We Endorse: Dave Rollo (City Council District 4)

Bloomington Dissident Democrats will offer its endorsement to candidates for office in the 2023 Democratic primary in Bloomington. Today we begin that process with the easiest endorsement of all.

For the District 4 City Council seat, we endorse the incumbent, Dave Rollo.

It’s an easy endorsement because Rollo is running unopposed — but also because he’s been our most eloquent, fervent and consistent ally in the opposition to Bloomington’s upzoning. That’s been our cause and raison d’etre as an advocacy group, and Dave has been our greatest champion.

Rollo has been on the City Council since 2003. He’s been one of the Council’s most outspoken advocates for environmental protection and sustainability.

Along with Susan Sandberg (who’s now running for mayor), Rollo led the opposition on the Council to the upzoning, and authored a series of amendments intended to put guardrails on dense housing proliferation in formerly single-family-zoned neighborhoods. He continues to lead the fight to protect neighborhoods from overdevelopment, overtaxation and exploitation by real estate profiteers.

His strengths include experience, thorough knowledge of City functions, respect and demeanor, responsiveness to constituents (including, prominently, the leading role he took in investigating the toxic impact of lead exposure from the 2021 “controlled burn” of a house on High Street) and good neighborliness (he spent his weekend during the last big storm shoveling out constituents in need).

He’s opposed autocratic measures on annexation and upzoning, and given unwavering support to police and fire safety. He’s been criticized for his success in getting funding for various sidewalks in his district. That’s what a council person should be doing: Fighting for his/her constituents.

Rollo has no website, but he’s campaigning hard for other candidates who share his views and aspirations. He’s unopposed, but if you’re in District 4, it’s worth the moment it takes to register a vote for Dave, along with the worthy candidates for mayor, city clerk and at large City Council members.