Meet your council members

In 2023, for the first time in the city’s history, all of Bloomington’s City Council seats, including the mayor, were up for election. Read on to learn more about your recently elected council members.

Mayor Tim busse

Tim Busse, a communications consultant who served on the City Council for eight years before becoming mayor in 2019, was
reelected mayor.

“I ran for another term because while we accomplished a lot in my first term as mayor, there is still work to do!” Busse said. “I’m excited to get to work on the three projects approved as part of Bloomington Forward and continuing to work on the Bloomington. Tomorrow. Together. strategic plan.”

Council member at large Jenna Carter

Council member Jenna Carter, a community health and equity professional who has served on the City Council since 2019, was reelected to a second term.

“I plan to continue a strong focus on the parks and recreation system, small businesses and neighborhood revitalization, affordable housing, equity and inclusion, climate change and public safety,” Carter said.

Council member at large Chao Moua

Council member Chao Moua, a client success professional, was elected after being appointed to a vacant council seat in February 2023.

“Seeing my children be so excited watching the Council meeting that they didn’t want to go to bed, and seeing a 1895 map of where my wife’s family, the Pahl’s, farmed here, made me realize I wanted to honor Bloomington’s heritage and help build a place where my children want to grow up.” Moua shared.

District 1 
Dwayne A. Lowman

Council member Dwayne A. Lowman, a business analyst who has served on the city council for 10 years, was reelected to serve District I for a fourth term.

“Looking ahead, I hope to keep our government expenses reasonable, fight for a community that is just and fair for all, and work to ensure a more sustainable city for future generations,” Lowman said.

District 2 
Shawn Nelson

Council member Shawn Nelson, a small-business owner who has served on the City Council since 2017, was reelected to serve District 2.

“I ran for reelection to build on Bloomington’s recent successes,” Nelson said. “We have started to update our parks with new amenities, expand food and entertainment options, diversify our economic development, improve public safety and foster new housing options. I will work to keep Bloomington affordable as we address the needs for reinvestment in roads, utilities, parks, facilities and public safety.”

District 3
Lona Dallessandro

Council member Lona Dallessandro, a product management executive for software companies, was reelected to serve a second term in District 3.

“In my time on the council, we’ve been able to make significant investments where residents see value, like public safety, natural resources preservation and community development,” Dallessandro said. “I am excited to continue advocating for more green space rehabilitation, implementing our parks master plan, improvements to housing and utilities service offerings for seniors and championing more multi-modal transportation options within city limits.”

District 4
Victor Rivas

Council member Victor Rivas, a hotel and dining hospitality management professional, was elected to serve his first term representing District 4.

“I have attended council meetings in person and online since I moved to Bloomington 13 years ago and I realized to really affect change I had to serve on the council,” Rivas said. “When I ran, I talked to many people in my district. Everyone is suffering from high costs. It’s hard. When I return as an elected official, I want to be transparent about the facts involved and promote honesty and sincerity in all decision-making processes.”

By the numbers

Numbers show that overall, 35.91% of voters cast ballots in this year’s election. “This is the highest turnout for a regularly scheduled city election in 20 years,” City Clerk Christina Scipioni said.