Editor,
In the North Carolina of my youth, you could get your driver’s license on your 16th birthday and register to vote (and choose your party) on your 18th. I was one of the few more excited about officially becoming a Republican than the next (late) great Dale Earnhardt.
I have never voted for a Democrat in my life. This election that will change as I am voting for Erin Vahrenkamp, Michael Sweeten and Kevin Patterson for Clay Township Board and David Russ for Clay Township Trustee. In Home Place, our township taxes, largely due to the Fire Fund line item, have increased from a rate of 0.22 to 0.80 since we moved here. (I often criticize Carmel Mayor Jim Brainard, but he has done well in providing fire services to us, as the budget for the fire department itself has only roughly grown at the rate of population increase and inflation.)
The incumbents believe Home Place should be the only part of the township taxed for large portions of new fire station construction, even beyond Home Place. I have been trying to work with the incumbents to determine the appropriateness of this. I could be wrong; however, it is hard to tell when they, despite nice salaries for part-time work, won’t dig in themselves. I set up a meeting a few weeks ago with Doug Callahan, the current Republican trustee, and had requested certain documents over the phone and via email. I thought this meeting was for me to pick up those docs. Instead, me, only armed with my 3-year old daughter, was met not just by Doug but the Township’s high-priced attorney Brian Bosma, who also serves as the Indiana Speaker of the House. The result of this expensive meeting: I was handed the form I needed to fill-out my document request. Why not do the “Grassroots Government” thing (our Township motto) and tell me you have a new form well before the meeting?
I would encourage you to pass up a chance to stay in the weeds of our current grassroots “representatives” and vote for these Democrats. They seem much more mature in their ability to offer transparent rather than transactional government.
Eric Morris, Carmel
