When the City of Fishers scheduled the Veterans Day ceremony outdoors at Liberty Plaza, they were taking a chance on the weather. It appears the weather has won in 2021.
The event has been moved indoors to the Fishers YMCA (9012 E. 126th St.) for Thursday, November 11, at 10am.
Indiana United States Senator Todd Young is scheduled to be the featured speaker.
This is my the first time missing a Fishers State of the City address delivered by Mayor Scott Fadness. I think I had an excuse, in a local hospital room with an IV in my arm.
The mayor’s staff did provide me with the text of his speech. I always look to what the mayor chooses to highlight in the speech as a way of gauging his view of where Fishers has been, is now and appears to be headed in the future.
The speech opened with thoughts on an international flight (parents with boys his age get little quiet time at home). He recalled what it was like in the early stages of the pandemic.
He then brought up to the stage his department heads and staff, providing the audience with a rundown of how each had contributed to the city getting through the COVID period as well as could be expected under the circumstances.
As the mayor looked to the future, he cited the constant bombardment of negative messages about government and how that has created a skeptical view of Fishers, since the constant bickering is common on the national level. In the view of Fadness, all that national noise makes it difficult to take the pulse of the local community accurately.
He then pivoted to the many accomplishments the city has seen recently, including weathering the COVID economic storm, along with a long list of projects the city is undertaking.
Mayor Fadness makes an appeal at the end of the speech, challenging us to find our common ground, our agreement on some basics. He recognizes the differences we have, but asks that we overcome those differences by striving to exercise three qualities: grace, curiosity and a sense of humor.
Fadness looks to the next 24-36 months, saying the city will see a “remarkable transformation.” So, just where were you on that international travel Mr. Mayor? Going for another economic development project? After all, the city just lured an Italian firm here.
This speech looked back at the painful start of the COVID pandemic, how Fishers dealt with that situation, then looked forward to how we might come together as a community on some common ground we all share.
Mayor Scott Fadness laid down a challenge for all of us. Can we come together and reach some common ground in this era of hyper-partisanship? The answer resides in all of us, the citizens of Fishers. Time will tell.
There were two serious traffic crashes in Fishers in recent days, one Friday and the other Sunday. The Friday accident took one person’s life.
At 2:30pn Friday, Fishers Police responded to 131st Street and Olio Road and found a crash involving two vehicles, with three people sent to area hospitals. One of the three died.
The fatality is identified as Billy Newman, 95, from Fishers. Injured were Doris Newman, 81, also from Fishers, and Marsha Lipe, 72, from Indianapolis.
Based on evidence collected at the scene and witness statements provided to officers, it appears a Cadillac, traveling southbound, turned left (eastbound), into the path of an Acura traveling northbound.
This crash remains under investigation.
Sunday at 4:30pm, officers were called to Allisonville Road and White Oaks Drive, finding a vehicle stopped and a pedestrian taken to a local hospital.
According to police, the pedestrian, an unidentified 15-year-old, was running eastbound, across Allisonville Road, when he crossed into the path of the southbound vehicle. Authorities says the driver immediately stopped and cooperated with the investigation.
No citations were issued. This crash remains under investigation.
Police provided no update on the conditions of those injured in the two accidents.
Democrat Jocelyn Vare was elected to the Fishers City Council in 2019, taking office in 2020. She is announcing her candidacy for the newly drawn Indiana State Senate District 31 seat. Several political commentators have suggested the new senate district can be competitive for Democratic candidates.
Vare says Fishers voters put their trust in her as an at-large council member and she will go on a listening tour seeking the trust of those in the redistricted seat.
“I earned that trust by listening to Fishers voters and I will continue listening whether I am at City Hall or the Statehouse,” Vare said. “During my State Senate campaign, people can be confident that I will continue my Fishers City Council service focused on resident representation and transparency.”
In the news release announcing her exploratory committee, Vare cites her independence in dealing with the Republican majority on the city council.
“Everyone deserves a public servant who represents them – someone who puts them first,
works hard, and thinks independently,” said Vare. “I am that public servant. I have
always been centered by local issues that make a difference in people’s lives, like caring for our neighborhoods and educating our kids.”
Vare and Samantha DeLong were the first Fishers Democrats elected to city office in anyone’s memory. Ms. DeLong recently moved out of state and Crystal Neumann was appointed to complete the council term.
According to Vare, the new Senate District 31 “brings our city together for the first time to vote for our representative in the Indiana State Senate.” The district includes Fishers, Geist, parts of Noblesville and the Northeast Side of Indianapolis.
When an opening in most Indiana elective offices occurs, it is up to the precinct officials for the political party of the incumbent office-holder to appoint a replacement for the remainder of the term. With Delaware Township Board member David Giffel now a member of the Fishers City Council, Mike Colby has sent a letter to the precinct officials announcing his candidacy for the opening.
Colby served as a member of the Fishers Town Council, but was unsuccessful in two runs for a city council seat. He has lived in Fishers for 26 years and is a military veteran.
Mr. Colby previously served on the Delaware Township Board, being selected to fill a vacancy in a 2008 caucus and was elected to the board in 2010.
The Republican caucus to select David Giffel’s replacement on the Delaware Township Board is scheduled to be held Tuesday, November 16.
The placement of 5G towers in Fishers neighborhoods is becoming a contentious issue, with Mayor Scott Fadness saying at a recent meeting of the Board of Public Works and Safety that the entire issue could be decided by the courts.
The November 4th board meeting had a list of requests for Verizon 5G towers in Fishers neighborhoods. The process was paused during the pandemic, but has resumed in recent months.
