Welcome to the HoosLeft podcast, a show about Indiana politics, history, and culture from the unapologetic perspective of the Hoosier left. My name is Scott Aaron Rogers and I’m recording from Bloomington.
Today, I’m coming back home to Monroe County to talk about the workings of local government at the county level. Few can better speak to these matters than Julie Thomas, who has served in county government since 2009. She is currently completing her third four-year term as one of three members on the Monroe County board of commissioners and running for a fourth.
According to the biography on her website, Julie has been a county resident for more than thirty years. She has served the community as a volunteer and board member for a number of local social-service agencies including Planned Parenthood, MiddleWay House, Indiana Equality, Hoosier Hills Food Bank, and WFHB Community Radio. She completed her fifth degree, a Ph.D. in Russian history and Gender Studies, at IU Bloomington. Julie teaches part-time and has provided virtual and in-class instruction for more than 25 years at IU, Franklin College, Southern New Hampshire University, and IUPUI.
We’ll discuss the roles of the county council and the board of commissioners, and what those jobs entail. We’ll dive into the challenges of navigating the COVID pandemic and shepherding federal investment money into transformative local projects. Finally, we talk about a couple of the most contentious issues in Monroe County government - building a new jail and the city of Bloomington attempting to annex large swathes of land.
First, I could really use your help. My family suffered a tragic loss earlier this year and my entire perspective on life changed. I used to be content as a handyman/contractor. I could put on my headphones and tune out; the money was okay; and there wasn’t much stress. But now that I’ve known real grief, all of that seems meaningless and I feel called to make Indiana a place with less grief, especially the kind inflicted by our lawmakers. So, I’ve been devoting myself to the HoosLeft project. My work is dedicated to calling out the Republican supermajority, their financial backers, and others in their network that actively work to make Hoosier lives worse, those whose policies endanger children through lax gun regulation, bullying of LGBTQ youth, and environmental degradation. I work to highlight these bad actors so we can replace them with more empathetic leadership, and also shine the spotlight on the Hoosier activists, organizations, and elected officials who are doing the hard work to build a more just, equitable, and compassionate Indiana for the next generation of Hoosiers.
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Here’s my interview with Julie Thomas.
Once again, that was Monroe County Commissioner Julie Thomas.
You know, only about a third of Americans follow politics closely, and most of that attention is devoted to the national level. Most of us have no idea how state and local government works despite the fact we interact with those jurisdictions far more frequently. We give little thought to how they can really affect aspects of our daily lives, from paving roads and improving fire coverage to helping our elderly neighbors age in place with dignity and protecting the quality of our drinking water.
We here in Monroe County are fortunate to have a deep pool of motivated, capable public servants that largely agree on the biggest issues. As a largely one-party county, our candidates disagree less on what the goals of local government should be than how to achieve them. Given this, I don’t make endorsements in these primary races. Julie Thomas has been a dedicated public servant for four terms now, and if she wins in May, citizens of the county will continue to be in good hands. I will continue to effort the other candidates in this race and beyond throughout 2024.
Thanks for listening. Again, subscribe at scottaaronrogers.substack.com. Follow me on facebook, Bluesky, YouTube and Tik Tok at hoosleft and on most other social media sites at scottrog78. If you want to reach me, send me a DM on the socials or email me at scottrog78@gmail.com. Until next time, this has been the HoosLeft podcast. I’m Scott Aaron Rogers. Love each other, Indiana.
HoosLeft #26: On County Governance
Guest: Julie Thomas
Subscribe at https://scottaaronrogers.substack.com
https://thomasformonroecounty.org
https://www.heraldtimesonline.com/story/news/local/2012/12/13/homas-sworn-in-as-new-monroe-county-commissioner/47284143/
https://www.indianacountycommissioners.com/what-is-a-county-commissioner
https://www.co.monroe.in.us/council/
https://www.heraldtimesonline.com/story/news/local/2017/03/25/o-parking-new-county-garage-for-workers-not-public/46760047/
https://www.heraldtimesonline.com/story/news/local/2017/03/25/o-parking-new-county-garage-for-workers-not-public/46760047/
https://www.whitehouse.gov/american-rescue-plan/
https://fox59.com/indiana-news/monroe-county-commissioners-introduce-rural-housing-repair-program/
https://www.heraldtimesonline.com/story/lifestyle/2018/10/26/plan-calls-for-clear-cutting-in-hoosier-national-fores/46871729/
https://foresthistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/1-Lewis_Miller_Vast_Damage.pdf
https://indianapublicmedia.org/news/monroe-county-eyes-2027-date-for-new-jail-construction.php
https://bsquarebulletin.com/2023/12/14/board-looks-to-potential-fall-2026-opening-of-monroe-convention-center-expansion/
https://www.fcc.gov/sites/default/files/bdc-challenge-overview.pdf
