There will be some changes coming to the Fishers City Council. The 2 Democrats currently on the council lost their bid for re-election Tuesday. One new Democrat will be serving the South West District, Bill Stuart.
Democrats Jocelyn Vare and Crystal Neumann lost. A new Republican will assume an at-large Council seat, Tiffanie Ditlevson.
Democrat Howard Stevenson was unsuccessful in his bid for an at-large Council seat. “We didn’t get the result we wanted, but I’m proud that I ran a positive campaign,” said Stevenson in a social media post. “I want to congratulate Todd Zimmerman, Cecilia Coble, and Tiffanie Ditlevson and wish them the best. I will continue to serve the Fishers community that I love to make it even better for everyone.”
The only Republican to lose in this round of city elections was David Giffel, with Democrat Bill Stuart the winner. “While the election didn’t go our way, I want to congratulate Bill Stuart on winning the Fishers City Council SW (South West) seat,” Giffel said in a post-election written statement. “Your campaign resonated with the voters, and I wish you the best in your new role.”
Some races were not particularly close, but others were.
Stuart’s win over Giffel was by a margin of less than 2% of the votes cast. In the at-large council race, Jocelyn Vare was less than .5% away from winner Divletson. In the North Central District, John DeLucia won by less than 2% of the votes over Crystal Neumann.
So, Bill Stuart, John DeLucia and Tiffanie Ditlevson will be new members of the Fishers City Council as of January 1, 2024.
The result of this election is that Republicans will retain solid control of Fishers city government.
I have written previously about the attacks some candidates have withstood in this city election. Sadly, negative campaigning often works and that’s why it is utilized so often. But it is my view that campaigning in the mud does extend into governing and makes good government more difficult to achieve. Fishers will pay a price for this campaign over time.
So, let’s see what happens in 2024. After all, Scott Fadness was unopposed as Mayor of Fishers and we will see what the coming 4 years bring us.