Both Republican County Commissioner candidates sat down with Larry for a talk about their respective campaigns.

Incumbent Mark Heirbrandt talked about the controversy involving his e-mail exchange with St. Joseph County Commissioner Deb Fleming, saying he was “caught in a political snare.”

Heirbrandt’s opponent, Fishers businessman Bill Smyth, talked about his mantra of “Voter over Vendors” and is critical of the campaign contributions coming into his opponent’s campaign coffers.

Below are links to each Podcast

Here’s my interview with Mark Heirbrandt

Below is a link to my talk with Bill Smythe

My story about the Hamilton County Republican Lincoln Day Dinner has been creating quite a stir.  Since I posted that piece late on April 13th (same night as the dinner) I’ve been hearing from some Fishers Republicans.

In that story, I did write about local Fishers officials I noticed were there, and those I could not find in attendance.

Let me list what I know about some of the Fishers no-shows:

–Hamilton County Republican Committee Treasurer (and Fishers City Council member) Pete Peterson insists he planned to be there, but had a last-minute personal situation to handle.  County Chair Laura Campbell said as much from the podium during her talk at the dinner, saying Pete had been “called away” at the last minute.

–Fishers City Council President John Weingardt is a tax accountant and missed the Fishers City Council Finance Committee meeting the same day as the dinner, because of his work load so close to the tax filing deadline.

–City Council Finance Committee Chairman Eric Moeller told me he had a long-time commitment to meet the board of directors of a local Homeowners Association, plus his family has just completed a move from one home to another.

–City Councilwoman Cecilia Coble is reportedly out of town with her husband.

–City Councilman Todd Zimmerman posted a Facebook message that he was at baseball practice for the team he coaches.

–City Councilman David George is traveling outside the country.

I’m sure there are other stories out there on why some Fishers officials did or did not choose to attend the Lincoln Day dinner April 13th.  Were some Fishers Republicans purposefully avoiding the Lincoln Day Dinner or did they have legitimate reasons to be elsewhere?  I’ll leave that up to you.

Indiana Governor Mike Pence urged Hamilton County Republicans to come together after the primary elections and work to elect GOP candidates for office (including himself). Wednesday night featured the annual Lincoln Day Dinner at the Carmel Ritz-Charles.

“We need to decide here and now, in Hamilton County, Indiana…after we get through these primaries, that we are going to come together as a party, we are going to unite and roll our sleeves up and make sure Indiana is the first state on the board to elect a Republican president of the United States of America, and reelect Republican leadership,” Pence said.

“I really believe elections are won on the the ground,” said to the governor.  “The most important people in this room are the precinct committeeman and committeewomen .”

The state’s chief executive complimented the new GOP County Chair.

“Laura Campbell, this is a great rookie season for you,” Pence told the crowd.

Pete Peterson was originally chosen to replace party chief Pete Emigh but the state GOP ruled that several appointments to precinct offices were not eligible to cast votes, resulting in Campbell taking over as county GOP chair.

There were not many elected officials from Fishers on hand.  City Councilman Rich Block was in attendance as was State Representative Todd Huston.  Several candidates for office were in attendance, including George Kehl and Bill Smythe.

Absent from the scene were Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness, City Council President John Weingardt and a number of other council members.  City Clerk Jennifer Kehl was at the dinner…her husband George is a county council candidate.

The process of enacting the Fishers 2040 Comprehensive Plan continued Tuesday night as the city plan commission members heard an overview of the components contained in the document.  Fishers Deputy Mayor Leah McGrath reviewed the major areas of the plan, including Land Use, Parks & Open Spaces, Residential and Transportation.

The Plan Commission will hold a public hearing next month, allowing the public to comment on the comprehensive plan.

City Council members Rich Block and Pete Peterson, also members of the Plan Commission, complimented the city staff and elected officials involved in putting the comprehensive plan proposal together.  Plan Commission President Warren Harling singled out the high school students involved in the Fishers 2040 committees, saying the students were fully engaged in doing their part in formulating the first draft of the plans.

The city is planning two community meetings for the public to get more information about the proposed comprehensive plan and provide comments to city officials about the plan. The first will be at Conner Prairie, Thursday, April 21st, 6pm.  the second is set for May 5th, 6pm, at Brooks School Road Elementary.

