BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - Nineteen votes led Tom Crumpler to victory this municipal election. Crumpler won Ward 9 against opponent Jim Fruin. “It felt really great, you know. I went into the election you know really not having any experience in Bloomington city government. Just really wanting to have the opportunity to serve the community. I feel like I worked really hard—really starting in December and January. Getting myself out in […]
Photo courtesy Jenn Carrillo Facebook page BLOOMINGTON, Ill.-During the April 12 council meeting, Mayor-elect Mboka Mwilambwe said council member Jenn Carrillo's behavior is "unbecoming" of a council member. The behavior Mwilambwe was referencing was a social media post that stated, "I look forward to making Sheila Montney's and Nick Becker's life a living hell for the next 2 years." Mwilambwe said he wants to formally express disapproval as an entire […]
Photo courtesy to McLean County Clerk website BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - Last week's municipal elections saw numerous tightly-contested races, partly thanks to increased voter turnout. Turnout saw a slight increase from 2017, bumping up from 18% to 20%. While the increase isn't anything astonishing, more voters may have led to closer races. One of the closest races was between Mboka Mwilambwe and Mike Straza for Bloomington mayor. Mwilambwe is the unofficial […]
Photo courtesy to Mboka Mwilambwe Facebook page BLOOMINGTON, Ill.-The Bloomington mayor's race falls into that 5% margin at this time for a discovery recall, however, Mike Straza has already conceded to Mayor-elect Miboka Mwilambwe so a discovery recall in that race is highly unlikely, according to Bloomington Election Commission's Tim Mitchell. The results show Mike Straza with 36.91% of the vote, Jackie Gunderson with 24.16% of the vote and Mwilambwe […]
Updated at 10:05 p.m. NORMAL, Ill.- Steady voting in Normal precincts slow to steady in the county, very similar to the 2017 election which saw an 18% turnout county-wide. McLean County Clerk Kathy Michael said some precincts are running a little bit higher in turnout than 2017 but other precincts, like at Bone, precincts 8 and 30, they’ve had a total of 12 voters thus far. "Vote totals are not official […]
NORMAL, Ill.- Rebecca Ropp was elected to the Heartland Community College board in 2014. She has served as the board's scribe, and has helped push many decisions to support the college. One initiative she looks to improve upon is the agricultural programs. "I am very excited and passionate about the agricultural programs, that we are setting up at Heartland Community College," said Ropp. "I really can't wait to get to […]
BLOOMINGTON, Ill.- A longtime Bloomington resident and father of seven, Nick Becker, is running for the Ward 5 seat in the upcoming Municipal Elections. Becker has a bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois and has been a Bloomington resident for 15 years. He says his family is part of the reason for what inspired him to run for this seat. “Our family is a big part of our life, and it’s […]
BLOOMINGTON, Ill.- A long-time Bloomington city council member said it is a big leap for a regular citizen to go into being an alderman. "It's a big learning curve. So I think going from regular citizen to a mayoral position is an even bigger leap," said Mboka Mwilambwe, who is running for Bloomington mayor in the 2021 Municipal Election. He was appointed by former mayor Stephen Stockton to the council […]
NORMAL, Ill.- Joshua Crockett is a graduate who looks to come back and help improve the college that gave him so much. Crockett is running for Heartland Community College's board. If elected, he plans to expand access to the college. "I want to help expand access to education, to expand the offerings of the college and to make sure that every person has the opportunity to take advantage of the […]
