It was one of those election nights for all Fishers incumbent candidates – they all won their spots on the Republican ticket.  Since only a few face Democratic challengers in the fall, many were essentially re-elected in the primary election (Democratic officials can appoint candidates later this summer if the party so chooses).

Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness solidly won another four-year term in the mayor’s second-floor corner office inside City Hall, if no Democrat is appointed to oppose him in the general election. Fadness ended up with more than 67% of the vote, compared to his opponent Logan Day’s 32.69% of the votes cast.

“It was very humbling and re-affirming to have so many residents come out and say that the work that my team’s been doing over the last 5 years, and the vision that we have is the right vision for our community,” said Fadness at his election night celebration.

As to what happens next, the mayor promised more of the same.  “I think out past actions will predict future performance,” Fadness said.  “You can expect our team to put our heads down tomorrow, go back to work, and will continue to try to serve the residents and create a vision that’s very compelling for current residents and, hopefully, future residents.”

His campaign’s decision to run television advertising in the Indianapolis market has fueled speculation that the mayor has higher political aspirations, but Fadness maintains it was all tied to this election and supporting his city council allies.

“There were a lot of people in Fishers really not paying attention to this (election), so we thought that by going on TV, not only would it help myself, but the team I was running with, to remind people there was an election,” said the mayor.  “People can speculate, as they always do, about political life and political aspirations, but in all honesty, there was a strategy to remind people that there was an election coming up.”

Challenger Gurinder Singh was not shy about spending money on his campaign for City Council At-Large, but the three incumbent council members all won renomination.  Cecilia Coble and Todd Zimmerman led the way in the at-large vote count.  Rich Block had roughly 25% of the vote compared to Singh’s 19.35% of votes tallied, gaining Block a spot on the fall ballot.  There were four candidates and the top three appear on the November ballot.  Democrat Jocelyn Vare will be a candidate in the fall for city council at-large.

Incumbent City Councilman Pete Peterson easily defeated opponent Paula Hughel.  Peterson received more than 71% of the vote in the Southeast Council District.

Another incumbent, Northeast District Councilman Brad DeReamer, easily defeated challenger Tom Grinslade.

In the race for Fishers City Clerk, Jennifer Kehl received nearly 66% of the votes cast in defeating challenger Jackie Bowen

Pete Peterson was at the Fadness election night party, after he won another primary election forFishers City Council

200 of 200 precincts reporting (all of Hamilton County)

Mayor

Logan Day                                                   2941                   32.69%

Scott Fadness                                              6057                    67.31%

City Council At Large

Rich Block                                                   5852                   25.28%

Cecilia Coble                                               6438                   27.81%

Gurinder Singh                                          4480                   19.35%

Todd Zimmerman                                     6383                    27.57%

City Council Northeast District

Brad DeReamer                                         1610                      74.78%

Tom Grinslade                                           542                         25.22%

City Council Southeast District

Paula Hughel                                            440                         29.59%

Pete Peterson                                           1099                        71.41%

City Clerk

Jackie Bowen                                          2772                               34.05%

Jennifer Kehl                                           5368                               65.95%

When you read the phrase “We The People,” what comes to mind?  For most, they are the first three words contained in the preamble to the United States Constitution.

For a number of HSE Schools students, that phrase is the name for a highly-competitive program that pits schools from around Indiana, and the nation, in a contest of knowledge about American civic understanding, particularly related to American history and our constitution.

For many years, our two high schools have had a We The People class that students take for credit.  Part of the class is competing against other schools.  The idea is to write and read for judges a four-minute paper on a specific issue.  The students then take questions from judges about that paper.  That panel of judges then rates the team.

Teachers Janet Chandler at HSE High School and Liz Paternoster at Fishers have had teams score highly enough in state competition to qualify for the national finals in past years.  In 2019, both teams qualified to attend the national competition in the Washington DC area.  HSE High School finished 7th and Fishers 8th nationally.

A few years ago, Mike Fassold, a teacher at Fishers Junior High School, started a “We the People” program at his school.  Fassold coached teams to two national titles, then his 2019 team finished second in the nation.

Recent surveys and polls have found the American population in general has very little knowledge and understanding about the American Constitution and our political history.  Frankly, our education system has emphasized technical subjects more than social studies in recent times.

However, there are groups of students at HSE Schools with an in-depth understanding of our government because some hard-working, dedicated teachers have worked with them to become national leaders in the We The People program.

We should all be proud.

