in the parade, or somehow explicitly not allowing them. 3) Issue a statement warning citizens that floats will bear assault weapons in the parade, so that we can choose to protect ourselves by not attending the parade, if the City really has no recourse. 4) Take on the legal issue of state law pre-empting local provisions, perhaps through an action of City Council. Appeal rulings, if necessary. 5) Since a private institution may choose to not allow open carry of weapons, perhaps the City creates a separate, private institution to administer the parade. A public-private entity like the Friends of the Market effort to raise funds for farmer's market. Really hoping you can prevent this experience in future. It goes far beyond the diversity and open-mindedness we want our parade to express. It is about danger and safety. All the very best, Julia DeBruicker Valliant 1992 City of Bloomington July 4 parade Grand Marshal 2013 City of Bloomington July 4 parade float organizer 2016 City of Bloomington July 4 parade terrified spectator

Case Date:

7/6/2016

To Whom it May Concern at the Office of the Mayor: Hello! My name is Aubrey Seader, and I'm a resident of Bloomington (living in the two-mile fringe on the south side). Recently my family and I were involved in and attended the annual 4th of July parade in downtown Bloomington. The parade was mostly really great! It's great to see so many people and organizations that are a part of my community, that I don't normally get to interact with. There was one float in the parade, however, that made myself and many of my friends and family very nervous and very angry. The float consisted of two vehicles - both Jeeps I think - carrying men holding up or displaying in some way automatic rifles. Machine guns. Men and women walked beside the cars displaying side arms, and other large guns. One man held up over his head a laminated copy of the constitution. As offensive and sickening as this display was - just weeks after the attack on Pulse nightclub that killed 40 people - I realize it was completely legal and that the city is not permitted to refuse entry to the parade to any group if what they are doing follows the letter of the law. I'm not even sure if the mayor's office has anything to do with city events like the parade. I just wanted to write to someone and say that seeing this float was terrifying. These people not only had multiple automatic weapons... these weapons were clearly loaded. I could see the clips and rounds attached to them. And families, children, all of us just had to hold our breath and watch as they passed. Gun violence has traumatized the US for years now, as we've seen our own president give 16 condolence speeches following mass shootings .. just within the past FOUR YEARS. I remember the day I heard about the shooting at Sandy Hook. All the breath just fell out of me and I'm still not quite able to get past the knowledge that after the horrifying deaths of dozens of elementary-aged children, America did nothing to enact stricter, common sense gun safety laws. In my mind, the way this 4th of July float, in our City of Bloomington parade, made light of this grief, this trauma we all sit with everyday, could be compared to a float making light of the events of September 11th. There has to be some way we can at least prevent people from bringing loaded assault weapons to public events. Perhaps they can be allowed to bring the mechanical part of the gun, but we have to make sure they leave all their amo at home. I'm sad that we can't remove guns from public places the way we've banned smoking within so many feet of local businesses and public buildings. But for now, can we work on requiring parade participants to leave their assault rifle amo at home? I can't imagine the fear struck in the hearts of every parent in that crowd on Monday. Those people that made that float should be ashamed of themselves. Thank you for reading this. If there's anyone at the city you can suggest I speak to about this matter, I'd love to get their contact information! Thanks for all the great work you do! Best, Aubrey Seader

Case Date:

7/6/2016

Dear Mayor Hamilton, I hope you had a wonderful holiday weekend. It was a pleasure to meet you to discuss possible opportunities with your administration. I enjoyed our discussions very much and wanted to take the time to send you a thoughtful note following our meeting. You mentioned the need for strong project management. Many of the projects I've worked on over the years entail various moving pieces that all happen simultaneously, and/or require forethought on how to structure implementation in order to keep things moving. My references will be happy to share with you in detail about complex project we've worked on together. With regards to competency and writing skills, I graduated #1 in my Masters program at Valparaiso University with a 3.87 grade point average. Furthermore, the professors inducted me into the Atheneaum Honor Society for my demonstrated leadership, charter and academic performance. Following graduation in May 2011, I became an adjunct instructor at Valparaiso University School of Business School beginning that Fall semester. In addition to municipal experience, my professional portfolio over the years includes extensive engagement in smart cities and emerging/advanced markets, particularly in regions of the world who are at the forefront of next generation infrastructure, advanced markets and cities of the future in these areas (i.e., Amsterdam, Finland, Estonia). I regularly publish articles for various media sources on these topics, such as a recent piece on Smart Cities and the Age of Urban Tech. I was also interviewed in Forbes last year. If you would like additional published works/writing samples, I'd be happy to send more your way. As discussed, I've built a strong network of global thought leaders in smart cities and emerging tech industries. As a result, I often receive invitations to conferences and/or asked to speak on panels at workshops around the world. Most recently, I was invited to the smart cities in Nice, France http://www.tmforumlive.org/agenda_category/smart-city-live/ and the New Cities Summit in Montreal- http://www.newcitiessummit2016.org/ . There are additional upcoming conferences I've received invitations to, and hope to have the opportunity to attend. Speaking of which, I was unable to travel to Europe or Vegas these two weeks in July, so I am around and available to meet again. The opportunities highlighted appear to be in sync with your vision for the tech park and trade district, among other priorities for your administration. I welcome the opportunity to learn more about your priorities and how you envision balancing the interests/needs of your constituents while laying the foundation to set up Bloomington for success in the future. Thank you again for your time and consideration. It was an honor to meet you, I look forward to hearing from you. Just for fun, attached is a photo I took with John Kerry while working on his campaign back in 2004! Respectfully, Lauren E. Riga

Case Date:

