The Hamilton County Democratic Party has clarified what happened in naming Dr. Crystal Neumann to fill a Fishers City Council seat, saying there was a lack of a quorum at the caucus of precinct officials, resulting in County Chair Dayna Colbert appointing the member of the council.

A news release issued the day of the scheduled caucus said Dr. Neumann “was selected” to fill the council opening.  In a piece published Thursday in the Hamilton County Reporter, Fred Swift reported the “absence of properly certified committeemen” led to county chair Dayna Colbert appointing Dr. Neumann to fill the council seat through 2023.

“After reviewing the statement issued after the caucus, I have concluded that the language used in the statement did not meet the expectations of transparency I have set forth in leading our party forward,” Colbert said in a news release.

On the day of the scheduled caucus, the number of precinct committee members in attendance did not reach the legal definition of a quorum, according to local Democrats.  In the news release, Colbert said by making the appointment, “I fulfilled my obligation to fill the vacancy as mandated by the state code.”

Dr. Neumann was named to replace Councilor Samantha DeLong, who is moving to Nevada.

“I regret that our previous statement did not live up to our own values and will continue to work to improve our communication as we move forward,” Colbert said . “I, together with the Hamilton County Democratic Party, welcome and expect to be held accountable by residents.”

When a replacement was named for Fishers City Council member Samantha DeLong, the Hamilton County Democratic Party held what was described as a caucus of party precinct officials Sunday, April 25th.  Below is the exact text of the news release local Democrats issued that day:

“This afternoon, a caucus of precinct officials met and Crystal Neumann
was selected to the Fishers City Council. Neumann will succeed outgoing Councilor, Samantha DeLong, to represent the North Central District on the council through the end of 2023.”

Reading that release would lead one to believe the precinct officials gathering for that caucus had elected Ms. Neumann.  However, a piece published Thursday by my news-gathering partner, The Hamilton County Reporter, tells a different story.

Here is the Reporter story, as written by Fred Swift:

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It was supposed to be a caucus, but it became simply an appointment.

Fishers Democratic precinct committeemen in the North Councilmanic District were called to fill a city council vacancy when Samantha DeLong resigned her seat due to a planned move out of state.

The caucus vote was planned for last Sunday, but party officials found that committeemen had not been certified as required by state election law.

In the absence of properly certified committeemen, the county chairwoman, Dayna Colbert, was entitled to appoint a replacement for Ms. DeLong. She appointed Crystal Neumann and forwarded the paperwork to County Clerk Kathy Williams.

Whether there would have been a caucus contest for the seat was not disclosed.

Both DeLong and Neumann are Democrats, and under state law the party which elects a local official is allowed to pick a successor when a vacancy occurs.

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So it appears that Ms. Neumann was not elected by a caucus of precinct officials, but appointed by Democratic County Chair Dayna Colbert.

I have requested comment from Ms. Colbert, but as of this posting, have not received a response.

Kathy Kreag Williams has served many years in the Indiana General Assembly and now is the Hamilton County Clerk.  According to my news-gathering partner, the Hamilton County Reporter, Ms. Richardson has been presented with the Sagamore of the Wabash award by her former colleague in the Legislature,  State Representative Tom Saunders.

The award itself says Clerk Williams is “distinguished by her humanity in living, her loyalty in friendship, her wisdom in council, and her inspiration in leadership.”

Sagamore of the Wabash is issued by the governor, an honor dating back to Indiana Governor Ralph F. Gates, who served from 1945 to 1949.

Williams served 26 years as a member of the Indiana House of Representatives, 10 years (1982-1991 and 2019-2021) as Hamilton County Clerk, and has been employed by the county for a total of 45 years.

I normally write about Fishers, but since our city does not have a movie theater within our boundaries, it is newsworthy when a nearby complex is set to re-open.  Susan Orr of the Indianapolis Business Journal posted a story online Wednesday saying the Hamilton Town Center Hamilton 16 theaters, closed due to the bankruptcy of the former operator, Goodrich Theaters, and COVID restrictions, will open its doors soon.

Emagine Entertainment of Troy, Michigan confirmed to Orr that the company has signed a lease to operate the movie complex, beginning July 1.  The firm declined further comment to IBJ.

You can access Susan Orr’s story on the IBJ Web site at this link.

Fishers Police continue to investigate a report of shots fired in the area of State Road 37  and 131st Street  Wednesday morning.  No injuries have been reported.

The gunfire was reported at the Flats at Fishers Marketplace, located at the  9500 block of Ambleside Drive.

The calls came in at 7:30 Wednesday morning, with multiple reports of gunfire near 131^st Street and Cumberland Road. Officers searched the area using K9s, a drone, and Emergency Response Team members. Police found no one injured in the apartment complex and declared the area safe.  This was an isolated incident and not a random act, according to a Fishers Police Department news release. 

This case remains an active investigation. Anyone with information regarding this case should contact Detective Sergeant Robbie Ruble at 317-595-3319.

