When a presidential campaign and a news organization get into a fracas over a poll, you know the election season is here.  The Trump re-election campaign and CNN have a dispute over one of CNN’s polls.  I talk about that, and what polls are really about.  Also, HBO Max is pulling Gone With The Wind from its streaming lineup, but plans to put it back up with new context.  Those are tonight’s issues on my Larry’s Log commentary.

The Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board voted unanimously Monday night to extend the contract with Superintendent Allen Bourff for an additional year, through June 30, 2022.  In the year beginning July 1, 2020, Dr. Bourff will receive a base salary of $195,658, plus benefits.  At Dr. Bourff’s request, he will waive incentive pay to which he is contractually entitled, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

One wonders whether the superintendent is already planning for retirement. The board approved an addendum to Dr. Bourff’s contract allowing him to confer high school diplomas to his grandchildren in the HSE School District after his retirement.

In another board matter, Executive Director of Staff and Student Services Kim Lippe says the HSE High School principal position has been posted and will close June 12th.  Dr. Bourff told the board the administration will move expeditiously but carefully in making that selection, but could put forth a recommendation to the board at the next meeting in two weeks.  Chad Cripe resigned as HSE High School principal in order to accept an offer to serve as a school superintendent for the Oak Hill School Corporation in the northern Indiana community of Covington.

Scott Fadness has a main job, being Mayor of Fishers, the state’s 5th or 6th largest city.  But he has a couple of other roles, one regional, the other state-wide.  He serves as the chair for the Central Indiana Council of Elected Officials.  Fadness also chairs the group representing the interests of local governments around the state in the General Assembly, the Advancing Indiana Municipalities (Aim) Legislative Committee.

Mayor Fadness issued a statement Wednesday, in all three roles, opposing rate increases utilities in the state are requesting to make up for reduced revenue related to the COVID-19 economic downturn.

Fadness submitted the statement to the Indiana Office of the Utility Consumer Counselor (OUCC) as part of the proceedings before the decision-making body, the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission.

Here is the entire Fadness statement:

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The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission plans to review a petition to allow a group of regulated utilities the ability to track revenue loss due to the decrease of usage during COVID-19 pandemic. This action is in anticipation of their ability to recoup that loss by raising rates. This is poor public policy at best and greedy at worst. Utilities are regulated in order to ensure that essential services that function as monopolies do not take advantage of the rate payer, the small business owner, the steel mill operator, the public school system, or your local government. The IURC does not exist to de-risk a sector of industry from any downturn in the economy, regardless of the cause of that downturn. This is undoubtedly a user-funded bailout of utilities.

Over the last nine weeks I have witnessed countless businesses, both small and large, make unbelievably difficult decisions as they face the realities of decrease in demand due to COVID-19. They have let go of long-term employees. They have burned through their life savings to maintain payroll. They have had to sell their assets. They have been forced to reinvent themselves. In Fishers, the business community has met almost 100% voluntary compliance with all of Governor Holcomb’s Executive Orders. Our civic institutions are also making the necessary adjustments by eliminating programs, not backfilling positions, and slashing budgets, among other actions.

Comparatively to the regulated utilities asking for their bailout, when a small restaurant in Fishers opens back up and the owner realizes the full measure of his or her financial loss, are they going to raise the cost on the menu to make up for it? No, because the forces of a free market will not allow for that. When local governments see significant reductions in revenue due to the downturn in the economy, will they seek to raise taxes without any accountability? No, because the residents have a voice and will hold government leaders accountable through systems in place.

To that end, I am asking the IURC to allow our regulated utilities to share the burden of the free market. Please do not proceed with the request to permit the utilities to recoup costs stemming from a decrease in market demand. In denying the request, you will not only act in the best interest of our residents and businesses, but you will ensure the equitable distribution of the burden of these very difficult times.

Sincerely,

Scott Fadness
Mayor, City of Fishers
Chair, Central Indiana Council of Elected Officials
Chair, Advancing Indiana Municipalities (Aim) Legislative Committee

There are now calls to defund police departments in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death.  I hope this will spark a discussion, but not on defunding itself, but about how we police ourselves and what we expect from an officer that takes an oath and dons a uniform.  On this Larry’s Log commentary, I attempt to start discussing this important public policy issue.

