MONROE COUNTY — Five democratic candidates have filed paperwork seeking to fill a vacancy on the Monroe County Council left by the late Cheryl Munson, who died Dec. 10.
Richie Carter, Liz Feitl, Andrew Guenther, Sarah Larson and Ilana Stonebraker are all vying to fill the open councilperson at-large seat, according to the Monroe County Democratic Party. Other interested candidates must file a declaration of candidacy and a statement of interest with Party Secretary David Henry by 1 p.m. Jan. 2.
The party will meet at 1 p.m. Jan. 4 at the Nat. U Hill Room in the Monroe County Courthouse to appoint the interim councilperson at-large.
Cheryl Munson served Monroe County for several decades, including as a member of Indian Creek Township Board for 16 years, and as member of the Monroe County Council.
She was elected to her fourth term on the council in November.
“Cheryl Munson was a pillar of our community, and we mourn her loss with heavy hearts,” Henry said at the time of her death. “Cheryl was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, and friend. Her love for Monroe County, depth of knowledge about our community and its people knew no bounds, and her contributions to the community are immeasurable. While we are saddened by her loss, we also celebrate the incredible life she lived and the legacy she leaves behind. We pause to remember Cheryl and honor her memory during this difficult time."
The Monroe County Democratic Party shared the following statements released by each candidate:
My name is Richard Carter, and I am seeking your support to fill the vacant seat on the Monroe County Council following the unfortunate passing of Mrs. Cheryl Munson.
Although I have not previously run for office at the county level, I have been actively involved in local and county politics for most of my adult life, both as a firefighter and an elected official. Allow me to share my qualifications:
- Stinesville Town Council: I have been serving on the Stinesville Town Council since June 2023, initially appointed by Democratic Chair David Henry to fill a vacancy, and subsequently elected to my own term starting in January 2024.
- Public Safety Local Income Tax Committee: I currently represent the Town of Stinesville on this committee forMonroe County.
- Monroe County Emergency Management Advisory Council: I served as a member from 2007 to 2016.
- Monroe County Firefighters Association: I was a member from 1997 to 2008, serving as Association President from 2004 to 2008.
- Monroe County Fire Chief’s Association: I was a member from 2006 to 2013, serving as secretary/treasurer from 2009 to 2011.
- Indiana University: I am currently employed by Indiana University as a Supervisor in Housing Operations, overseeing Environmental Operations staff for Willkie/Mason Quadrangle.
In my various roles, whether as Fire Chief for Bean Blossom Township/Stinesville Fire Department, a Town Council Member for Stinesville, a member of the Emergency Management Advisory Council, or within the Fire Associations, I have consistently worked within or set budgets. As a county council member, I believe fiscal responsibility should be a top priority.
While I know I can never replace what was lost with the passing of Mrs. Cheryl Munson, I share her pride in being from a rural township and town—Bean Blossom Township and the Town of Stinesville—being involved in local politics and serving students. I feel my community work has prepared me to take this next step, if elected, to join the County Council.
Thank you for your time and consideration for the vacant seat on the County Council.”
“With this communication I hope to receive your consideration for support in the caucus in your role as a Precinct Committeeperson for the upcoming caucus for the County Council At Large seat vacated as a result of the recent death of County Councilor Cheryl Munson on December 10. We will all miss Cheryl’s steadfast leadership in Monroe County—a true public servant.
I am willing to devote the time it takes to the County Council At Large duties and commit to do so if elected. It would be my honor to continue to serve Monroe County in this capacity and especially to honor Cheryl for her magnificent work and service for this community.
My daughter, LeeAnna Powell, and her husband, Eric Powell both grew up here and continue to live here in Bloomington (heading up their respective local businesses—My Sports Locker and The Funeral Chapel) their five children aged 13-31 have grown up here and three remain in the area. A great grandchild will join the family in January 2025. So, my connections with my family and the community are strong.
Throughout my 47 years of living and working in the Monroe County area I have been involved in numerous organizations/community service initiatives. The relevant community experiences that I’d like to share with you include the following:
- 1990-93 Labor Union organizer for CWA Local 4730 (now 4818) at IU representing support staff
- 1993-2002 CWA, Local 4730 Staff Rep and President (I helped bargain 10 contracts and represented workers on the job while closely working with Human Resources to find mutually beneficial solutions to resolve issues for both management and employees)
- 1995-2001 Labor Appointment to United Way of Monroe County board (served on Personnel Committee to hire AFL-CIO Community Services Liaison in 1996)
- 2002-2021 AFL-CIO Community Services Liaison United Way of Monroe County (headed up the annual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive each year, about 15,000 pounds collected when I started and ended my time in this position collecting over 40,000 pounds in 2021). My work with Workforce Development/the Rapid Response team and other community partners also involved assisting displaced workers during workplace layoffs/plant closures in the following counties:
- Bartholomew, Brown, Greene, Lawrence, Martin, Monroe, and Owen. Non-Profit Alliance of Monroe County support.
