By Maria Cook
Republican Christine Altman is seeking re-election for her 16th year as Hamilton County commissioner in District 1. She is facing a challenge from the vice-chair of the Hamilton County Democrats of Indiana, Rosemary Dunkle.
Altman has a bachelor’s of science degree from the Indiana University School of Business and Accounting and a law degree from the Indiana University School of Law. She has been a practicing attorney for more than 36 years and served on the Hamilton County Council for six years before being elected to her current position in 2003.
“Prior to elected politics, I was very active in the Carmel Chamber of Commerce and several other civic groups, and they encouraged me to run for county council at-large when I first got in,” Altman said.
During her time as commissioner, Altman was involved in the effort to combine 911 emergency dispatches in Hamilton County.
“We had three separate dispatch locations in the county,” she said. “We had a lot of gaps in terms of trying to coordinate. We’d get a call on the edge of Carmel, or between Noblesville and Westfield. It was really hard to call the right department in for assistance. We were able to combine all of that under one county operation, and it has worked out very well in the long run and saved a significant amount of money for everyone.”
Altman said she is running for re-election to continue tackling the challenges faced by the expanding population of Hamilton County.
Campaign platforms:
- Infrastructure: Maintain existing roads and bridges with continued inspections and scheduled investment
- Transportation: Explore transit opportunities as the county’s population continues to grow.