The Indianapolis 500 is a gigantic sporting even known the world-over.  But will there be fans in the stands when the race is run in 2020, or will COVID-19 cancel this year’s race?  I look at that and more in this Larry’s Log commentary.

It was a religious gathering to work for justice and peace at the Central Green in downtown Fishers.  Representatives from various faiths spoke before a crowd of about 60 people.  They came together as Christians, Muslims and those of the Jewish faith to declare that Black Lives Matter.

“Justice is what God is all about,” Bishop Andrea Williams, the organizer of the Monday evening event, told the crowd. “Righteousness is what God is all about.  Without truth there can be no justice, and without justice there can be no truth.”

Muzaffar Ahmad, a 20-year resident of Fishers and a Muslim, said as an immigrant to the United States, he can practice his religion freely here. But, as with all other nations on the planet, there are injustices here.

“May humble request to everybody here is, do not let this momentum go away, until we make this a better place.” Ahmad told those assembled.  “Keep coming back to these events, keep writing, keep yelling Black Lives Matter.”

The crowd observed 8 minutes and 46 seconds of silence, symbolizing the amount of time a knee was on George Floyd’s neck.  The crowd than marched from Liberty Plaza down the Central Green, past City Hall to the Amphitheater.

The video below is the start of a march by those attending the event.

The City of Fishers has announced the appointment of Monica Heltz as Public Health Director for the Fishers Health Department.  The Fishers Board of Health ratified Mayor Scott Fadness’ appointment of Heltz at the May 29th meeting.

The City says Heltz will lead the development of the Fishers Health Department, which was established in April 2020. The department is completing its transition of duties from the Hamilton County Health Department.

Heltz has two decades in public health, with experience in environmental health, tuberculosis, immunizations, home visiting, and sexually transmitted infections. Heltz joins the Fishers Health Department from the Marion County Public Health Department where she held roles as nurse practitioner, Northeast District health office nursing coordinator and TB program coordinator.

Fishers established its own COVID-19 testing program April 24th.  As of late afternoon, Monday, June 8th, the city had conducted 2,658 tests, with 43 coming back with a positive result.  8 of the positive tests were from people without symptoms.

The Fishers Health Department will provide the following services to all Fishers residents

• Vital Records including Death Certificates and Birth Certificates
• Food Safety permits, inspections, and plan reviews
• Pools and Spa permits, inspections
• Septic Tank and well permits and inspections
• Immunizations
• Water quality testing
• Mosquito and pest control
• Communicable Disease Control

Residents may access Health Department services, in both Spanish and English, online at this link or contact the department at 317-567-5045

There has been a lot in the news lately, but one consistent fact centers on the novel coronavirus – it is still here and continues to be a threat. Let’s review the latest numbers.

In Indiana, as of this Sunday afternoon writing, the COVID-19 death toll stands at 2,121.  The death toll in Hamilton County is 94.  We still do not know how many of those 94 deaths are Fishers residents.  The City of Fishers has promised that number will be released, but have not done so yet.

The numbers we do have for Fishers show 2,406 COVID-19 tests have been conducted, representing just under 2.6% of the city’s population.  30 of those tests came back positive.  Of the 30 positives, 5 of those residents were asymptomatic.

In the United States, 112,000 deaths have been recorded.  World-wide, the number of fatalities stands at 393,000.  As you can see, our nation has 28% of the world’s COVID-19 deaths.  The U.S. has 4.4% of the world’s population.

Health experts urge anyone that has participated in recent public demonstrations to get tested for novel coronavirus.  Residents of Fishers have free testing available.  To begin the process of obtaining a free test from the City of Fishers, use this link.

Here is the latest list from the City of Fishers of all the road construction projects:

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After a large demonstration and march at the Fishers downtown Nickel Plate Amphitheater June 1st organized by local students, a religious demonstration is planned downtown Monday, June 8th, at 6pm.

Bishop Andrea Williams, Senior Pastor of Ebenezer International Training Center, is organizing the event, inviting people of faith to gather and “come together as a community in support of humanity.”

The demonstration will be held at Liberty Plaza, located at the entrance to the municipal complex along 116th Street.