A full crowd was on hand to listen to commissioners detail their thoughts and ideas at the forum sponsored by the Brown County League of Women Voters.
Bright and early Saturday morning Sept. 21 the Salmon Room had a full house. Lots of community folks are interested in the Candidates for Brown County Commissioner. Everyone seems to realize that the people in the County’s Executive body are important to Brown County daily life and our future. People came to the Candidate Forum to hear what the candidates have to say to help decide who gets their vote.
All Brown County Commissioner Candidates on the ballot for Nov. 5 were invited for the BC Commissioner forum. In attendance were: District 1 candidates: Tim J. Clark (R), Justin P. Schwenk (D), Greg Taggart (I) and District 3 candidates: Tiffany Ardnt (D). Kevin Patrick (R) replied he had a conflict and was unable to attend.
All voters in Brown County can vote for commissioners in both Districts 1 and 3. The candidates, however, must live in the district they are running to represent. Commissioner District 1 includes Hamblen Township 1, 2 and 3. Commissioner District 2 includes Jackson 1, 2, 3, 4 and Washington 3. Commissioner District 3 includes Washington 1, and 2, with Van Buren 1 (on the ballot next general election).
Moderators for the Brown County Commissioner forum included Heather Mollo, Judy Stewart and Cindy Rose Wolpert. Laura Blackthorn provided introductions and closing. Theresa Cobian kindly volunteered her time to fulfill the role of a county employee needed to operate the county computer and camera to record the event. We appreciate all these volunteers!
More questions were submitted than could be asked in the forum which lasted just over an hour. Watch the You Tube Video to see the candidate responses, in the 90 seconds allotted for each response. A list of the questions posed is provided below. Questions two and three were submitted by Brown County High School teacher Emily Lewellen’s Students.
1. Candidates each provide a 90 second introductory statement
2. What is the first thing you want to do if you are elected into office? What is your main priority?
3. What role does the County Commissioners office play in supporting our schools? What steps would you take to help Brown County Schools succeed?
4. As commissioner, what are your goals for managing the Innkeeper tax, considering the Convention Visitor Bureau, Convention Visitor Commission, the Music Center, and general Brown County tourism?
5. Regarding the current CVC and CVB issue, what is your position and solution for Brown County Tourism?
6. What would your plans be as far as the Brown County Music Center?
7. Having attended the Septic Summit last Saturday, the audience was informed that the majority of the waterways in Brown County test positive with e-coli and other possibly deadly bacteria with contamination being mostly a result of human product not animal. 800 of the 8600 households are on sewer, 7600 on septic. State restrictions on wetlands have been lightened to result in more development. How are we going to keep waterways safe in Brown County?
8. Everyone appears to agree that we need more younger families and want to keep our students here as adults. Can you be specific about what you can do to make that happen?
9. What kind of policies should commissioners put in place to provide the public opportunity for input when new ordinances or actions are being considered that will impact the Brown County Community?
10. Candidates each provide a 90 second closing statement
We appreciate the candidates so much for taking time to let voters know them, answering these tough questions. And remember, you can also find candidate answers to questions on Vote411.org, the nationwide data base with local, state and national candidates. Get to know more by logging into Vote411.org with your address, then click to see what’s on your ballot.
But what about the other candidates on the ballot? Find their information and positions on Vote411.org – and, many of the local candidates participated in the Candidate “Meet and Greet” following the BC Commissioners Candidate forum. All Brown County Candidates were invited. Each candidate present stepped up to the microphone to offer a 2 minute introductory statement, then stayed for further conversation with attendees. We appreciate the candidates who were able to attend, including:
· State Representative District 62: Thomas Horrocks (D) provided a 2 minute introduction. (Dave Hall (R) did not reply to the invitation.)
· US Congressional District 9: Russell (Russ) Brooksbank (L) provided a 2 minute introduction. (Erin Houchin (R) did not reply to the invitation. Tim Peck, (D) had a conflict and was unable to attend)
· Judge of the Brown County Circuit Court, 88th District: Mary Wertz (R) provided a 2 minute introduction.
· Brown County Council at Large (Vote for 3): Scott Rudd (R) provided a 2 minute introduction. (Judith “Judy” Swift Powdrill (R) and Patrick Nielander had conflicts and were unable to attend.
· Brown County School Board at Large (Vote for 2): Amy Huffman Oliver (NP) provided a 2 minute introduction. (Jenise Bohbrink (NP) had a conflict and was unable to attend.)
· Other candidates invited but unable to attend: Brown County Recorder, Mary E. Smith, (R) Brown County Treasurer, (R), Andy Vasquez Bond; State Senator District 44, Eric Koch (R).
You can watch the Commissioner Candidate Forum, and the Candidate Introductions at the Meet and Greet on YouTube: BC Commissioner Candidate Forum (~1 hour 12 min) https://youtu.be/Is07lrHjVnM ; All Candidate Meet and Greet (~15 minutes): https://youtu.be/efCQ8BRBYDs
We are thankful to the attendees who were very engaged. A lot of questions were submitted in the forum that didn’t get answered. People were invited to address these individually with candidates during the “meet and greet” which followed.
Some of the unasked questions included: Do you support continued funding of the jail counselor who is currently funded by a grant running out; Everyone appears to agree that we need more younger families to keep our students here as adults, but can you be specific about what you will do to make this happen?; Regarding the current CVB vs. CVC issue, what is your position and solution for Brown County tourism?; What are your opinions regarding noise rules in Nashville and surrounds, specifically outdoor music?; How would you address the need for affordable housing- please be specific?; Would you limit the number of tourist/short term rentals?; What can the commissioners do to help with the housing shortage? What are your plans to re-open the road at Indian Hill and how can we prevent this from happening again?; Can you describe what is meant by the “Collaborative Decision Making Process?”; What do you see as the County’s Greatest Challenges and Opportunities?; What health care needs do you see in Brown County and how would you meet them? Do you support economic development that is not based in tourism?
We hope to see many of you at the next Candidate Forum:
· Thursday at 6 p.m., Brown County Office Building, 2nd floor meeting room: Brown County Surveyor Candidate forum, followed by an All Candidate Meet & Greet
· Watch for recordings of the Sept. 28 U.S. Congress District 9 candidate forum to be posted on the LWVBC website: lwvbrowncounty.org
· Mark your calendar for a Debate Watch of the Indiana Governor Candidates, Thursday, Oct. 24 at the Brown County Library
This event was sponsored by the League of Women Voters Brown County with the Brown County Farm Bureau who provided delicious refreshments for all.
LWVBC is a nonpartisan civic organization. We never support or oppose a candidate or party. www.lwvbrowncounty.org
