Top Campaign Issues
Building a Sustainable Community for All
Isabel believes that environmental, social, and economic sustainability must guide city decisions. What does this mean? Essentially, sustainability means living in such a way that meeting your needs does not detract from the ability of future generations to meet their needs. We must reduce greenhouse gas emissions now to avoid irreversible and catastrophic climate change within the next 20 years. Sustainability also means conserving natural resources, being fiscally responsible with public funds, and ensuring the social web that binds us together is healthy. This last point indicates that we should not leave any member of society behind as our society progresses. For a healthy future, everyone must be involved in our community, and we must help others to become self-sufficient so they can enrich the community with their skills and ideas.
Isabel pledges to:
Grassroots Democracy
How can we best tackle the huge tasks related to sustainability? By working together and listening to input from multiple perspectives. We have a lot of people with knowledge and experience in Bloomington who can help us achieve our community's goals. Isabel will meet and listen to constituents, and she will clarify avenues for public input and shine light on city government processes.
Isabel pledges to:
Systemic Improvements
In addition to her work on policy issues, Isabel seeks to reevaluate the systems of government through an equity lens. She questions the status quo because current systems have not achieved justice and equity for all Bloomingtonians. Through targeted outreach she seeks to engage more people in local government, recognizing that many residents don't have the knowledge or time to be able to push through bureaucratic barriers to advocate for themselves and their communities. The diversity, equity, and inclusion training in which she participated in 2021-22 gave her the tools to look at legislation and processes through an equity lens: Who is most affected, and what do they think? What are the ripple effects of a decision, and are those affected down the line being considered? Who is not in the room and should be? It is only through methodical questioning that we can ensure that our decisions as local government leaders are just.
Support for Labor
Isabel strongly supports organized labor and believes that labor unions are a necessary balance to the power of management in today’s society, as they have been for the past 150 years. She appreciates the labor movement for giving us many benefits we take for granted today. The 8-hour day, weekends off, worksite safety rules, age minimums for employees, and the minimum wage are just a few of the protections in place due to the advocacy of labor unions.
In recent years, labor unions have been under attack through so-called “Right to Work” legislation passed in 27 states, which allow workers to receive the benefits of union advocacy without paying union dues. Isabel opposed this legislation in Indiana, in part because of data that shows wages in right-to-work states are lower than in those that don’t have such legislation. Isabel also decries the elimination of the common construction wage in Indiana in 2015, meaning that now companies can under-bid for public contracts by paying their workers less than their work is worth.
Locally in Bloomington, we have been quite progressive in passing a living wage ordinance (2005) to require the city itself and any entity doing business or receiving funds from the city to pay a living wage that is tied to the cost of living. Before she was elected to office, Isabel fought for passage of the living wage legislation as a member of Jobs With Justice. Along with Council member Andy Ruff, Isabel co-sponsored a Responsible Bidder Ordinance for Bloomington in 2009, to ensure that companies that bid on city contracts did not tolerate any discrimination and paid decent wages. In 2019, Isabel negotiated with the mayor’s administration to expand the city's living wage ordinance to seasonal employees. Both as an Indiana University staff member and as a City Council representative, Isabel supported the graduate student workers of IU when they went on strike in Spring 2022 to obtain union recognition, better wages, and more equitable employment terms.
Isabel's Record
As a member of the City Council, Isabel has authored or co-authored various items of legislation, including:
Isabel believes that environmental, social, and economic sustainability must guide city decisions. What does this mean? Essentially, sustainability means living in such a way that meeting your needs does not detract from the ability of future generations to meet their needs. We must reduce greenhouse gas emissions now to avoid irreversible and catastrophic climate change within the next 20 years. Sustainability also means conserving natural resources, being fiscally responsible with public funds, and ensuring the social web that binds us together is healthy. This last point indicates that we should not leave any member of society behind as our society progresses. For a healthy future, everyone must be involved in our community, and we must help others to become self-sufficient so they can enrich the community with their skills and ideas.
