Fishers Police are asking for help from anyone that may have seen anything related to a home burglary Monday.  Below is the Fishers Police Department news release with the details:

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Yesterday afternoon the Fishers Police Department responded to a residential burglary in the 11900 block of Royalwood Drive (116^th Street and Olio Road). The homeowner was alerted by his barking dog. When the homeowner went to investigate he observed a stranger standing in his living room. The suspect immediately jumped out of an open window and fled the area. Officers conducted an extensive search using a Police K-9, however the suspect remains at large.

The homeowner described the suspect as a white male wearing a florescent yellow or orange colored vest. If you were in the Royalwood Neighborhood yesterday and saw a person matching the description Detectives would like to speak with you. Also if you live in the area and have exterior security cameras Detectives may be interested in reviewing any footage from yesterday between 1:00pm and 1:30pm. Detective Dan Nelson can be reached at 317-595-3331.

Please remember to report suspicious persons, vehicles, and activity immediately to 911. Also keep in mind the following home safety tips:

Home Safety Tips

 Install exterior lights at all entrances. Consider motion detector lights.
 Install a wide-angle viewer on all exterior doors.
 Check who is at the door and do not open the door to anyone you don’t know.
 Install good locks on all doors and windows. Use those locks!
 Be sure locks on doors and windows can be opened quickly in case of fire.
 Leave a light on when you are not home. If you are on vacation, use a timer to control lighting.
 Don’t hide keys outside.
 Remove house keys from your keychain when your car is serviced.
 Talk with trusted neighbors. Keep an eye on their house and ask them to watch yours.
 Stop mail and newspaper delivery when you are away.
 Install an alarm system that will detect entry and notify police.
 Have your lawn mowed and snow shoveled when away.
 Close garage doors at night.
 Keep trees and bushes trimmed. Do not let plants block doors and windows.

Suspicious Activity

An event that is out of the ordinary or that makes you feel uncomfortable could be a crime in progress.
 Adults or juveniles walking casually through the neighborhood looking into windows, backyards, vehicles, etc.
 A vehicle driving slowly through your neighborhood with or without lights on.
 Something wakes you in the night.
 Someone you don’t know rings your doorbell.
 An unknown car parked near your home containing one or more people.
 If something is suspicious to you, Call the Police!

Fishers Police Chief George Kehl is convinced that having a strong partnership with the police department and your neighbors will give the Fishers community its best chance in deterring and detecting criminal activity. If your neighborhood is not an active member of the Fishers Neighborhood Crime Watch Program we encourage you to call Lieutenant Dave Dunbar, at 317-595-3313, for more information.

As always if you see or hear something suspicious please call 911 immediately!

The races for Hamilton County Commissioner and County Council were front and center at Noblesville City Hall April 11th.  The Hamilton County League of Women Voters sponsored the candidate forum.

Incumbent Mark Heirbrandt is being challenged in the Republican primary by Fishers business owner Bill Smythe.

Heirbrandt cited long-term growth planning as key for the county.  He cited projections that Hamilton County will double its population by the year 2050, and he is seeking responsible solutions to the growth that is coming.

Smythe talked about his campaign mantra of “Voters over Vendors.”  He also said he will make a campaign issue of what he calls a “deadly epidemic” of drug abuse, advocating rehabilitation over incarceration to deal with the problem.

Smythe says he would not have favored the funding plan for a public safety training center with the county picking up a large part of the cost.  The county council voted that proposal down.  Smythe says he favors a domestic violence shelter, but it would be a priority below drug rehabilitation.

Heirbrandt emphasized his view that public safety should be the number one priority for elected officials in Hamilton County, with more violent crimes seen by local law enforcement,with proper training more important now.  He voiced strong support of a domestic violence shelter for women, with such victims now being sent to an Anderson facility.

When the question of ethics was raised by forum moderator Janet Chandler, Heirbrandt says actions speak louder than words.  Most of the donors to his campaign live in the local community, and care about the area, according to Heirbrandt.

Smythe says as a county commissioner, he would work with state lawmakers to change the rules and regulations regarding ethical standards for those in county government.  He would run the county the same as he runs his business, Smythe says, with the “highest ethical standards.”

