By Ann Craig-Cinnamon
On March 19th, the six candidates who want to be the first mayor of Fishers gathered onstage at the Forum Conference Center during a forum held by the Fishers Chamber of Commerce and shared their qualifications to be mayor and their vision for the city with Chamber members. The six candidates are Fishers town council member Renee Cox, Fishers Town Manager Scott Fadness, transportation industry consultant Maurice Heitzman, former Fishers Town council President Walt Kelly, Butler University professor Marvin Scott, and community activist Elaine Viscant.
They were each asked six questions that had been prepared by the Fishers Chamber Advocacy Council and given 90 seconds to respond to each. The questions ranged from the candidates’ experience that qualifies them to become the first mayor to their long- term vision for the new City of Fishers. There were several issues that most of the candidates agreed on, including that property tax caps are one of the biggest challenges facing the city as it continues to grow. Education was also mentioned as a priority, particularly with Hamilton Southeastern Schools facing budget tightening as a result of the funding formula passed by the Indiana General Assembly and a possible $9 million dollar budget deficit by 2016.
The areas in which there was disagreement among the candidates included the type of growth Fishers is experiencing and the use of tax dollars to lure businesses to the community.
The public will get a chance to hear the candidates debate the issues on April 16 at 7pm in the Town Hall Auditorium sponsored by the Fishers Arts Council.
