There is no doubt people in Fishers are ready to get back out and head to public events.  That was obvious Saturday morning, May 7, at the first Fishers Farmers Market of 2022.

Conditions were a bit windy and cool, but the crowd was large.  Vendors had plenty of customers.

After two years of dealing with a deadly pandemic, the Farmers Market is yet one more example of getting back to normal in Fishers.

The Fishers City Engineering Department has received the bids for the planned construction at 141st Street and State Road 37, and the City Engineering Department Director Jason Taylor is recommending that the city reject all the bids received because they exceed the estimates.

Taylor says the city expected the bids to be over the estimates but “not this much.”

“We’re going to go back, analyze it, and then hopefully in the coming weeks be able to have more information on what happened, why the numbers were higher and then be able to make an educated decision and recommendation on next steps and will present those to the City Council and (Hamilton) County,” Taylor said in a podcast interview.

For more on that, and much more on local road issues, here is my podcast with Jason Taylor and Assistant Engineering Director Hatem Mekky.

Yulia Tolstikov-Mast grew up in Russia, spent time in Ukraine and is now an American citizen living in Fishers.  She volunteered to travel into Poland in an effort to assist the large number of Ukrainian refugees fleeing the war in their home country.

Yulia has many stories to tell in this podcast about her time in Poland.  She says the most effective assistance provided to these refugees is through non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other nonprofit groups.

The podcast link is below, but here are ways you can help.

Contribute on Yulia’s Go Fund Me page

You can contribute to Indiana Supports Ukraine

For food support, Yulia recommends World Central Kitchen

Another recommendation from Yulia on how you can help is by visiting the North America for Ukraine Facebook page

You may contact Dr. Yulia Tolstikov-Mast at her Linked-In page 

The dust is beginning to settle and 8 school corporations in Indiana asked their voters for local tax support in the 2022 primary election cycle.  Six of those school districts saw their voters pass the local referendum while two did not.  I sifted through those results to see if there are any clues as to how our local Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School District will handle a referendum vote in 2023.

HSE has an operating referendum that is due to expire.  Indiana law says such referenda only last for a certain number of years.  It had been seven years, but a recent law change made the length eight years.

An operating referendum normally supplements the state support for teachers salaries and number of staff members.  In HSE’s case, the 2016 referendum was aimed at providing more competitive pay for the teaching staff, lower class sizes (mostly in the lower grades) and also finance a mental health program.

The HSE School Board has several decisions to make in the 2023 operating referendum.  Will the board place the item on the primary or general election ballot?  (In 2023, Fishers will conduct a city election, with the mayor’s office and all 9 council seats up for election).  Will the board choose to ask voters to keep the current operating referendum property tax rate, or will the requested rate be more or less than the current rate?  Will the board choose to hire an outside firm to help manage the referendum campaign?

I have leaned on some very good reporting by Arika Herron and M.J. Slaby of the Indianapolis Star (two excellent journalists) and reporters from the non-profit news organization Chalkbeat, for a look at what has happened to school referenda in Indiana this primary election cycle.

Of the eight school districts with a referendum on the ballot, six were approved, two were voted down.  All six approved were operating referenda, with the two losing were tied to capital projects (school buildings.)

One losing referendum was in Marion County’s Franklin Township.  That district asked voters to provide funding for a renovation and expansion project for their growing student population.  Franklin Township has a history of voting-down school referenda and it happened again in 2023.  School officials there say they will do the best they can, but the challenges of keeping an old building going with increasing student counts will not go away.

The other referendum in the state to lose was in Terre Haute.  There is a long history here, but suffice it to say the voters in Vigo County chose no on a school building project there.

Close to Fishers, Lebanon and Perry Township Schools saw their voters approve their operating referenda by comfortable margins.

So, what does this portend for HSE Schools in their 2023 operating referendum renewal vote?  There is only one conclusion I can draw, based on what very good reporters have written and experts have said.