When asked about qualifications for the job, Smythe talked about what he called “pay for play,” a reference to campaign contributions.  He referenced a recent string of news stories about an e-mail exchange Heirbrandt had with a county commissioner in the South Bend area, calling it a “scandal”

Heirbrandt did not comment on the e-mail exchange story, instead citing a number of successes he has accomplished in his private sector job working with local governments throughout the state, and several successful government projects where he was involved.

In closing statements, Smythe described Mark Heibrandt as a “genuinely nice guy”but he was appointed by the establishment (Heibrandt was voted into office by a party caucus after Doug Carter was appointed head of the Indiana State Police by Governor Pence) and is “there to do the bidding of the establishment.”

Heirbrandt closed by calling Hamilton County a “great place to live and raise a family.”  He cited the successes of the county during his tenure recognized by state-level organizations.  Heirbrandt called the State Road 37 and Ivy Tech plans as “major game-changing projects.”

The county council hopefuls were all part of the same panel with the commissioner candidates.  The biggest disagreement among that group was the voting down last year of a proposed public safety training facility.  Incumbent Councilmen Brad Beaver and Rick McKinney both defended their no votes on funding that training complex.  George Kehl, Jeff Hern and Bill Dennis all said they would have voted yes on the training facility had they been council members.

The Fishers City Board of Works and Public Safety approved a contract with Delaware Township, providing fire protection and emergency medical services for areas of the township not within the city limits of Fishers.  The city will receive just under $327,500 to provide these services.  The contract covers the calendar year of 2016.  Fire officials told the board this contract amount is a bit less than the previous year.  A copy of the full agreement is available at this link.

Spring Break is coming to an end for the students and staff of the Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Corporation, but a big vote is looming for local schools May 3rd.  On that primary election day, voters residing within the HSE School District will be asked to vote yes or no on a referendum question to raise property taxes.

The extra money, 12.75 cents per $100 of assessed property valuation, is aimed at lowering class sizes and upping teacher compensation from the lower third in the Indy metro area closer to near the average amount of compensation.  It would also result in a reduction, or in some cases, of some fees parents pay, particularly the “pay-to-play” fees instituted 2 years ago for sports and some other extra curricular activities.  If passed, the referendum would provide $17 million per year over the next 7 years for HSE Schools.

If you want more detail on the school corporation’s side of why a yes vote on the referendum is needed, I’ve posted 2 recent Podcasts with advocates for a yes vote on the school referendum.

You can listen to my talk with the Chairman of the Advance HSE Political Action Committee Sneha Shah at this link.  I also recently interviewed HSE School Superintendent Allen Bourff, with part of the conversation about the referendum….that Podcast is available at this link.  Dr. Bourff indicated in that Podcast that textbook costs, especially at the elementary grade levels, could be reduced, assuming the referendum passes.

I have been asked, on occasion, why I am only posting Podcasts with people supporting a yes vote in the school funding referendum?  After all, in my Podcast interview with Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness, even the mayor voiced strong support for passage of the school referendum.

The answer is simple.  There has been no organized opposition to this referendum.  That is a surprise, even to those connected to the local schools.  Most officials expected an organized opposition, but none have materialized. A few individuals ask me about the referendum, appearing to question the need for a tax increase, but in the end even these folks have not opposed a yes vote on school funding.

It should be noted that we still have some time between now and May 3rd.  It is always possible an organized opposition will surface at the last minute.  If that happens, I will seek their views.  But so far, that has not happened.

Those advocating a yes vote on the school referendum are a bit concerned about the turnout for the primary election.  It is very possible Indiana will be an important state for the presidential nominating process in both major parties.  That would spike turnout a great deal   No one knows for sure how that would impact the school funding referendum, but there is concern about some voters showing up at the polls not knowing much about the referendum.

So, it’s back to school time for HSE staff and students on Monday, April 11th.  That marks just over 3 weeks to election day.

The FX basic cable channel just completed a 10-part series called The People Vs. OJ Simpson.  Here’s my review.

People living in Fishers have grown accustomed to the summer road construction season over the years, but Lindsey Erdody of the Indianapolis Business Journal (IBJ) puts all the projects on the schedule together.  We all need to be prepared.

You can access the story at this link. (Note: If you are not an IBJ subscriber, your access to this link can be limited)

We are a little over 3 weeks away from primary election day, and the Hamilton County Commissioner Republican primary race has had a major development, courtesy of a news release issued by a Northern Indiana Democrat Party Chairman.  That may sound strange, but it has been a strange political year.

