Mboka Mwilwambe runs as the incumbent candidate in the race for Bloomington Mayor

Image courtesy of bloomingtonil.gov

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The current Bloomington Mayor, Mboka Mwilwambe, is running for re-election in the upcoming 2025 election. If voted back into office, Mwilwambe plans to address housing issues within the city and work on improving infrastructure while continuing several ongoing projects.

“With Rivian coming into the community, they employ about anywhere between 8,000 and 9,000 people,” Mwilwambe said. “With that, what we’ve seen, is an increase in property values which has made it sometimes not affordable for people to live in the community, so as a result, some of them are coming from outside the community… Ideally, what we’d like to do is incentivize housing.”

Mwilwambe’s plan focuses on the goal of constructing more housing, thereby reducing competition between housing prices. Attracting more people to Bloomington would also lead to increased spending within the community.

Other projects Mwilwambe has in mind for his potential next term include revitalizing the downtown landscape and simultaneously enhancing infrastructure by fixing roads and sewers, expanding dining opportunities, addressing pedestrian and bike access, improving public gathering spaces and working on the stormwater detention system to help reduce basement flooding for Bloomington residents. His main priority, however, is public safety.

“Public safety is aways paramount, so that’s something that we’ll continue to focus on,” Mwilwambe said. “If you don’t have public safety then nobody wants to live here – nobody wants to invest in our community.”

Looking back to Mwilwambe’s first term starting in 2021, he listed his most significant achievements as finishing the Bloomington Public Library renovation, increasing business investment in the area, raising funds for infrastructure improvements and bringing the Bloomington Bison to town.

Mwilwambe also expanded spending in terms of street resurfacing by increasing the budget from $7 million annually in the past two fiscal years to $10 million.

When asked if Mwilwambe has faced any significant criticisms from the community or political opponents during his term, he mentioned the ongoing issue with Bloomington’s water.

“Nature sometimes has a way of throwing you a curveball,” Mwilwambe said. “In the past, we would be able to address that fairly quickly, but this time we’ve had problems with algae bloom. That tends to impact water odor and taste. The way to respond is simply to work through it and remain calm. That’s always been my approach when you face criticism.”

Mwilwambe has a $400 million water improvement plan in place for over the next decade.

To him, what sets Bloomington apart from other cities in the region is its highly educated work force, the great access to transportation (including three interstates, a railway and an airport), the multiple institutions of higher education in the area and the friendly and diverse community of residents.

“Our community has been increasingly diverse, and I think it’s important for them to have an opportunity to see their culture being celebrated, but at the same time, for others in the community to be able to experience that culture. When we do that… we’re no longer strangers to each other because we know about each other’s cultures,” said Mwilwambe.

The 2025 consolidated election day is April 1.