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:

7/6/2016

7th grader is visiting town and asked the mayor for suggestions, what to do.. responded via email.

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:

4/6/2016

Complaintant states that there is a light post adjacent to unit 2349 that has fallen down and has power to the light.

Case Date:

3/16/2016

Street Dept. lodged a complaint of line of sight at the intersection of 17th St. and N. Willis Dr. Problem is, southbound on N. Willis Dr. coming to 17th St. looking to the west bushes are blocking the line of sight.

Case Date:

2/19/2016

A constituent called and suggested that a page concerning road safety when others are texting and driving be added to the website.

Case Date:

6/26/2015

Unsafe Trailer at Arlington Trailer Park. First trailer before the office.