(Photo by Crystal Donaldson/WJBC)
By Howard Packowitz
Progressive organizer Jenn Carrillo said she’s taking on the exciting, yet scary step of running for political office.
On the steps of the old courthouse in Downtown Bloomington, the director of mission impact for YWCA McLean County announced she’s a candidate for alderman in Ward 6, which includes parts of the downtown and the city’s west side.
Carrillo said she’s taking her place along side bold and progressive women. She cites as some of her accomplishments; organizing efforts enabling undocumented immigrants to receive drivers licenses, rallying local support for the federal consumer financial protection bureau, battling polluters, aiding people with criminal records find jobs, and lobbying for Bloomington’s civilian police review board.
“It’s about us coming together to reclaim our first line of defense, our local government,” Carrillo said.
“It’s about seizing this moment to ensure that we no longer have to fight for a seat at the table, but instead get to run that table ourselves,” she added.
In announcing her candidacy in the 2019 city elections, Carrillo said she offered no campaign promises.
“The solutions we need to the problems we face live in the brilliant minds of the youth who live at Sunnyside, of the elders found sitting in the pews of Wayman AME Church every Sunday morning, of the struggling single mothers who ride the Lime line (bus) down Market Street, of the local business owners who are the heart of our downtown.”
Carrillo did not mention current Alderman Karen Schmidt, who’s held the sixth ward seat since 1999. The two have differing views on a ‘welcoming city’ ordinance protecting undocumented immigrants.
Carrillo and Mayor Tari Renner support the resolution, but she said the Mayor has not made an endorsement and did not persuade her to run for Schmidt’s council seat.
Howard Packowitz can be reached at [email protected]