- White River Chapter of the Southern Indiana Area Labor Federation, Vice President; Bloomington Economic Development Corporation, labor appointment.
- 1996-2001 Labor Appointment to Indiana South Central Indiana Community Action Program
- 2013-2021 Monroe County Women’s Commission (worked on wage equity issues and women’s health)
- 1993-2018 South Central Indiana Jobs with Justice (successful resolution/payment for a wage theft case)
- 1999 Fair Labor Initiative (City of Bloomington) lobbied to have this due to wage theft issues at area restaurants
- 2003-2006 Living Wage Coalition (Living Wage Ordinance 2006, requires employers contracting with the City to pay covered employees a living wage, indexed annually for inflation based on CPI for all urban areas)
- 2004-2024 Bloomington Rotary Club member (elected Secretary 2024)
Other accomplishments/awards include:
- 1996 Women and Work (Outstanding Leadership)
- 2000 Leadership/Bloomington Monroe County Graduate
- 2018 Toby Strout Lifetime Contribution Award (Women’s History Month)
With your support I can continue to serve the Monroe County area in a significant leadership role. I look forward to serving.”
“Dear Fellow Monroe County Democrats,
In this time marked by grief, I would like to thank each of you for your service to our Party and your wise judgment as we navigate this caucus process. My name is Andrew Guenther, and I would like to tell you all about myself, why I am running for the vacant County Council At-Large seat, and why I believe I am your best choice to serve Monroe County on the County Council.
I have spent over a third of my life, and my entire adult life, living in Monroe County. I came here in 2013 from Valparaiso, Indiana to study at Indiana University, where I received my bachelor's in public policy and my master's in environmental sustainability. I am currently a student nearing the end of his studies at Indiana University’s Maurer School of Law and O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, where I am a JD-MPA candidate studying environmental policy, natural resource management, energy, and climate policy, after which I intend to remain local.
I have been a dedicated public servant in Monroe County since 2015, having served on the Bloomington Board of Housing Quality Appeals (Vice Chair), the Bloomington Environmental Commission (Chair), and the Monroe County Environmental Commission (Chair), which I was appointed to unanimously twice by the County Council. I also serve as a County Commissioners appointee to the Bloomington Commission on Sustainability (Vice Chair). I have worked on important issues in our community, such as solar energy, pollution mitigation, public transit, representative governance, fiscal responsibility, urban habitat connectivity, and urban canopy expansion, in addition to working to further protections and funding for Lake Monroe.
I also have a long history of involvement in Democratic politics, including serving on the boards of the High School Democrats of America and College Democrats of Indiana. I have worked for Democratic campaigns, including as communications staff for John Gregg’s campaign for Governor and Beth White’s campaign for Secretary of State. I have volunteered in Monroe County and Washington, D.C. for organizations that protect women’s rights and work to prevent domestic violence, as well as organizations fighting for the rights of my fellow LGBT+ Americans. I have also previously worked in policy advocacy for the Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce on economic development in the County, including I-69 and aspects of the Monroe County budget process.
New blood, experienced in working with officials in the county and the City of Bloomington, is needed to help broker compromise and progress. I would uphold the mantle left behind by Cheryl Munson through my service to our environment and to those among us most in need. My service on the County Council would be marked by some core beliefs, including the need for a sustainable built environment, a safe and secure community, intergovernmental cooperation, financial discipline and restraint, and the importance of community input.
I have always sought to work transparently and in the best interest of our community. I will always put the well-being of Monroe County above all else in my service on Council, and I want to promise you all that I will do everything in my power to make Monroe County even better than it was before I joined Council. I want to assure you that, if chosen to serve on the County Council, I will work collaboratively with all members of our community, whether they live in the county or the city, whether they support me at the caucus or not, and whether they share my beliefs or not.
Thank you all for your time, your service, and your consideration. I hope to earn your votes, and I am excited to work together in building a future we all want to see.”
“Greetings everyone! My name is Sarah Larson, and I respectfully wish to submit my candidacy for the Monroe County Council At-Large seat that is vacant after longtime Councilwoman Munson’s passing. Although I never had the opportunity to meet Councilwoman Munson, I hope to honor her legacy as a newer face, ready to lead Monroe County into the future.
Although I am new to county government and civil service, I am not new to Monroe County and have lived in Monroe County for most of my life. I am a born and raised Hoosier, my family moved to Monroe County when I was a baby, and I had the pleasure of growing up here. This community helped shape me into the person I am today, through public education with MCCSC. I graduated from Bloomington High School South and then went on to Purdue University, where I graduated with a degree in Public Health in 2012. After college I moved to Reno, NV to serve as an AmeriCorps VISTA for a local nonprofit bicycle organization.