The fear that a new convoluted language requirement on the referendum ballot did not have the adverse impact that many educators had feared.  Many pundits opined that a number of Indiana lawmakers were of the opinion that too many school referenda were passing in the state.

The results in May of 2022 show that voters appear willing to fund teachers and staff to support their local schools, even if it means property tax bills will go up (or remain the same).  It also illustrates that if the local school district explains what is at stake, and just how the referendum would impact tax bills, the public is willing to listen.

We are many months away from a local HSE operating referendum vote, but what is happening now around the state can provide some clues.  And another important election is coming up later this year…four of the seven HSE School Board seats are up for grabs in the November general election.

Julie Chambers is seeking a second term on the Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School board in the upcoming fall general election.  Ms. Chambers currently serves as President of the HSE Board of Trustees.

“As the daughter of a public school teacher and a product of public schools myself, I truly believe that our public schools are the bedrock of our community,” Chambers wrote in a Facebook posting announcing her candidacy.  “HSE Schools are excellent, and much like many families in our district, one of the main reasons we ended in Fishers. However, no district is perfect, and we should never stop striving to improve.”

In the 2018 election, Ms. Chambers defeated Brad Banks by 268 votes – Chambers received 4,971 votes, Banks 4,703.

HSE School Board candidates begin their official filing July 27, with the filing deadline at noon August 26.  In this election, there are four of the seven board seats up for election.  Each candidate only runs within the border of her/his district, with only voters within that district casting ballots for that board seat.

The general election is set for November 8.

The Spark Fishers Festival is coming Tuesday, June 21, and continuing through Saturday,  June 25.

The City of Fishers issued a news release Wednesday with all the plans for the 2022 celebration.  Here is that release:

=============

The annual Spark!Fishers festival, ignited by First Internet Bank, returns to Fishers’ Nickel Plate Cultural District this summer. Kicking off on Tuesday, June 21 and running through Saturday, June 25, the weeklong festival will offer different ways for the community to celebrate each day. 
 
“We invite the entire community to our largest celebration of the year. Spark!Fishers highlights what it is to be a Fishers resident, showcasing the breadth of art, food, music, and community organizations, all locally sourced,” said Fishers Parks Director, Sarah Sandquist.  
 
The patriotic celebration will be packed full of family favorites and Independence Day traditions, while launching the Fishers Sesquicentennial Celebration, honoring Fishers’ 150th birthday by showcasing what it means to be uniquely Fishers. All events, with the exception of the 5K, are free to attend, and no registration is required.  
 
“For years, we have called Fishers home and are excited to remain a member of this vibrant community with the opening of our new headquarters in the Nickel Plate District,” said Nicole Lorch, First Internet Bank President and Chief Operating Officer. “We look forward to once again sharing this annual summer celebration with the City of Fishers and our neighbors.” 

The 2022 lineup includes: 

Tuesday, June 21 / 7-9 p.m. 
Tuesday Night Concert featuring Fishers Music Works’ White River Wind Symphony at the Nickel Plate District Amphitheater 

Wednesday, June 22 / 7 p.m. 
5K Run/Walk sponsored by IU Health Fishers around downtown Fishers, registration now open. 

Thursday, June 23 / 6-9 p.m. 
Spark!Fishers Car & Art Show around the Municipal Complex

Friday, June 24 / 8 p.m.  
Friday Night Concert featuring Bruno Mars tribute band, Uptown Funk, at the Nickel Plate District Amphitheater  
      
Saturday, June 25 / 3-10 p.m.  
Spark!Fishers Street Fair around the Municipal Complex, with a community parade at 6 p.m. and fireworks at 10 p.m.

Sunday I posted a piece on this blog about a conversation I had with someone familiar with the Hamilton County political scene.  He told me two county-wide Republican primary elections would say a lot about where Hamilton County is headed politically.

In both of those races, the incumbents lost and new office-holders are on the way.