Here is the story as I can best piece it together from a variety of news sources.  Jason Critchlow, Democrat Party Chairman in St. Joseph County (South Bend), issued a news release the afternoon of April 6th, showing an e-mail exchange between Hamilton County Commissioner Mark Heirbrandt and St. Joseph County Commissioner Deb Fleming.

Here is how Indianapolis Business Journal (IBJ) reporter Lindsey Erdody described the e-mail documents released by Chritchlow:

“In the emails, Heirbrandt discusses Fleming’s campaign with her at the same time the company he works for was bidding on a St. Joseph County project.”

I won’t go into further detail.  If you want more, IBJ.com and IndyStar.com have plenty of details on the e-mails.

Although Democrat Critchlow called the content of those e-mails “troubling and at minimum gives an appearance of impropriety,” he did not file a complaint with election officials.

Heirbrandt told IBJ he could not comment because of employment agreements he has in place.  However, his campaign said in a statement this is a “ridiculous accusation” that was “a blatant attempt to mischaracterize the truth.”

In a statement to WSBT-TV in South Bend, Fleming said Democrats are “trying to make these emails come across a certain way that they’re not.”

Chris Sikich of the Indianapolis Star had Julia Vaughn of Common Cause, an advocacy group specializing in campaign finance, review the e-mail documents.  She describes the e-mail conversation as crass but no laws were broken, in her view.

“Clearly this illustrates how rampant pay to play is in local government,” Vaughn told the Star. “There is a very small universe of people who contribute to local campaigns, and way too often they are the same people doing business with local government. It just clouds decisions. They should be having these conversations separately.”

Mark Heirbrandt is one of 3 Hamilton County Commissioners, representing District 3, which includes the City of Fishers.  He is running for reelection, although he was originally placed in office to fill a vacancy through a Republican Party caucus.  Heirbrandt replaced Doug Carter, who was appointed to head the Indiana State Police by Governor Mike Pence.

Bill Smythe, a local Fishers restaurant owner, is running against Heirbrandt in the primary election.  Smythe’s campaign issued a news release April 8th saying this e-mail situation is “precisely why I got into this race in the first place.”

“I have confidence in the voters of Hamilton County,” Smythe was quoted as saying in the news release. “I believe on May 3, Hamilton County Republicans will reject crony capitalism in favor of a businessman who will listen to voters, and who will consider the benefits the people will receive from County contractors, as opposed to the benefits the contractors will receive from the people.”

There is no question Mark Heirbrandt has raised much more money for this campaign compared to Smythe.  Heirbrandt has been running ads on cable TV and is utilizing direct mail in his campaign.

Here’s my view on all this.  There is a reason Mark Heirbrandt is in the middle of this e-mail mess.  There is a reason Bill Smythe is not able to raise the same amount of cash as his opponent.  It’s all about our campaign laws – or, more precisely, our lack of effective campaign laws.

There are only 12 states that have no limits on individual campaign donors, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.  It sadly does not surprise me that Indiana is one of those 12.  The remaining 38 states have varying limits on the amount of money one can contribute to a state campaign.

A 1976 United States Supreme Court decision continues to confound me.  In Buckley v. Valeo, a majority of justices ruled that money is speech.  No matter how many times I attempt to read this opinion, I still fail to understand how that can be right.

So, if you can get enough other people to finance your campaign, or you are independently wealthy (think Ross Perot or Donald Trump) you can be a competitive candidate.  Even good people, not wealthy on their own, are forced to find others with money in order to finance their campaigns.  Even if the political funds don’t influence them once in office, just the appearance can be bad, very bad.

Our current system for funding political campaigns is hurting both Mark Heirbrandt and Bill Smythe in their respective campaigns for Hamilton County Commissioner District 3.  Anyone think we might need a new system?

The weather lately may not be very spring-like, but road and street construction moves forward in the Fishers are for the work week starting Monday, April 11th.  The listing from the City of Fishers is below.

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FALL CREEK TRAIL

Fall Creek Trail reconstruction work continues; the pedestrian bridges and section of sidewalk along the trail have been removed. Pedestrians should not use the trail within the sections that have been removed. In addition, there will be periodic lane closures along the project throughout the week of April 11^th. In addition, Fall Creek Road, just east of Geist Road will be temporarily closed on April 15 to offload a new pedestrian bridge. Ongoing updates, including the anticipated closure time will be released on the @DriveFishers Twitter account as that information is available.

LANTERN ROAD

• The parking stalls on the west side of Lantern Road between North Street and Station Street along with the parking stalls on the south side of North Street between Lantern Road and Maple Street will be closed from March 18 until April 17 for construction activities.
• There will also be periodic lane restrictions between 116^th Street and North Street for construction on Four Day Ray Brewing.

96^TH STREET AND CUMBERLAND ROAD

The Hamilton County Highway Department has closed 96^th Street and Cumberland Road for 100 calendar days in order to construct a roundabout at this intersection. Anyone with concerns about this project should call 773-7770. Please visit www.Fishers.in.us/DriveFishers to view a detour map.

106^TH STREET INTERCHANGE

INDOT has begun work on the 106^th Street interchange, and a lane shift is currently in place on I-69. On April 11^th, 106^th Street will close as construction continues. Additional details about this project will be released through INDOT and shared on the weekly construction update.

116^TH STREET

There may be short-term lane restrictions on westbound 116^th Street, west of Exit 5 Parkway while utility work is being completed.

The Hamilton County Republican Party should be smiling ear-to-ear.  The party controls most all the elective offices in the county.  Hamilton County is likely the most Republican county in the State of Indiana, possibly one of the most Republican counties in the nation.

That should set the stage for a celebratory annual event, the Lincoln Day Dinner, set for April 13th.   There’s one fact, however, that may throw a damper on the festivities.

Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness will not be attending the Lincoln Day Dinner.  Fishers City Council President John Weingardt will also be elsewhere during the dinner.  I haven’t asked everyone, but I haven’t found a Fishers elected official that plans to attend.

So, the top elected officials of the fastest growing city in the county will not be present for the biggest party bash of the year.  What’s going on?

There are still bad feelings over the handling of the vacancy for the party chairmanship when long-time party chief Pete Emigh resigned last year.  Emigh appointed a number of people to fill vacant precinct positions.  Those precinct officials were fired by Laura Cambell, who became acting chair (she had been county party vice chair before Emigh left).  The Emigh appointees were believed to be supporters of Fishers City Councilman and county party treasurer Pete Peterson.

One of Emigh’s appointees was Fadness.  He appealed to the state party, objecting to his firing as a precinct official.  The precinct people vote on the new county chair.

The Indiana State Republican Party ruled in favor of Fadness and the other precinct appointees by Emigh and they were allowed to vote in a caucus that elected Peterson as Hamilton County Republican Party Chairman.  But, the votes were coded so party officials knew how many votes came from Emigh appointees.  The late appointees by Emigh provided the margin of victory.  Without the Emigh appointee votes, Laura Campbell would have been elected chair.

Laura Campbell appealed the vote and the state party ruled in her favor, installing her as county party chair, until a new election can be held next year after precinct level officials are elected in the May 3rd primary election.

There are still bad feelings in Fishers over this mess.  Many of the appointees in question were people in Fishers, many Peterson supporters.

But that’s not what irked some people in Fishers the most.  Those supporting Campbell brought up items from Pete Peterson’s past.  Peterson has always been up-front about his past, but those brushes with the law happened many years ago when he was undergoing some difficult times personally.  Many of Peterson’s supporters remain angry that those backing Campbell dredged up some old news about Peterson to undermine his campaign for party chairman.

It should be noted that Pete Peterson has overcome those personal issues he faced a long time ago and has had no problems in many years.

When Governor Pence delivers the Lincoln Day address to the party faithful in Carmel April 13th, I suspect many top Fishers officials will be missing.  The fissure in the Hamilton County Republican Party remains deep.

This split does not have to be permanent.  There are ways to heal this trouble.  But time is running out.  Republicans state-wide depend on Hamilton County to get-out the GOP voters in the November general election.  If that doesn’t happen, the important state-wide races, such as Governor and US Senate, will be in jeopardy for the Indiana Republican Party.

Will Governor Pence strike the right tone and begin the healing process for Hamilton County Republicans?  Time will tell.

Lindsey Erdody of the Indianapolis Business Journal talked with me about recent developments in Fishers and surrounding communities.