7/6/2016

Bill What were you thinking? I have been attending our parade for over 30 years. I hope to never see a parade like this again. Those two Taliban machine gun pick up trucks could have made mince meat of me and the entire street if even one of the participants got unhinged. Live ammo? Really? What if they were scared by a firecracker or bottle rocket and started shooting at parade watchers? They looked and acted mean and had no place in our parade. Epic fail Duane

Case Date:

7/5/2016

Greetings Mr. Mayor- I live in Bloomington and am a proud, eleven-year resident originally from San Diego. I am writing this unsolicited email to you regarding an idea which struck me recently. I think Bloomington should consider making the block-long section of Kirkwood Avenue between Walnut and Washington Streets a pedestrian mall. Barricading this short stretch to through vehicular traffic would pose only a minor inconvenience to motorists, but would add much to the inclusive, friendly and walkable downtown. Cities like Boulder, San Diego and Louisville have dedicated short segments formerly automobile-only routes to this use, and results have been positive. Please give this admittedly notional concept a moment of your day! I appreciate your time and wish you all the best in your new job! Sincerely, Timothy A. King Bloomington, Indiana

Case Date:

7/5/2016

Dear Mayor Hamilton, I'm sharing a recent article in the New York Times regarding Canadian community groups sponsoring Syrian refugee families. I am aware that President Obama has until September 30 to meet his goal of accepting 10k refugees by September. I'm also aware, unfortunately, that our governor has turned families away. Would such an effort (as described in the article) be possible in Bloomington? As a member of St. Paul's, a parent at St. Charles, and an IU staff member, I feel strongly that Bloomington would have enough welcoming hands and homes to make such an effort possible here. I would appreciate hearing your thoughts. Thank you kindly, Cate Racek 1202 E. Wylie Street Bloomington, IN 47401

Case Date:

6/30/2016

Mr. Mayor: Hello, my name is Jenee' Trimble and I manage an apartment building on the corner of 6th and Washington. When the parking meters were first installed, the City accidentally added an extra parking space. That space happens to be right in front of my building. To correct the error, the white stripe that marked the parking lane was covered with black paint to blend in with the pavement, and the curb painted yellow. The black paint has since worn off, exposing the white line again. This has caused confusion, and although there is a yellow curb, people identify it as a parking space due to the white lines and mistakingly park there often. I have notified the parking department of this error for over a year. Recently, I had a 17 year old girl from Nashville Indiana doing some painting at my building. She parked in that spot by mistake. I have tried to appeal the $20 ticket, but the parking department has refused to waive it. Instead I was sent the City ordinance that addresses yellow curbs. I understand that you can't park where there is a yellow curb, but nowhere else in the city is there a yellow curb that is also marked with white lines, identifying the space for parking. The city ordinance defining a designated parking space is as follows: 15.04.090- "parking space" means any space that is designated for the parking of a single vehicle by lines painted or marked on the curb or surface of the street . The space is clearly marked with a white line. The line shouldn't even be there, but is as a result of an error. I've reported for over a year. For it to go this long without being addressed is negligence. It seems unfair that someone is being fined for an error. It's misleading. I've tried talking to the Clerk and to the Legal Department. The Clerk refuses to talk to me directly, and Legal has discussed this with Parking and has decided to uphold the ordinance concerning yellow curbs. The space also falls under the ordinance for a designated parking space, so who is deciding which one to follow, when it falls under both, and is a mistake to begin with? Legal told me that the line is "faintly visible". I've included a picture of that line and the actual parking line next to it. The actual parking line is more faded than the line that's a mistake. All I have asked for is for the ticket to be waived and the white line painted black again. I think this whole situation is ridiculous and able to be easily corrected. I'm in management, and if there was confusion caused by my error, I would address it and fix it. Can you please help me in this situation, or refer me to someone who can? Thank you for your time. Jenee' Trimble Sent from my iPhone

Case Date:

6/29/2016

Good afternoon, My name is Candi and I am the Maintenance Coordinator for a Real Estate Management Company in Bloomington. I have had problems with illegal dumping in several of our apartment complexes. When I call the Bloomington Police Department for illegal dumping, they send me to the HAND Department. When calling HAND, I get the answer of the affidavit that is attached below. On this affidavit, it states the owner of the property must sign, have notarized and returned to HAND with a document from the illegal dumping site that has a valid name and address of the person who is illegally dumping to show proof. Now, we have several owners that live outside the continental USA, along with owners in various states and owners that live in Indiana but are outside of the Monroe County area. If I send this affidavit to the owner to have signed and then notarized and the issue is taken to court and they have to be present for this court date: the owner will be held responsible for false information. Since the owner is out of State, Country or County, they will not be the person who witnesses the event of the illegal dumping. So how is this form going to stop the illegal dumping, if the owner cannot always be present to witness it? As the Management Company, having signed registration forms from the owners and giving to the HAND Department for their files, we should be able to do our jobs and report illegal dumping and it be taken care of. Please Help, Thanks, Candi

Case Date:

6/29/2016

Dear Mayor Hamilton, While driving on South Walnut today, I was directly behind a black and white car which obviously had been a police car. It still had the extra side mirrors as equipment and a police decal on the lower left panel. This sighting prompted me to write to you. I would like to inquire what the policy is for the City of Bloomington patrol cars which are auctioned. Are they stripped of any exterior equipment before they are sold? With crimes against the public, particularly women, involving individuals impersonating police officers, I would hope removing any visible signs which might confuse or falsely indicate these cars are police cars is a mandatory procedure taken prior to auction. Thank you for your attention to my concern.

Case Date:

6/29/2016

Hello, Yesterday (Tuesday, June 28, 2016) a new sidewalk was built next door at 1119 N. Lincoln Street. The left over concrete was dumped in the tree plot at the southeast corner of my lot at 1125 N. Lincoln Street. I would appreciate it if you could see that this problem is corrected. Thank you, Kevin Haggerty​