An unexpected proposal happened Wednesday night at the heavily-attended Bloomington City Council meeting.
Nico Sigler, deputy city clerk, stepped up to the podium at the beginning of the meeting to ask his girlfriend, Kaisa Goodman, if she would marry him.
“I am just here to report that I have met the perfect woman,” Sigler said. “Her name is Kaisa Goodman, and I am deeply in love with her.”
He knelt before her with a ring. She grinned and nodded “yes." The couple kissed as the audience applauded.
Sigler, 31, said he chose city council as the place to propose because both he and Goodman are very involved in local politics.
Goodman, 25, is Mayor John Hamilton’s campaign manager and has been heavily involved with the Monroe County Democratic Party in the past few years.
“I just thought this would be the perfect place to do it,” Sigler said outside council chambers before the newly engaged couple left.
He said he didn’t consider any other way.
The council chambers were packed Wednesday night for the Fourth Street parking garage decision, but Sigler said it was only a nice coincidence the proposal was on such a well-attended night. He said council president Dave Rollo had helped get him on the meeting’s agenda after hearing Sigler’s plan.
“I understand we have a report from the mayor, and we have a report from the city clerk this evening,” Rollo said as he introduced the agenda Wednesday night.
Sigler said he and Goodman met when they worked at Bloomingfoods about seven years ago and started dating about three years ago.
“I’m just really in shock,” Goodman said. “It’s just been a crazy day.”
The proposal was unexpected for Goodman. She sported a white Cardi B T-shirt, which she said is not very characteristic for her appearance at city functions.
Sigler said he was pretty confident of Goodman’s answer, but he was still nervous.
“I mean, what if I messed up on camera?” he said Thursday morning in an interview.
After the crowd’s exclamations had quieted and the newly engaged couple sat down, a smiling Rollo joked perhaps they should just end the meeting then.
“I think that was the best report we’ve ever received,” Rollo said. “Congratulations to you both.”