It came to a head when residents of the Glen Abbey area of the Windermere subdivision made it clear to the board they want no 5G towers of any kind in their neighborhood.
The three member board, consisting of the mayor and his two appointees, have been dealing with neighborhoods coming to an agreement with Verizon on the placement of these towers. In some situations, Verizon says it cannot provide service coverage in a given area without the placement of a tower in a specific place, for technical reasons.
During the November 4th session, the board:
–Approved 3 tower locations in Harrison Lakes and tabled 1 proposed location, allowing time for the neighborhood to find a solution with Verizon.
–Approved all 3 locations in Princeton Park.
–Approved 2 locations in Weaver Creek and allowing time for talks on 1 placement.
–In Weaver Woods, 1 location was approved.
When the Glen Abbey in Windermere locations were up for a vote, several residents in that area were clear that the only acceptable solution was no towers.
Mayor Fadness provided some historical context about his lobbying efforts on this issue at the Statehouse starting 7 years ago when the 5G tower issue first surfaced. According to Fadness, the telecommunications industry pushed hard for no local government involvement, but the cities and towns were able to gain provisions in state law allowing some limited local government involvement.
Verizon has warned the city in at least two public Board of Works meetings that Fishers may already be exceeding its legal authority in considering these tower placement requests.
Verizon is entering the Fishers market for 5G service because of the quality of this community as consumers of technology in a relatively affluent area, according to the mayor. Fadness wants to give the public a voice in these 5G tower decisions, but the city is required to follow state and federal law at the same time.
The board tabled all the proposed 5G towers in the Glen Abbey area, allowing attorneys for the city, the neighborhood and Verizon to come to some sort of understanding about how these requests should be considered by the Board of Works. The mayor is asking the lawyers to “come to some determination as to what is considered and what is not considered in our (board of works) decisions.”
Fadness conceded this may end up with attorneys “arguing with each other” and not reaching any understanding. If that is the result, judges may become involved.
“If that’s the case, then (the city) will have to make a decision from a public policy perspective,” Fadness said. “That could end up in a court of law.”
Fishers will be constructing a new City Hall in the near future, and I sincerely hope that the new building will include the art work that has adorned our current structure. The Fishers Arts Council has had a long-standing program to bring new art to the seat of our city each month.
November brings a new watercolor exhibit to the halls of city government. The collection will be on display Monday through Friday, 8:30am-4:30pm. A reception, free and open to the public, will be held Friday, November 12, 6-8pm. There will be live music by Nick Ivanovich, refreshments, and a cash bar.
A special performance is set for the Fishers Community Chorus at 7:30pm. There will be roughly 40 watercolor works on display at City Hall through November 27. Saturday, November 27, look for special gallery hours of 1p-6p as part of the Shot Fishers small business post-Thanksgiving promotion. Art classes and demonstrations will be part of the November 27 event.
There will be approximately 40 watercolors on display during the exhibit which is up through November 26th. On Saturday, November 27th, we will hold special gallery hours from 1pm-6pm for our free Shop Fishers! event which includes art classes, artist vendors and demonstrations, along with one last chance to see this incredible WSI exhibit.
The Fishers Arts Council is joining forces with the Watercolor Society of Indiana in providing this exhibit.
Late in the day Monday, November 1, I knew something wasn’t right. Severe pain in the abdominal area would not let up. Early the next morning, my wife Jane drove me to the emergency room.
Once admitted to the hospital, the doctors thought I had a case of colitis. But it wasn’t long before I was told I had a case of E. coli, a very rare type. That led to a few days in the hospital of observation and treatment.
In case you are wondering, the hospital did report this, as required, to local government.
It was clear that in the early stages I had a very serious condition that created a toxin within my body that could attack key organs. I consider myself fortunate that I am recovering.
The doctor released me from the hospital late Friday afternoon. I have some follow-up blood tests and another physician visit in the next few days, but it appears I am on the mend. I most definitely feel much better.
This happened almost exactly one year after my bout with COVID. Remember, there was no vaccine one year ago. My primary care physician told me a few months later she was very close to putting me in the hospital for COVID.
Bottom line is, I am a very lucky man. I have had two serious health challenges in the past year and I am still here to write about it.
I did not have access to updating the blog when hospitalized, but I didn’t want rumors to start about why I hadn’t been posting here. I did have my cell phone, so I went on social media just to let everyone know I was in the hospital and would return to blogging when able.
I was shocked at the number of people wishing me well, offering their kind thoughts and prayers. To each and every one of you reaching out to me from those social media posts, thank you.
But the medical staff at St. Vincent Hospital in Fishers has earned my biggest thanks. Somehow, the nurses caring for me discovered I write this blog. They asked me not to write about my stay or use their names.
I will honor half of that and will not use any names. Let’s just say I owe this recovery to the doctors, nurses and entire medical staff involved in my care. They are the reason I am able to write this piece. “Thank you” does not begin to express the depth of my gratitude. We are fortunate to have so many good people working in our health care system.
I do have a little time to isolate myself at home, but once I have the green light, I’ll be out and about once again. It looks like a lot of news has been happening in Fishers the past week. Allow me to start catching-up.
Thanks for reading.
As we enter the month of November, the holiday highlight of the month is Thanksgiving. We all know about the following day, Black Friday, the retail industry’s normally biggest day of the year. The following Saturday is gaining traction as a special commercial day – Small Business Saturday.
The City of Fishers is joining with local small businesses in a Shop Fishers Holiday Series Saturday, November 27 through December 31.
Find more details about the Shop Fishers Holiday Series at this link.
Here is a full listing of local businesses participating in the 2021 Shop Fishers Holiday Series: