The Indianapolis Business Journal published an editorial in the July 5th edition that was tough on the Hamilton County Democratic Party, arguing that the Dems must “reinvent themselves to bring two-party politics to the county.”

After reading that editorial, I asked to meet with Joe Weingarten, Chairman of the Democratic Party in Hamilton County, as well as a Fishers resident from the Geist area.  He has another point of view.

Going back 2-5 years ago, Weingarten argues that there was no Hamilton County Democratic Party to speak of, just occasional Democrats running sporadically on their own with little or know help from the party.

“It’s a task, but you can’t build the party overnight,” Weingarten told me.  “We’re slowly building the party and it’s growing.”

Democrats fielded a number of candidates in the 2018 election, but Weingarten has found it more difficult to find people to run for local offices.  Mayoral candidates balk at the enormous amount of money that must be raised to challenge incumbents such as Jim Brainard in Carmel and Scott Fadness in Fishers.

Democrats have four candidates for Fishers City Council on the ballot for the November 5th general election, and Weingarten is encouraging those candidates to focus on what he calls “discontent” among many people living in Fishers for many years.  He points to the Nickel Plate railroad tracks about to be removed, which he thinks will need to be laid again if light rail transit comes to the area.  The Democratic Chair also cites the large building projects downtown and the uprooting of trees near City Hall to make way for private development, as reasons for the public discontent he hears from local residents.

Weingarten is also critical of the way Fishers has gone about formulating a comprehensive plan.  He believes the city should have contracted with a professional firm to formulate the plan, rather than having the City Council take charge of the process.

There will also be an emphasis on transparency in government from Democratic candidates. “If a Democrat is elected to the (City) Council all these secret deals, or deals behind closed doors, vanish,” Weingarten said.

“The people of Fishers, as well as the other communities around here, have to realize that single party government breeds the possibility of corruption,” according to Weingarten.  “Not saying there is corruption, but the possibility.  It also breeds where the voice of the people becomes ignored.”

So, Joe Weingarten says he is building a party where one did not stand, and he continues to build the organization and its people, despite what the IBJ wrote in that editorial.

“The IBJ article missed the boat,” said Weingarten.  “They just threw-out a general statement.”