In 2016 my heart longed to be back in my Indiana home, so I moved back to Monroe County. I began working at Indiana University and eventually I began my Master of Public Health (MPH) degree at IU, while working full-time. After working at IU for 5 years, I started working at the Monroe County Health Department, which provided me with work experience that helped me graduate with my MPH in 2022. Around the time of my graduation, I began working remotely for a state-wide nonprofit, the Indiana Rural Health Association. At the Indiana Rural Health Association, I work to address health issues for hospitals and organizations around the state.
Outside of my professional life, I also serve on the Monroe County Substance Use Disorder Awareness Commission (2022-present) and have served on the Bicycle Indiana Board of Directors (2022-2024) and the Indiana Kentucky Cycling Association (2020-2024). I am an avid cyclist and race in regional and national-level events. My husband and I were married at the Monroe County Courthouse 8 years ago and we have two spoiled dogs, Chauncey and Clara.
I have volunteered for the 2022 Penny Githens Indiana House of Representatives District 62 campaign and the 2024 Thomas Horrocks Indiana House of Representatives District 62 campaign. Volunteering for these campaigns and seeing the vital importance of local and state politics left an impact on me and has pushed me to run for county council at-large.
I do not have a wealth of institutional knowledge or a lifetime of experiences that others might have. As a newcomer, I will not be able to replace the years of service and experience that Cheryl Munson provided. However, I am ready to serve, and I want to give back to my hometown community that has given so much to me. This county is facing a time of growth and change, and I plan to take that head on and look for the opportunities to help folks to not only survive, but to THRIVE.
I want to focus on supporting public education, improving county infrastructure beyond city limits, address issues that impact health and well-being, and fiscal responsibility that also supports the folks who call this home.
I love my home community, and I chose to return to it because I believe Monroe County is truly special. If chosen for this position, I will use my knowledge and skills to ensure this community grows and improves and still be the place we love and call our home. Thank you!”
“My name is Ilana Stonebraker and I am seeking the at-large seat vacated by Cheryl Munson's passing. I previously served on the Tippecanoe County Council, representing District 1 (Lafayette). Along with Lisa Dullum, we were the first democrats elected to Tippecanoe County Council in 23 years, a success I in part attribute to my having knocked over 2000 doors.
Cheryl was the first person I ever met in politics here in Bloomington. Before we started serving in Tippecanoe, Lisa Dullum and I had lunch with Cheryl Munson and Shelli Yoder, both on County Council at the time, to see what it looks like to have a Democratic-controlled county council. It was exhilarating! Cheryl had encouraged me to run several times. I asked her if she would support me if I ran and I remember her saying “Of COURSE, Ilana!” as if it was the easiest decision in the world to support another woman running for office, and that is something I will always take with me: that no-brainer approach to supporting others. I am running to honor her memory.
I moved to Bloomington in January 2020. Since then, I have given birth to two beautiful children, Frank (3 and a half) and Simon (10 months) which has committed me to the importance of making local government work for everyone here in Monroe County, especially families. I’ve kept busy in the community volunteering for many local political groups and nonprofits. For the last year, I have been chair of the Monroe County Vote Center Study Committee, a committee of the Monroe County Election Board. VCSC has been focused on bringing vote center reform to Monroe County. For the last three years, I have served on the Development/Fundraising committee for Beacon Inc, one of our local homelessness shelters and housing solutions. I served on the board of Monroe County NOW Board from 2023-2024 as Director of Fundraising. I served on the steering committee of the Democratic Women’s Caucus 2020-22, where I have served as Chair of Nominations and in fundraising roles. I served as co-chair of Ashley Pirani’s campaign for school board. I made over 1800 calls for local candidates in the 2020 election, including Shelli Yoder and Alyssa Bailey, as well as did literature drops for April Hennessey. I have also served as a volunteer coordinator for the People’s Market in 2020.
While on Council in Tippecanoe, I served as the liaison to the sheriff, coroner, and the county health department. Some accomplishments I had on council were convincing the council and election board to livestream their meetings, making a visualization of the county budget, and working with the county commissioner to light the courthouse Red for Education. My day job is the head librarian for the O’Neill School of Public & Environmental Affairs and the Kelley School of Business. I also act as the department head overseeing the Science & Social Science librarians. As part of my job, I help researchers locate consequential data for their research questions, often in finance, policy, and economics. These questions often overlap with the questions the County Council is also asked: what are the demographics of our county and how are they changing? How do market fluctuations locally and nationally affect our investments in our community? My approach, both on council in Lafayette and here will be the same: how we spend money should express the needs and the values of this community.
Cheryl leaves big shoes to fill, but I am committed to making Monroe County inclusive, efficient, and welcoming for all.”