You may have seen an old school house along Cyntheanne Road near Southeastern Parkway, across from Hamilton Southeastern Intermediate & Junior High School.  It was originally constructed as a one-room school house for what was then a rural farming community.  In more recent times, it has been used as a home.

Curt Tappendorf is in the middle of a massive remodeling project to convert the old school house to a coffee house.  The plans include a second story for customers and a 25-car parking lot adjacent to the building.  Tappendorf says his goal is to open the building for coffee by July 7th of this year.

Monday, Tappendorf had two men that spent their time in that one-room school house visit the construction site.  George Underwood and Charles Whelchel are the only living graduates of the 1946 class.

Whelchel has fond memories of his days at the old school house, saying “we were like one big family.”  There were three teachers, and it was common for studenst to listen to what the other teachers were saying, with the lower grades trying to hear what the upper grades were doing.

Whelchel is excited that the old school house building is still here and being put to good use.  He stopped farming two years ago on his 90th birthday.  “I said I was gonna farm until I was 90 years old and I made it,” Whelchel said.

Walking around that old school house building brought back memories of my father telling me about the one-room school house where he was educated in rural Martin County, Indiana.  Curt Tappendorf is working to preserve history and create a new coffee shop on that location.  Watch for the opening of School House 7 Cafe in July.

The Hamilton Southeastern School Board will have new proposed language to begin the discussion of a nondiscrimination policy, but the group HSEqual says it will likely not support the new wording.

The language released Monday uses the term “gender nonconformity” under its listing of those protected by this policy proposal.  Jaime Cairn, one of HSEqual’s founders, posted a message on Facebook saying the organization will not support this language.

“While the policy is an update from a 19 year old policy and progress in some respects, the policy does not unequivocally provide that the board will not discriminate against the listed classes; the phrase “gender nonconforming” does not include transgender people; and the use of the word “unlawful” throughout the latter half of the policy contradicts the list of protected classes,” wrote Cairns

“This policy is not the inclusive language that HSEqual has been advocating for since day one,” added Cairns.  “Hamilton Southeastern schools should seek to create an environment where all students are welcome, valued, respected, and protected.” 

Below is the language board members will have before them as a proposal to begin the discussion:

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

Hamilton Southeastern School Corporation will not discriminate or tolerate any form of discrimination in its educational or employment activities for any reason or on any basis prohibited by applicable federal and state laws, including race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender nonconformity, national origin, age or disability. This includes but is not limited to a characteristic, trait, belief, practice, association or other attribute. Hamilton Southeastern Schools will foster a culture and environment that does not marginalize, treat unfairly or disrespect any member of our school community and will
recognize the uniqueness and individuality of all students, educators, staff and administrators so they have an opportunity to succeed.

This commitment applies to all School Corporation operations, programs, and activities. All students, administrators, teachers, staff, and all other school personnel share responsibility for avoiding, discouraging, and reporting any form of unlawful harassment or discrimination. This policy applies to unlawful conduct occurring on school grounds immediately before, during, or immediately after school hours; in any school program or activity taking place in school facilities, on school transportation, or at other off‐campus locations, such as at school‐sponsored field trips or a training program; or using property or equipment provided by the school, including school‐owned computers and the school’s computer network.

The immediate remedy for any act of discrimination shall be to end it, treat the individuals involved equitably, and, as much as practically possible, eradicate any effects of discrimination. The school corporation may impose discipline as appropriate.

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

The Board passed, on first reading, the following policy wording April 24th – “The school corporation will not discriminate in its educational and employment activities on any basis prohibited by applicable federal or state laws.”

The board meeting is scheduled to begin at 7pm, Wednesday, May 8th, at the school administration building on Cumberland Road.  A large crowd is expected.  Overflow rooms with a video feed are expected to be available for those not able to fit into the board meeting room.

I must commend Jeff Jellison, publisher of the Hamilton County Reporter newspaper.  He is willing to be creative and try news things.  The Reporter is also my news-gathering partner.

His latest experiment is asking his readers to respond to a 2019 local primary election poll.  In a special edition of his publication posted online the day before the election, Jellison revealed the results of that poll.  Of his 10,000 subscribers, Jellison says 7,900 of his readers responded to an online poll about how they plan to cast their votes election day.

Although I am not an expert in polling, I did study this concept as a political science major in college.  I must note that we need to consider many flaws in this poll.  It is very unscientific.

First, of those 7,900 people responding, we don’t know how many are registered voters or likely voters.  We also do not know where the respondents live.  For example, for those responding to the Fishers election, there is no way of knowing how many of those taking the poll actually live in Fishers.

