As the deadline looms for candidates to file for the May municipal election primary, two more hopefuls have filed their paperwork to put their names on the ballot.

Two city council candidates, both Republicans, officially threw their hats in the 2019 ring.

Paula Hughel will be a Fishers City Council candidate in the Southeast District, taking on incumbent Pete Peterson.  Peterson has already filed his paperwork to run for re-election.

Gurinder Singh will run for a City Council at-large seat.  All three Republican incumbents – Rich Block, Cecilia Coble and Todd Zimmerman – have filed their paperwork for a re-election bid.  Tuesday, Democrat Jocelyn Vare filed her paperwork to run.  So far, Vare is the only Democrat to file candidacy in this year’s Fishers city election.

Here is a full rundown on all candidates that have officially filed to run in Fishers, as of the close of business Wednesday, February 6th, based on information provided by the Hamilton County Elections Office in Noblesville:

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Mayor of Fishers (vote for 1)
Scott Fadness (Republican) (2-1-19)

Fishers City Clerk (vote for 1)
Jackie Bowen (Republican) (1-9-19)
Jennifer L. Kehl (Republican) (1-11-19)

Fishers City Judge (vote for 1)
Daniel E. Henke (Republican) (1-10-19)

Fishers City Council, North Central (vote for 1)
Eric Moeller (Republican) (1-9-19)

Fishers City Council, Northeast (vote for 1)
Brad DeReamer (Republican) (1-9-19)

Fishers City Council, Northwest (vote for 1)
Mike Colby (Republican) (1-9-19)
Selina Stoller (Republican) (1-17-19)

Fishers City Council, Southwest (vote for 1)
David C. George (Republican) (1-9-19)

Fishers City Council, Southeast (vote for 1)
Paula Hughel (Republican) (2-6-19)
Pete Peterson (Republican) (1-14-19)

Fishers City Council, South Central (vote for 1)
John W. Weingardt (Republican) (1-14-19)

Fishers City Council, At Large (vote for 3)
Rich Block (Republican) (1-17-19)
Cecilia Coble (Republican) (1-9-19)
Gurinder Singh (Republican) (2-6-19)
Todd Zimmerman (Republican) (1-9-19)
Jocelyn Vare (Democratic) (2-5-19)

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The deadline for filing is Friday, February 8th, at noon.

The Fishers Plan Commission voted 8-1 Wednesday night , sending a neutral recommendation to the City Council on a  proposed text amendment to the city’s Unified Development Ordinance.  The proposal would require third-party inspections before a developer turns over common-area improvements contained in  housing developments to a Homeowners Association.  The no vote was cast by Plan Commission Member Brad DeReamer, who is also a Fishers City Councilor.

DeReamer had offered a motion to send a favorable recommendation to the city council for approval of the ordinance amendment, but the motion died after no Plan Commission member was willing to second his motion.

The “no recommendation” motion that was approved means the Plan Commission is taking no position on the proposal at this time.  Initially, Plan Commission Member Pete Peterson, who also serves on the city council, offered a motion to send an unfavorable recommendation to the city council, but at Plan Commission President Warren Harling’s suggestion, changed his motion to a “no recommendation.”   Harling argued this matter needs to be studied and perhaps would come back as an ordinance amendment if needed in the future.

Rich Block, a Plan Commission and city council member, voiced opposition to the proposal, saying he is hesitant to add another layer of government to the building process.  Peterson voiced the same argument.

DeReamer said he was elected to represent the people, and in his opinion, the citizens want this change, adding that the City of Carmel has already enacted such an ordinance.

Kate Collins, representing the Builders Association of Greater Indianapolis (BAGI), said her group opposes this change because it puts government in the middle of private, contractual relationships.

Hamilton County Reporter

Fishers cruised to a 75-54 victory over Anderson Tuesday night at the Tiger Den.

Fishers got off to a solid start, leading 20-13 after the first quarter. Jeffrey
Simmons scored seven points, while Alex Szilagyi made a pair of 3-pointers. The
Tigers then poured in 24 points in the second period to take a 44-23 lead; Willie
Jackson led the way with seven points, and Szilagyi drained two more triples. Fishers
held its halftime margin throughout the second half.

Four Tigers players landed in double figures. Simmons scored 18 points, while
Josiah Matthews and Szilagyi each scored 15. Szilagyi made another 3-pointer in the
third quarter to give him a total of five for the game. Jackson scored 13 points; he is
now Fishers’ all-time leading scorer with 910 career points.

The Tigers are 14-6 and will host Pendleton Heights on Friday.

Hamilton County Reporter

Chris Grubbs hit a last-second jump shot for Hamilton Southeastern Tuesday night, and that sent the Royals to a 71-70 victory over New Castle at the Southeastern gym.

It was a close game throughout. The Trojans led 21-19 after the first quarter and 30-29 at halftime. New Castle then held a 50-46 lead after three quarters, but the Royals poured in 25 points in the fourth, culminating in Grubbs’ game-winner.

Aaron Etherington scored 16 points to lead the scoring; both he and Grubbs collected five rebounds, with Etherington dishing out four assists. Noah Smith added 12 points and handed out eight assists.

Grubbs and Mabor Majak each contributed 11 points.

The Royals are 13-5 and play Friday at
Carmel.