In the race for the Republican Party’s candidate for prosecuting attorney, incumbent Lee Buckingham failed in his bid for another term, losing to Greg Garrison.  You may recall that Garrison’s claim to fame was his work as a Marion County prosecutor that represented the state in convicting former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson.  That led to him having a radio talk show for many years.  Garrison retired from radio in 2017.  He will now lead the team of prosecuting attorneys in the Hamilton County office.  Garrison won with 59% of the votes cast.

The other election saw a Hamilton County Council incumbent lose his bid for re-election.  Challenger Mark Hall defeated incumbent councilor Steve Schwartz.  Hall garnered more than 58% of the vote this time around.

There were many other election results of note Tuesday night.

Darren Murphy won the newly-created judgeship in Superior Court 7, defeating Stephenie Gookins, with 52.5% of the vote.

Former Hamilton County Reporter newspaper publisher Jeff Jellison easily won the Republican race for County Coroner over his opponent Ned Masbaum with more than 67% of the GOP votes cast.

Closer to home in Fishers, three Republicans out of the four candidates will be on the ballot in the fall for Fall Creek Township Board – Brian Baehl, Tony Scott and Jason Meyer.  Three Democrats will be on the November ballot for the three board seats – incumbent Rachna Greulach along with Kimberly Passey-Strahan and Sukriti Sachdeva.

The Hamilton County Clerk’s office says under 12% of registered voters cast a primary election ballot.  There are only estimates on how many eligible voters chose to stay away from the polls (and early voting) but that number is down in the single digit percentage at best.

For a full listing of the election results from the Hamilton County Clerk’s office, use this link. 

(EDITOR’s NOTE:  I incorrectly cited Patricia Bratton as a winner in the Fall Creek Township Board election…in fact, Tony Scott won in that race.  The story has been corrected)

The Grand Project Award has been described as one of Indiana’s most prestigious engineering honors, handed out each year by the American Council of Engineering Companies of Indiana.  American Structurepoint, with headquarters located on the north side of Indianapolis, has won the Grand Project Award for its engineering work on the intersection of 126th Street and State Road 37.

According to an American Structurepoint news release, the award also recognizes  the City of Fishers, Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT), Hamilton County, and the City of Noblesville for collaborating to address traffic congestion and safety challenges along the SR 37 corridor in Hamilton County, Indiana.

“We are honored to share this recognition with the City of Fishers, INDOT, Hamilton County, and the City of Noblesville to improve traffic flow and solve complex congestion issues along the SR 37 corridor,” said Rick Conner, president of American Structurepoint, in the company news release. “At American Structurepoint, we take pride in improving lives in the communities we serve.  This is a great example of that because the improvements will reduce the amount of traffic congestion, improve access to the businesses along the corridor, and enhance safety for people who travel on SR 37. The work we do can even save lives, and I am proud of what we do and our team who constantly goes the extra mile to achieve successful results like this.”

The intersection design created an overpass roundabout over SR 37 on 126th St., and an underpass for SR 37 traffic to move freely.  This replaced the previous traffic signal.

A similar design is under construction at 131st Street and State Road 37 and is expected to be completed at the end of 2022.  Bids will be opened soon for an interchange at 141st Street and State Road 37.

I am in my 11th year of writing this news blog which focuses on the community where I have resided for more than 30 years – Fishers.  As a one-man-band blogger, it is difficult to keep up with the news in my own city.

However, Fishers is part of Hamilton County so one cannot ignore developments there.  I was speaking with someone the other day with lots of experience watching Hamilton County elections.  It is his view that the results of two Republican primary races will tell us a lot about where our county stands politically.

The first race is for prosecutor.  Lee Buckingham is seeking another term in office.  Greg Garrison, the prosecutor that handled the Mike Tyson case resulting in his conviction, is challenging in the May 2nd primary election.  Garrison has also made a name for himself in recent years as a radio talk show host.

