Bloomington speakers urge running for office, voter registration and local organizing

At a community forum in Bloomington, Bloomington City Council member Sydney Zulick urged residents to "run for office" and become involved in local institutions, saying that service takes many forms and that local work can restore civic hope.

"You don't need to be fearless. You don't need to have all of the answers," Zulick said, encouraging attendees to seek local office, volunteer on commissions or participate in civic organizations.

Local organizations used the event to recruit volunteers and describe programs. Jenny Bass, speaking for Hoosier Action, said the group organizes small communities to give people tools to engage with state and federal representatives and highlighted priorities such as protecting rural hospitals and ensuring SNAP benefits. Marian of the League of Women Voters (Bloomington — Monroe County) described regular voter-registration drives and candidate forums, noting the group's nonpartisan mission and the challenge of recruiting balanced candidate participation for forums.

Student and campus groups also spoke. AUI (Advocates for the Unhoused and Housing Insecure) said it is a new student organization focused on housing issues and volunteer work at local shelters. Canopy Bloomington described upcoming tree-planting events and neighborhood outreach to increase urban canopy cover. Singing Resistance led the room in a short, participatory song promoting voting, housing and trees as themes for local action.

The event closed with an invitation to sign-up sheets for the groups and a note that the forum was taped and the recording would be made available the next day. The evening was primarily a recruitment and informational event rather than a policy hearing; no formal votes or board actions occurred.