It is no surprise that Scott Fadness is supporting Brad Chambers in the crowded Indiana Republican primary gubernatorial field. After all, our Fishers mayor has been hosting fund-raising events for candidate Chambers.
Fadness has authored an Op-Ed piece for the Indianapolis Star published online March 28. He argues that Chambers is the person needed to lead the Hoosier state as our next governor. Read the opinion piece at this link.
Fadness lists what he describes as “significant challenges” our state must overcome:
–A failing education system
–Slow wage growth
–An antiquated economy
–High health care costs
–An ever-growing inclination to settle for the status quo
and
–A resignation that things won’t change for the better.
Chambers’ credentials as an entrepreneur are cited in the piece, and we know Fadness is drawn to those of the entrepreneurial class. Launch Fishers is an excellent example. Our mayor has a record of being a risk-taker and he sees Chambers as one willing to take risks.
Fadness has attracted firms from around the world to locate in Fishers, with the Italian company Stevanato Group recently constructing a large facility in the city. Fadness argues that Indiana must be competitive not just nationally, but world-wide.
Chambers’ record during his tenure as Indiana secretary of commerce is cited by Fadness as a major reason to support his campaign for governor. Fadness seems to argue that Chambers possesses conservative values but will do what’s best for Indiana aside from political ideology.
Having covered Scott Fadness since his days as Fishers Town Manager, there is no question he and Brad Chambers share a number of key approaches to governance. But our mayor, as a risk-taker, is taking a very big risk by backing one candidate for governor at this stage of the campaign.
If Brad Chambers is elected governor, Scott Fadness will have an important seat at the table when decisions are made at the state level. That would be a plus for Fishers as a city.
But the risk is this – what if Chambers is not elected? If that happens, Fadness will not have that important seat at the table. After all, there are 5 other candidates for the Republican nomination with at least 3 of them as well-funded as Chambers.
Another risk is listing what Fadness believes are challenges in Indiana, as I noted above. The Republican Party in Indiana has controlled state government for at least 20 years. Other Republicans may take issue with that stance.
I have no problem with a mayor willing to take calculated risks. Fishers is full of developments because Mayor Fadness has been been willing to take risks.
It will be interesting to watch the risk Mayor Fadness has made in the Republican primary for governor once the election results of the May 7 primary election are known.