You can view the Fishers 2040 detailed document at this link.

Fishers Police are asking for help from anyone that may have seen anything related to a home burglary Monday.  Below is the Fishers Police Department news release with the details:

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Yesterday afternoon the Fishers Police Department responded to a residential burglary in the 11900 block of Royalwood Drive (116^th Street and Olio Road). The homeowner was alerted by his barking dog. When the homeowner went to investigate he observed a stranger standing in his living room. The suspect immediately jumped out of an open window and fled the area. Officers conducted an extensive search using a Police K-9, however the suspect remains at large.

The homeowner described the suspect as a white male wearing a florescent yellow or orange colored vest. If you were in the Royalwood Neighborhood yesterday and saw a person matching the description Detectives would like to speak with you. Also if you live in the area and have exterior security cameras Detectives may be interested in reviewing any footage from yesterday between 1:00pm and 1:30pm. Detective Dan Nelson can be reached at 317-595-3331.

Please remember to report suspicious persons, vehicles, and activity immediately to 911. Also keep in mind the following home safety tips:

Home Safety Tips

 Install exterior lights at all entrances. Consider motion detector lights.
 Install a wide-angle viewer on all exterior doors.
 Check who is at the door and do not open the door to anyone you don’t know.
 Install good locks on all doors and windows. Use those locks!
 Be sure locks on doors and windows can be opened quickly in case of fire.
 Leave a light on when you are not home. If you are on vacation, use a timer to control lighting.
 Don’t hide keys outside.
 Remove house keys from your keychain when your car is serviced.
 Talk with trusted neighbors. Keep an eye on their house and ask them to watch yours.
 Stop mail and newspaper delivery when you are away.
 Install an alarm system that will detect entry and notify police.
 Have your lawn mowed and snow shoveled when away.
 Close garage doors at night.
 Keep trees and bushes trimmed. Do not let plants block doors and windows.

Suspicious Activity

An event that is out of the ordinary or that makes you feel uncomfortable could be a crime in progress.
 Adults or juveniles walking casually through the neighborhood looking into windows, backyards, vehicles, etc.
 A vehicle driving slowly through your neighborhood with or without lights on.
 Something wakes you in the night.
 Someone you don’t know rings your doorbell.
 An unknown car parked near your home containing one or more people.
 If something is suspicious to you, Call the Police!

Fishers Police Chief George Kehl is convinced that having a strong partnership with the police department and your neighbors will give the Fishers community its best chance in deterring and detecting criminal activity. If your neighborhood is not an active member of the Fishers Neighborhood Crime Watch Program we encourage you to call Lieutenant Dave Dunbar, at 317-595-3313, for more information.

As always if you see or hear something suspicious please call 911 immediately!

The races for Hamilton County Commissioner and County Council were front and center at Noblesville City Hall April 11th.  The Hamilton County League of Women Voters sponsored the candidate forum.

Incumbent Mark Heirbrandt is being challenged in the Republican primary by Fishers business owner Bill Smythe.

Heirbrandt cited long-term growth planning as key for the county.  He cited projections that Hamilton County will double its population by the year 2050, and he is seeking responsible solutions to the growth that is coming.

Smythe talked about his campaign mantra of “Voters over Vendors.”  He also said he will make a campaign issue of what he calls a “deadly epidemic” of drug abuse, advocating rehabilitation over incarceration to deal with the problem.

Smythe says he would not have favored the funding plan for a public safety training center with the county picking up a large part of the cost.  The county council voted that proposal down.  Smythe says he favors a domestic violence shelter, but it would be a priority below drug rehabilitation.

Heirbrandt emphasized his view that public safety should be the number one priority for elected officials in Hamilton County, with more violent crimes seen by local law enforcement,with proper training more important now.  He voiced strong support of a domestic violence shelter for women, with such victims now being sent to an Anderson facility.

When the question of ethics was raised by forum moderator Janet Chandler, Heirbrandt says actions speak louder than words.  Most of the donors to his campaign live in the local community, and care about the area, according to Heirbrandt.

Smythe says as a county commissioner, he would work with state lawmakers to change the rules and regulations regarding ethical standards for those in county government.  He would run the county the same as he runs his business, Smythe says, with the “highest ethical standards.”