Will Hamilton County GOP voters stay with Lee Buckingham, or go with Garrison?  The result will say a lot.

The second race of interest is for County Council, District 3. Incumbent Steve Schwartz will once again face challenger Mark Hall.  Both candidates have been campaigning heavily.  Only voters residing in District 3 will decide this GOP primary race.

There is one other item I will be watching on this 2022 primary election night.  There are several school referendum votes up, one in Perry Township (Marion County).  Voters have been tending to approve increases in their local property taxes to support their local school districts.

Some in the General Assembly think too many have been approved, leading to new language on the ballot for a school referendum.  For example, the language on the ballot now uses the word “increase” four times in the ballot language.  Will that have an impact on how voters choose to vote?

The reason I am interested, even though no school referendum vote is happening in Hamilton County this time around, our local Hamilton Southeastern School District will hold a referendum next year to continue an operating referendum.  Even if the school board chooses to continue the current referendum tax rate, the ballot will state the word “increase” four times, even though the rate remains the same, because the tax rate is higher compared to no referendum rate.

A few things to watch as the 2022 primary election results roll in Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning.

It was the mid-1970s and I was hosting a late-night radio talk show that ran from 11pm to 3am the following day, 5 days a week.  It was aired on a 50,000 watt station adjacent to Marion County.  The program had a much larger audience for that time period that one would imagine.

I had a variety of regular callers to the program, many of them characters that kept the show lively at times.  One person that regularly called and seemed to have his head on straight called to ask a question.

How could anyone ever be in favor of a pay raise for elected officials?  He could not, in his own mind, justify any pay increase for any elected person under any circumstance.

I then posed a question to him.  Understanding that everything must be justified and within reason, do you want a set of elected decision-makers consisting only of those that can afford to serve?  Would that not result in only the wealthier class among us making our major government decisions?

He paused for a moment and then said, yes, he could see some circumstances where elected officials’ pay raises might be justified.

That exchange came to mind while reading the latest piece written by IndyStar Columnist James Briggs.  I read Briggs regularly.  Sometimes I agree with his stances, other times I do not.  But you can always count on a well-thought-out argument from him.

His most recent missive makes the case that a pay increase for members of the Indianapolis City-County Council might be justified.  You can read his commentary at this link.  (NOTE:  You must be an IndyStar subscriber to access this story.  One again, please support you local media!  Online IndyStar subscriptions are not expensive.)

When reading Briggs, I recalled an issue that came before the decision-makers of Fishers in 2016.   Fishers had converted itself from a town to a city.  A 2012 referendum from the voters created the city form of government.  The first city election was held in 2014 and the City of Fishers stood up on January 1, 2015.

The town council had established the council member pay as $12,000 per year around the year 2000.  The town council kept that rate of pay for about 16 years.

It was in 2016 that a study was conducted to compare Fishers council member compensation to similar cities in our geographic area.  That study found our council members compensation far behind every municipality in that report.

So, when the Fishers City Council set council member salaries for 2017, they each received a $7,000 increase in their annual salary.  The idea was to include elected officials in the annual pay raise so a large one-year hike in compensation would not be needed in the future.

In having covered Fishers for nearly 10 years on this news blog, I know the amount of time and effort that each council member devotes to city duties.  It is not a small time commitment.

Most council members either have full-time jobs or are retired.  The council salary is not what they count on to make a living.  But they should be reasonably compensated for the work they do.

As Indianapolis considers what compensation is best for their councilors, yes, they will get criticism for raising their pay, as Fishers did in 2016.  But consider all the factors when making a decision like this.

“Paying City-County Council members like the professionals they are (or, at least, closer to it) will lead to better candidates, better elected officials and better government,” James Briggs wrote on his IndyStar commentary. “The field shouldn’t be limited to people who either can afford to work for almost nothing or who are willing to sacrifice financial security for the call to public service.”

This time, I do agree with Mr. Briggs.