The third annual Fishers City of Service awards ceremony is set for Tuesday, February 26th, 6pm, at the Forum Conference Center.  Any volunteer is welcome to the free dinner event.  You can register at this link.

I spoke with Dan Domsic and John DeLucia about this year’s event.

HSE Schools will be installing solar panels at three school locations in the next few months….Bob Rice talks about the solar project

There is now at least one Democrat throwing her hat in the ring for a Fishers City Council seat.  Local business owner and arts activist Jocelyn Vare has announced her intention to run for city council at-large.

Vare points to her extensive experience, as well as “a fresh perspective  and much-needed transparency to the council.”

She has lived in Fishers for 20 years and opened her small business, an advertising firm named Propeller Marketing, in 2001.  She began volunteering in and around the Fishers community in 2008 and continues that work.  She has volunteered in many arts organizations and is a past president of the Fishers Arts Council.

In the news release announcing her candidacy, Vare says she “combines creativity with sound business strategy to encourage economic growth and enhance the community.”  Running as a Democrat, she claims a track record of collaboration, viewing herself as “the community’s candidate.”

“The best ideas often come from residents themselves, not always politicians,” said Vare. “Our public officials have a responsibility to listen and learn before making decisions that shape the future or replace the heritage of our community. Fishers residents should be able to trust in the city leaders who represent them, and our city leaders should trust the citizens to participate in a meaningful way.”

The candidate will be hosting a series of “Ask Me Anything” events on Facebook as well as a series of community listening events in the coming weeks. A schedule for these events will be posted on Facebook in the coming days. For more information about Jocelyn, visit www.JocelynVareForFishers.com and follow her on Facebook and Twitter.

So far, all three Republican incumbents serving as at-large city councilors have filed for re-election in the May primary.

The Rolling Knoll neighborhood of Fishers, near 116th Street and Hoosier Road, was the scene of a fatal accident Sunday night.  One person was arrested in connection with the crash.

The collision took the life of Jonathon Reynolds, 24, of Indianapolis.  According to information collected by Fishers Police, a Honda, driven by Gayl Adams, 66, from Indianapolis, was attempting to turn northbound onto Bell Plaine Boulevard from eastbound 116^th Street at the time of the collision. Adams told police she did not see the motorcycle, driven by Reynolds, traveling westbound, and was unable to avoid the crash.

Fishers officers say they observed an odor of an alcoholic beverage.  Adams submitted to a Breath Alcohol Test which indicated a blood alcohol content of .15%.  Adams was taken into custody and transported to the Hamilton County Jail without incident.  She faces charges of  Operating A Vehicle While Intoxicated.

The accident was reported around 6:30pm.  Reynolds, who was driving the motorcycle, was taken to St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis, where he died from his injuries.  Adams was treated for minor injuries at the scene.

As the temperature in and around Fishers climbs to above average levels and the snow melts, this would be a good time to send out praise for some very special people.

Recording-breaking low temperatures are dangerous.  We were being told by the experts to stay inside and only venture out if absolutely necessary when the severe cold hit.  If you did venture out, you were advised to dress warmly, in layers and don’t expose your skin to the cold for more than a few minutes.

Many of us heeded those warnings, but there were some that could not.  Who were these people?

They bore titles such as – Duke Energy employees, city police officers, sheriff’s deputies, town marshals, state troopers, firefighters, ambulance crews, snow plow drivers…..you get the drift.  There were many people out in the very, very cold, restoring power, helping those of us stranded in those tough conditions.

As the weather moderates, let’s take a moment to recognize and thank all those private sector workers and public servants that ventured out into dangerous weather to help us.  I believe we need to give a big thanks to all of them.

If you see any of these special people around town, tell them how much you appreciate their work during some of the coldest weather we have seen in a very, very long time.  They will appreciate it!

Hamilton County Reporter

The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a single vehicle crash which resulted in the deaths of two individuals late Friday night.

First responders were dispatched to the 26600 block of southbound U.S. 31 in northern Hamilton County shortly after 11 p.m. on Friday on the report of a vehicle in a field. Callers reported one of the people involved in the crash was trapped in the vehicle while another was thrown from the car.

The preliminary investigation indicates a 2005 red Chevrolet Cobalt was southbound on U.S. 31 north of 266th Street when, for unknown reasons, it left the right side of the roadway and struck a tree approximately 1,500 feet north of the intersection.

The driver of the vehicle, identified as Coltin D. Heath-Brumfiel, 23, Kokomo, was ejected from the vehicle during the crash. He was pronounced dead at the scene. It is unknown if he was wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash. The passenger, Meghann K. Clement, 25, Kokomo, was trapped in the vehicle as a result of the crash. She was also pronounced dead at the scene.  Reports indicate Clement was wearing a seat belt during the incident.

Witnesses of the crash told deputies the Cobalt changed lanes and fishtailed before leaving the roadway and striking the tree.

Toxicology tests were performed to determine if alcohol or other substances contributed to the fatal crash; however, test results are pending.

The incident is under investigation by the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office Crash Team. Anyone with information pertaining to the crash is asked to contact the team through Hamilton County Public Safety Communications at 317-773-1282.

The Sheriff’s Office was assisted by Sheridan Police and Fire departments.