When asked about qualifications for the job, Smythe talked about what he called “pay for play,” a reference to campaign contributions.  He referenced a recent string of news stories about an e-mail exchange Heirbrandt had with a county commissioner in the South Bend area, calling it a “scandal”

Heirbrandt did not comment on the e-mail exchange story, instead citing a number of successes he has accomplished in his private sector job working with local governments throughout the state, and several successful government projects where he was involved.

In closing statements, Smythe described Mark Heibrandt as a “genuinely nice guy”but he was appointed by the establishment (Heibrandt was voted into office by a party caucus after Doug Carter was appointed head of the Indiana State Police by Governor Pence) and is “there to do the bidding of the establishment.”

Heirbrandt closed by calling Hamilton County a “great place to live and raise a family.”  He cited the successes of the county during his tenure recognized by state-level organizations.  Heirbrandt called the State Road 37 and Ivy Tech plans as “major game-changing projects.”

The county council hopefuls were all part of the same panel with the commissioner candidates.  The biggest disagreement among that group was the voting down last year of a proposed public safety training facility.  Incumbent Councilmen Brad Beaver and Rick McKinney both defended their no votes on funding that training complex.  George Kehl, Jeff Hern and Bill Dennis all said they would have voted yes on the training facility had they been council members.

The Fishers City Board of Works and Public Safety approved a contract with Delaware Township, providing fire protection and emergency medical services for areas of the township not within the city limits of Fishers.  The city will receive just under $327,500 to provide these services.  The contract covers the calendar year of 2016.  Fire officials told the board this contract amount is a bit less than the previous year.  A copy of the full agreement is available at this link.

Spring Break is coming to an end for the students and staff of the Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Corporation, but a big vote is looming for local schools May 3rd.  On that primary election day, voters residing within the HSE School District will be asked to vote yes or no on a referendum question to raise property taxes.

The extra money, 12.75 cents per $100 of assessed property valuation, is aimed at lowering class sizes and upping teacher compensation from the lower third in the Indy metro area closer to near the average amount of compensation.  It would also result in a reduction, or in some cases, of some fees parents pay, particularly the “pay-to-play” fees instituted 2 years ago for sports and some other extra curricular activities.  If passed, the referendum would provide $17 million per year over the next 7 years for HSE Schools.

If you want more detail on the school corporation’s side of why a yes vote on the referendum is needed, I’ve posted 2 recent Podcasts with advocates for a yes vote on the school referendum.

You can listen to my talk with the Chairman of the Advance HSE Political Action Committee Sneha Shah at this link.  I also recently interviewed HSE School Superintendent Allen Bourff, with part of the conversation about the referendum….that Podcast is available at this link.  Dr. Bourff indicated in that Podcast that textbook costs, especially at the elementary grade levels, could be reduced, assuming the referendum passes.

I have been asked, on occasion, why I am only posting Podcasts with people supporting a yes vote in the school funding referendum?  After all, in my Podcast interview with Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness, even the mayor voiced strong support for passage of the school referendum.

The answer is simple.  There has been no organized opposition to this referendum.  That is a surprise, even to those connected to the local schools.  Most officials expected an organized opposition, but none have materialized. A few individuals ask me about the referendum, appearing to question the need for a tax increase, but in the end even these folks have not opposed a yes vote on school funding.

It should be noted that we still have some time between now and May 3rd.  It is always possible an organized opposition will surface at the last minute.  If that happens, I will seek their views.  But so far, that has not happened.

Those advocating a yes vote on the school referendum are a bit concerned about the turnout for the primary election.  It is very possible Indiana will be an important state for the presidential nominating process in both major parties.  That would spike turnout a great deal   No one knows for sure how that would impact the school funding referendum, but there is concern about some voters showing up at the polls not knowing much about the referendum.

So, it’s back to school time for HSE staff and students on Monday, April 11th.  That marks just over 3 weeks to election day.

The FX basic cable channel just completed a 10-part series called The People Vs. OJ Simpson.  Here’s my review.

People living in Fishers have grown accustomed to the summer road construction season over the years, but Lindsey Erdody of the Indianapolis Business Journal (IBJ) puts all the projects on the schedule together.  We all need to be prepared.

You can access the story at this link. (Note: If you are not an IBJ subscriber, your access to this link can be limited)