Schools in the area implemented safety protocols for a period of time Wednesday morning.

by

Fred Swift

Hamilton County Reporter

The Hamilton County Reporter has learned that officials of the county’s four cities will consider extra pay for essential municipal employees who worked during the COVID-19 pandemic, thereby risking their own health.

This follows county officials’ decision to grant extra pay to essential county employees who had to work during the health crisis. Checks of up to $3,000 will go out on May 21 to several hundred county employees.

Cities and towns also received millions of dollars in COVID relief funds from the federal government. Many municipal employees will apparently be paid extra compensation for potentially hazardous duty although amounts may differ from what the county is granting.

Decisions must be made fairly quickly because the federal guidelines provide that money must be given by May 27 in an effort to get more money into the economy sooner than later.

There is also a $13-per-hour limit on the pay rate that local government may give in extra wages during the pandemic period.

Many other uses for the money are allowed including reimbursing departments of local government for lost revenue because of the pandemic. Funds can also be granted to non-profit charitable organizations and even small businesses who lost potential revenue.

But, local governments cannot use the money for capital projects. County government was granted $65.5 million while cities got as much as $20 million for Carmel, the county’s largest city, and $14 million for Noblesville.

There is a changing of the guard on the way at Hamilton Southeastern Schools as Dr, Allen Bourff prepares to retire at the end of June and Dr. Yvonne Stokes prepares to assume the superintendent’s job July 1.  I talked with both on this podcast.

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(Video Version)

The Fishers Parks and Recreation Department is set for a long-awaited move from the current headquarters on Brooks School Road to the Hub and Spoke complex on 106th Street near the Nickel Plate Trail.  An Open House at the new Hub & Spoke location is set for Saturday, May 22nd, 2-7pm.

“We are thrilled to relocate our headquarters to create a space that is open for the community to create, tinker, collaborate,” said Fishers Parks director Sarah Sandquist in a city news release. “We hope this new home along the Nickel Plate Trail will introduce more people to all we offer and expand opportunities for all ages to explore a playground of creativity with the Maker Playground.”  

 The new headquarters will also feature a 15,000-square-foot community makerspace. The Maker Playground will offer hands-on maker programs, STEAM-based programming, day passes, and annual memberships for the public. 

Here are more details, as provided by the City of Fishers:

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Complementing this space are four classrooms for STEAM experiential learning, specialty equipment, and a large gathering and collaboration space. 

Many of us have pivotal years in our lives.  I have many of those moments, but in terms of my education and professional life, I must go back to the spring of 1973.  Upon high school graduation, I completed work at a broadcasting trade school and set out to fulfill my dreams of becoming a radio broadcaster.

I had the opportunity to do a number of challenging tasks in that business, including play-by-play for high school and college sports.  I programmed 2 radio stations.  But there was still something missing.

So, in the summer of 1973, I enrolled at IUPUI while working part-time in radio.  I quickly adapted to academic life and enjoyed it.  It was my beginning speech class that intrigued me the most.  After working behind a microphone all those years and never looking those listening in the eye, I had to look out and relate to the audience before me.

IUPUI had started a tradition of Speech Night.  Every class elected one person to be in the semi-final, and the semifinal winners went to the Speech Night event.

On Speech Night of 1973, I was the last of six speakers.  Looking out over the full crowd in the largest lecture hall at IUPUI at that time, it was unnerving,  But, they were not there to listen to my speech on the Electoral College.  All beginning speech students were required to attend in order to pass the class.

Winning Speech Night 1973 gave me the confidence to later pursue a civil service career where public speaking was a way to advance.

I thought my 1973 Speech Night win was lost in the dust bin of IUPUI history,
Then, out of the blue, I received a contact from the speech department asking for a video about the 1973 Speech Night experience.

If you watch the video linked below, note that all past winners profiled have video clips of their speeches except myself, because my speech goes back so far no one could find video recording.

I am honored that IUPUI asked me to be a part of the 100th Speech Night.  Kudos to all the speakers making the finals this semester.

You can view the documentary video at the link below. (Editor’s note:  It appears IUPUI has deleted the video, I am not sure why)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zycPbkZacgo&t=4720s

A prom is supposed to be a time of joy, an important part of going through high school.  At Hamilton Heights High School Saturday night, that joy turned to sorrow and grief as two students headed to the prom died in a vehicle crash at 281st Street and Lacy Road.

Kalen Hart, a student at Heights, was in the front seat of a 4-door car when there was a collision with an SUV.  Also in the front seat was Cathedral High School student Lendon Byram.  Both died in the crash.

Two students in the back seat suffered what police say were non-life-threatening injuries.  The driver of the SUV refused treatment.  The Hamilton County Sheriff’s office is investigating.

The prom was cancelled and grief counselors will be available to students as classes resume today (Monday).

It is difficult to put into words how the entire community of Hamilton County feels after this tragic event.  Seeing news accounts of some of the memorials and comments from people close to both of these students breaks one’s heart.

For the friends and family members of Kelan Hart and Lendon Byram, know that this local community is with you and ready to do whatever we all can to support you in this moment of sorrow.

As someone that writes regularly, it is not possible to put feelings into words at a time like this.