Scientific polls are geeky exercises in statistical analysis, or, to put it another way, just really complicated math problems.  You must quantify the margin of error for the poll to be scientific.  There is no way to measure the margin of error in the Reporter’s poll.

So, just be aware that this poll is in no way scientific, but it is all we have.  It is possible at least one candidate has done some internal scientific polling, but those poll results are for the campaign, not for public consumption.

News organizations sometimes pay for scientific polling, but that is very expensive.  It is rare anymore for a news organization in Indiana to commission a poll that meets the industry standards.

So, with all those caveats, I am passing along Jeff Jellison’s reader survey.  The results for the Fishers election are shown below.

One other message to all Fishers voters.  The HSE Schools, as part of a movement by all Hamilton County School Systems, has decided not to host any polling sites this election cycle due to security concerns.  If you have been voting at a Hamilton Southeastern school location, you should have received a little yellow card from Hamilton County informing you of the new polling place.  If you want to check your polling location just to be sure, and to verify you are a registered voter, use this link and access “Check Voting Status – Check Your Registration Record.”

You can view the entire special pre-election edition of the Hamilton County Reporter at this link.

As most Fishers-area residents know by now, the Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board is set to vote on a nondiscrimination policy Wednesday night.  As I was thinking about that vote, my mind went back to an opinion piece published in today’s (Sunday’s) Indianapolis Star.  It is written by two juniors and two seniors at the University of Notre Dame.

The four students are thinking ahead to the start of their work life.  But in that article, all four made one thing clear – they have no plans to stay in Indiana after graduation.

The reason why is the biggest concern.  Here is what they jointly wrote:

“Indiana has a perception, deserved or not, as a state stuck in the past. Many young, talented, college students do not even consider remaining in Indiana after graduating.”

A major reason Indiana has this reputation is the General Assembly’s inability to enact a strong bias crimes law.  A measure was passed in the legislative session this year, but it was a half-way measure that does not include protections for gender identity and gender.  Without those groups being a part of the law, Indiana will continue to be on a list of only five states nation-wide without a strong bias crimes law.

Not all business leaders and organizations are in agreement on this issue, but the tech firms are still saying the law, as it stands in Indiana, is not good enough.  This is a major setback in the highly-competitive industry of luring the best young tech talent.  Most of that group refuses to locate to a state not seen as having a strong bias crimes (sometimes described as hate crimes) law.

As I have written before, this failure by our state lawmakers has the danger of leading Indiana into becoming an economic backwater if this is not fixed soon.  Just as people involved locally in the high-tech industry here in Fishers will tell you, this lack of a strong bias crimes bill will make their recruitment efforts for talent in the future much more difficult, if not impossible.  Those tech industry leaders in Fishers include John McDonald of Cloud One and John Wechsler, founder of Launch Fishers and the Indiana Internet of Things (IoT) Lab

That brings me to the HSE School Board.  On April 24th, the board rejected an amendment to the board nondiscrimination policy that includes a list of student and employee groups covered by the policy.  That amendment failed to pass by a 4-3 vote.

The measure that did pass 4-3 basically says the school district will follow state and federal law in its nondiscrimination policy.

There is now a major public debate underway.  The day after the vote, April 25th, a Facebook group was organized named HSEqual advocating for the strong language voted down by the board April 24th.  At last count, HSEqual had about 3,300 people following the Facebook page.

Emma Kate Fittes, a reporter for the Indianapolis Star, posted a story April 26th laying-out all the school districts around HSE Schools with nondiscrimination policies containing much stronger language than was approved at the April 24th session of the HSE board.  In other words, people living close to the Fishers area have other choices of school systems.

Ask any Fishers-area real estate agent this question – what is the biggest draw to Fishers for most families?  The answer you will almost always get is the school system is a big reason families choose to live in the boundaries of HSE Schools.  Our school corporation is the goose that laid the golden egg for Fishers.  I am fearful this issue has the potential of killing the goose that laid the golden egg.

I wrote a week ago on this blog that this controversy, which has attracted some national news coverage, has the danger of tearing this community apart.  I’ve seen that happen in other communities and I still fear it could happen here.

I also urged everyone to be respectful and listen to each other.  I am seeing signs of that since April 24th and that is good news.

However, compromise may be a difficult path on an issue like nondiscrimination policy.  I spoke with Jaime Cairns and Michael Vance, co-founders of HSEqual, on a podcast recorded and posted last Thursday.  I asked Mr. Vance, who has a daughter that is transgender, whether a compromise is possible on an issue such as this.