Isabel pledges to:
- Use public funds responsibly
- Implement environmentally sound practices
- Help build an inclusive, compassionate community
Grassroots Democracy
How can we best tackle the huge tasks related to sustainability? By working together and listening to input from multiple perspectives. We have a lot of people with knowledge and experience in Bloomington who can help us achieve our community's goals. Isabel will meet and listen to constituents, and she will clarify avenues for public input and shine light on city government processes.
Isabel pledges to:
- Go door to door to talk with residents in District 1 throughout the 2023 campaign
- Hold monthly constituent meetings to review pending legislation and other issues before the Council, like she has done since her first term in office
- Attend meetings and events held by community groups
- Meet one-on-one with constituents upon request
Systemic Improvements
In addition to her work on policy issues, Isabel seeks to reevaluate the systems of government through an equity lens. She questions the status quo because current systems have not achieved justice and equity for all Bloomingtonians. Through targeted outreach she seeks to engage more people in local government, recognizing that many residents don't have the knowledge or time to be able to push through bureaucratic barriers to advocate for themselves and their communities. The diversity, equity, and inclusion training in which she participated in 2021-22 gave her the tools to look at legislation and processes through an equity lens: Who is most affected, and what do they think? What are the ripple effects of a decision, and are those affected down the line being considered? Who is not in the room and should be? It is only through methodical questioning that we can ensure that our decisions as local government leaders are just.
Support for Labor
Isabel strongly supports organized labor and believes that labor unions are a necessary balance to the power of management in today’s society, as they have been for the past 150 years. She appreciates the labor movement for giving us many benefits we take for granted today. The 8-hour day, weekends off, worksite safety rules, age minimums for employees, and the minimum wage are just a few of the protections in place due to the advocacy of labor unions.
In recent years, labor unions have been under attack through so-called “Right to Work” legislation passed in 27 states, which allow workers to receive the benefits of union advocacy without paying union dues. Isabel opposed this legislation in Indiana, in part because of data that shows wages in right-to-work states are lower than in those that don’t have such legislation. Isabel also decries the elimination of the common construction wage in Indiana in 2015, meaning that now companies can under-bid for public contracts by paying their workers less than their work is worth.
Locally in Bloomington, we have been quite progressive in passing a living wage ordinance (2005) to require the city itself and any entity doing business or receiving funds from the city to pay a living wage that is tied to the cost of living. Before she was elected to office, Isabel fought for passage of the living wage legislation as a member of Jobs With Justice. Along with Council member Andy Ruff, Isabel co-sponsored a Responsible Bidder Ordinance for Bloomington in 2009, to ensure that companies that bid on city contracts did not tolerate any discrimination and paid decent wages. In 2019, Isabel negotiated with the mayor’s administration to expand the city's living wage ordinance to seasonal employees. Both as an Indiana University staff member and as a City Council representative, Isabel supported the graduate student workers of IU when they went on strike in Spring 2022 to obtain union recognition, better wages, and more equitable employment terms.
Isabel's Record
As a member of the City Council, Isabel has authored or co-authored various items of legislation, including:
- The Green Building Ordinance (2009), which led to significant energy-efficiency improvements to city buildings and cost-savings for taxpayers
- A resolution welcoming refugees and opposing Governor Mike Pence's plan to reject refugee families (2016)
- Over 40 amendments to improve the Comprehensive Master Plan that was passed in 2018
- An ordinance that increased City Council oversight of high-dollar expenditures by the executive branch (2018)
- Dozens of amendments to improve the Unified Development Ordinance that was adopted in early 2020
- An ordinance creating the Community Advisory on Public Safety Committee to advise on how to improve public safety in the community, especially for historically underserved communities (2021)
- An ordinance banning the sale of dogs and cats at pet shops to cut off the market for puppy and kitten mills (2021)
Piedmont-Smith for City Council
1108 S. Rogers St.
Bloomington, IN 47403
piedmontsmith4council@gmail.com
1108 S. Rogers St.
Bloomington, IN 47403
piedmontsmith4council@gmail.com
Site paid for by Isabel Piedmont-Smith for City Council.
