She Biked Across America… Only One City Felt Like Home | Kerry Thomson, Mayor of Bloomington

Today's show marks another episode in our Mayor's Megaphone series, as I sat down with Bloomington Mayor Kerry Thomson at The Mill in the Trades District. Mayor Thomson shares how a 36-hour stop in Bloomington during a cross-country bike trip led her to move there and build a career in nonprofit leadership, including nearly 20 years leading Habitat for Humanity of Monroe County and later IU's Center for Rural Engagement. She discusses Bloomington's culture and "language of possibility," quality-of-place investments like Switchyard Park and Hopewell Commons, outdoor assets like Monroe Lake, and local innovation spanning music, Cook Medical's legacy, drones at The Mill, and defense ties to NSA Crane. Mayor Thomson highlights public safety staffing improvements, major paving progress, housing as a top priority, a new convention center, and IU football's championship impact on community pride. If you like this episode and want to hear more Get IN. episodes where I interview Hoosiers making a difference, visit getindiana.com/podcast. You are going to learn about: - Mayor Thomson's Cross-Country Journey and Making Bloomington Home - Her Nonprofit Career and Becoming Mayor - Bloomington's Culture and Assets - Priorities to Make Bloomington a Great Place to Live, Work and Play Thank you to our partners: Make My Move Check out these great clips from the show: 00:00 Belief and Risk 00:29 Guest Introduction: Kerry Thomson, Mayor of Bloomington 01:53 Trades District History 03:05 Mayor's Bloomington Story 05:38 Culture and Creative Collisions 08:31 Innovation and Music Scene 09:59 Cook Group Legacy 12:46 Parks and Outdoor Life 15:40 Getting Plugged In 17:41 Embracing College Town Energy 19:54 Tech and Defense Corridor 21:49 IU Research to Market 23:33 Risk And Innovation Mindset 24:14 Why Run For Mayor 26:28 Early Wins In Office 29:10 Future Plans For Bloomington 31:07 Why Housing Matters 33:02 IU Football Weekend Boom 36:07 Believing In The Title Run 38:43 Rural Health Initiative 40:16 Rapid Fire Indiana Love 43:48 Bloomington In 30 Seconds Get IN. is brought to you by our friends at Sweetwater. Whether you are looking to start a podcast or level up your current show you need to hit them up.