He paused for a moment, then said, “I do not think there is, certainly not long-term.”

This will not be an easy vote for our school board members.  But I would hope all seven will take into consideration what is at stake here.  Nothing less than our reputation as a welcoming place for all is on the line.  We cannot just say we are welcoming to all, we need to put it into policy specifically.

Governor Eric Holcomb was the first sitting Indiana governor to deliver the commencement address at Ball State University Saturday.  He found the situation with college graduates serious enough that he felt compelled to urge the graduates to stay in Indiana.

The four Notre Dame students that penned the Op-Ed column in the IndyStar were all clear – they are all leaving the Hoosier state at their graduation.  Sadly, there are far too many graduates of our outstanding Indiana colleges and universities planning to leave this state.

The HSE School Board will be making a decision that will define what our school corporation’s district will be, not just in the Indy metro area or the state of Indiana, but around the nation.  What will that definition be?  Will HSE Schools continue to be a magnet for families moving to Fishers?  We will likely know Wednesday night, May 8th.

Mary Rager is a school counselor at Hamilton Southeastern High School and has been namded Hero of the Month by the local nonprofit group Prevail, according to my news gather partner, the Hamilton County Reporter.

In September 2018, Prevail started offering psycho-educational support groups for sexual assault survivors at Hamilton Southeastern High School and Fishers High School. According to Prevail, over the course of this partnership, Ms. Rager has been attuned to the social, emotional and academic needs of students who have been effected by sexual assault.

While running groups in the school was a new experience for our advocates as well, Ms. Rager assures there is a space that feels safe and confidential for students.  She  works to arrange the students’ schedules, and provides support over the course of the week to students.  Ms Rager has identified potential triggers for the participants and works to be sensitive to their needs.

Rager has worked to collaborate, tailor the curriculum to the students’ current needs, provide encouragement for their capacity to grow through this experience, and highlight their strengths that can support growth.

Hamilton County Reporter

Residents of Hamilton County can help extend broadband coverage to rural areas by downloading a new app created by the National Association of Counties (NACo), of which Hamilton County is a member.

“Access to affordable, high-speed internet is essential to connect people and places and compete in today’s economy,” says NACo Executive Director Matthew Chase. “This mobile app will help identify gaps in broadband coverage and help guide federal, state, and local decision-making.”

“TestIT” (available for iOS and Android) allows mobile users to test their broadband speed from anywhere – helping to accurately identify areas with low or no internet connectivity.

Ward

“Believe it or not, there are some places in Hamilton County, even within the city limits, which are below the national average for broadband speed and some that are below the federal minimum standard,” said Kenton Ward, County Surveyor and a member of the NACo Board of Directors. “A lack of high-speed internet is hurting small businesses in rural America. It also limits students’ ability to get online and for sick patients to get medical consultation locally unavailable.”

NACo says outdated broadband mapping techniques limit Congress’ ability to accurately identify and fund broadband resources across much of America. It hopes the “TestIT” app will help identify unserved and underserved communities and provide accurate data to ensure they are better served by critical federal resources.

“Our lives and futures have become inextricably tied to technology,” “says George Kakasuleff, president of the Hamilton County Farm Bureau. “Without access to high-speed internet, many of our rural communities are becoming increasingly isolated and left behind. We need to do a better job of bridging the digital divide.”

NACo has also partnered with the Rural Community Assistance Partnership (RCAP) and Rural LISC (Local Initiatives Support Corporation) to fund the new mobile app.

The Fishers Arts Council announced 10 cash awards Thursday at City Hall, as part of the Senior Showcase.  Certificates of Appreciation were handed out to Angela Fritz and Jasmine Osborne, chairpersons of FHS and HSEHS visual arts departments.

Here is  the list of student winners:

Best of Show

Yibei Cheng                                              HSE    $500

Drawing

1st Place    Grace Supanik              HSE    $250

2nd Place Callie Waligora              HSE    $250

3rd Place Courtney Broyles          HSE    $250

Photography

1st Place   Chayton Davidson        HSE   $150

2nd Place  Karissa Stiner                FHS   $150

3rd Place   Maddie Gibbs                FHS   $150

Painting

1st Place  Maxwell Reid                  FHS   $100

2nd Place  Emi Chima                     FHS   $100

3rd Place  Caroline Kridle             FHS   $100

The following received Honorable Mention certificates: