October 23, 2007 by Current Publishing

FOR THE RECORD

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COVERPUZZLES STORY

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School cameras will deter misbehavior and help in times of crisis, police and administrators say.

By Christine Bavender

t’s a partnership that has been ongoing for close to 10 years – the Carmel Clay Schools and the Carmel Police Department working hand in hand to ensure student and staff safety. Now with a Secure Our Schools grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, safety measures will increase. The school system and police department recently were awarded $188,256. And since it’s a matching grant that means more than $375,000 will go toward installing cameras in the district’s 11 elementary schools, and upgrading existing cameras at the three middle schools and the high school. “This is all about student safety,” said Carmel Clay Schools Superintendent Barbara Underwood. “Even when we are using these devices to gather information about disciplinary problems, it is still all about student safety. Steve Dillon, director of student services for the school system, agreed. “I think it will have a lot of effects. A person who might want to do harm will think twice if they know there is a security camera in place,” he said. “It increases the chances of getting caught, so vandalism drops. Kid behavior changes, so it is a deterrent. They know the cameras are running.” And, Dillon added, because the cameras will be tied into the police department’s public safety emergency operations center and the mobile public safety command vehicle, it adds another safety dimension. “Obviously if an event happens it will give ‘eyes’ in the building and a point of view of

what is actually going on instead of guessing what is happening,” Dillon explained. “If something is called in from the building, dispatch would be notiﬁed and tie into the building and start monitoring the hallways.” Carmel Police Chief Michael Fogarty said that will be a tremendous asset. “To know what is going on in live time inside when we are on the way there or when we actually arrive but cannot initially go in can only help us do our jobs better if something tragic were to happen,” he said. There have been cameras in the high school for close to eight years and in the middle schools for almost seven. Students know the cameras are there. The same will hold true for those installed in the elementary schools. “They are not hidden. Everyone knows

Teeter Totter C a rm e l ’ s P l a c e f o r d i s t i n c t i v e c h i l d re n ’ s f a s h i o n s

more in,” junior Ericka Clark said. “It’s going too far. It’s now more of a jail than a school. How many cameras can you put in? We’re not juvenile delinquents; we’re students.” “They have them in the hallways, in the nursing room, etc. I get that they’re Ericka Clark trying to watch us, but it’s going overboard,” Olivia Eisman, a sophomore said. “I think the only other place to put them is in the bathrooms and locker rooms.” But other students see the plus side of extra eyes looking out for their safety. “I think it’s definitely beneficial if there was a problem,” sophomore Zach Conrad Olivia Eisman said. “If we needed evidence of drugs, a school shooting – I don’t think it’s a privacy issue. Their use is for our safety; if we ever need it, it’s there.” they are in public spaces,” Fogarty said his department has not Underwood said. “It is not received any negative calls about the a covert operation. We want cameras. people to know we have “We are not going to arbitrarily flip Zach Conrad the capability of monitoring on a switch and watch what is going on,” those spaces and the ability he said. “That will happen only when to go back and look at the requested by the schools. In the end this tapes if something were to occur.” comes down to being an enhancement to the The cameras will be placed in high-traffic issue of security and the perception of security areas such entrances, hallways and lobbies. – and we think we are doing something pretty There will be no cameras in classrooms or the good here for the kids.” cafeterias. The digital cameras will continuMeetings are under way now with technical ously tape whenever there is movement in staff to work out the logistics of where cameras those areas and will loop back around and will go and how many each elementary school tape again in about a two-week time frame. will receive, Dillon said. The bid process will “There will be no extra staff monitoring start soon and once the job is awarded, work them all day,” Underwood said. “They will be will begin. The grant has a three-year life cycle where somebody – say an office staff person but it’s hoped the installation and upgrades or administrator – wanted to take a look they will be done in the next 18 months. could, but there will not be any personnel constantly monitoring them.” Reporter Liz Juranek contributed to this story. Although cameras have been in the high school for a while, news of more isn’t going over well with some students. “I didn’t know they were going to put

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OUR TAKES It is our position that the recent Indiana Court of Appeals decision allowing our city to complete its annexation of the Home Place community is a good one. But city leaders must progress in a way that is sensitive to the unique qualities and character of that special neighborhood. Residents of this roughly mile-square hamlet have long asserted their independence from both the adjacent Indianapolis and the burgeoning city of Carmel, which now borders it on three sides. Our mayor calls it a good thing for both the improvement of services to Home Place and for

falling-in as the ﬁnal step in creating community unity across Clay Township. Whether or not Carmel does have or should have its own version of manifest destiny, we have long asserted that no community, regardless of how special, unique or historic, can truly operate as an island from those communities that neighbor it. That said, it is unlikely that this issue is truly resolved. Some of the good citizens of Home Place have pledged a legal ﬁght to last dollar. That passion and commitment to an ideal is to be lauded. And, we highly praise the dedication if not the cause.

PAY UP It is our position that Carmel City Judge cost. Paul Felix is showing good and thoughtful Unfortunately, not all defendants arrive leadership in his presentation to our City in our courts with identical advantages. Council of an ordinance that Celebrities, the rich, the poor, would shift the burden of minorities, and majorities all arrive providing translation services with certain perceived beneﬁts from the city to the individuals or drawbacks based upon factors accused of criminal activity. over which they may or may not Judge Felix asserts that he has have any control. Intelligence, heard scores of cases requiring education and understanding the use of interpreters from of the system also can slant the any number of languages since process for or against a particular Paul Felix taking the bench in January. individual. Ours is not a perfect The legal system in America is system. None is. We are protected sufﬁciently Byzantine without by law and right. But beyond that, the added complication of non-native we are on our own. The Felix move does not translations. Yet, we do not believe that the disadvantage any particular group; it only taxpayers are responsible to provide for that reinforces a long-established legal paradigm.

VIEWS FOR THE RECORD

ANNEXING HOME PLACE

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CURRENTOON by Tim Campbell (tim@currentincarmel.com) Founded Oct. 24, 2006, at Carmel, IN Vol. I, No. 53 Copyright 2007. Current Publishing, LLC All Rights Reserved. 1 South Range Line Road Suite 220 Carmel, IN 46032

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Publisher – Brian Kelly brian@currentincarmel.com / 414.7879 Executive Editor – Steve Greenberg steve@currentincarmel.com / 847.5022 Associate Editor – Terry Anker terry@currentincarmel.com Managing Editor – Jim Lindgren jim@currentincarmel.com Art Director – Tyler Gillaspie tyler@currentincarmel.com / 472.3216 Associate Artist – Stefanie Lorenz stefanie@currentincarmel.com / 340.1836 Reporter – Brandon Bowman brandon@currentincarmel.com / 489.4444 Reporter – Liz Juranek liz@currentincarmel.com / 489.4444 Cartoonist – Tim Campbell tim@currentincarmel.com

ANOTHER TAKE

FROM THE BACKSHOP

PUZZLES VIEWS

BAYH IS JUST DESPERATE

THERE IS A DIFFERENCE

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Tuesday, October 23, 2007

22 4 By Andy Potasnik

Andy Ray’s column (10/2/2007) attacking Murray Clark for doing his job as chairman of the Indiana Republican Party illuminates perfectly the mindset shared by folks whose politics come “from the left.” Evan Bayh desperately wants to be president. This particular ambition has not worked out for him, so now he desperately wants to be vice president. No surprise there. I am sure he’d want to be president of the Carmel Euchre Club if it gave him a chance to be on television. The problem with this is that Hillary Clinton has no chance at all of carrying Indiana’s electoral votes in the 2008 election. Not only will she get swamped by her eventual Republican opponent, but Democrats across Indiana are terrified that Sen. Clinton’s presence on the ticket will cause their statewide and General Assembly candidates to lose as well. Don’t believe me? Democrat Rep. Dave Crooks, who recently decided not to run for re-election, commented that Mrs. Clinton is “just so polarizing.” I wonder how much Fox News Rep. Crooks watches. Evan Bayh made a choice based on his own personal ambition, and based not at all on what his constituents want. Presidential ambition is why he voted against confirming Hoosier John Roberts as chief justice of the United States Supreme Court. It’s why he voted in favor of the positions supported by the ultra-liberal Americans for Democratic Ac-

tion 85 percent of the time in 2006. We shouldn’t really complain — because he voted their way 95 percent of the time in 2005. And 90 percent in 2004. Does anyone really think Hoosiers are 90 percent in favor of the far-left agenda of the ADA? Clearly, Hillary Clinton represents more government intrusion in our lives and our wallet. Mr. Ray writes that he supports Sen. Clinton in her crusade to get “the rich” to pay more in taxes. In his column he focuses on the top 5 percent of taxpayers. Does he know the top 5 percent of wage earners (whose adjusted gross income threshold begins at $137,056) pay 57.13 percent of personal income taxes in this country? I’d say that’s their fair share. I also find it hard to believe that Mr. Ray doesn’t know a family existing at that level of income, and I bet — if he found one — he would have a hard time convincing them they are rich. But perhaps Mr. Ray has been watching the Clinton News Network too much. Chairman Clark was absolutely correct when he described what a Hillary Clinton presidency would mean to Hoosiers, and what Evan Bayh is willing to trade to fulfill his political ambition. The senator from New York doesn’t represent the Hoosier political mainstream, and, increasingly, neither does the senator from Indiana. Andy Potasnik is a Carmel resident.

LETTERS NOT A USELESS WAR Editor:

Andy Ray’s column “From the Left” (10/02/2007) had some very disturbing thoughts on the war in Iraq. In the future I would like to encourage Andy to quote from (Sen. Hillary) Clinton’s own words so “her stand” could be verified. The comments that disturbed me were, “(Hillary) wants to end the useless and indefensible war in Iraq, a war which originally had nothing to do with the 9/11 terrorist attacks, but which has created a breeding ground for terrorism.” It is true that the reason we invaded Iraq was because of the threat of weapons of mass destruction and that consequent exploring has found none. What we found instead were a people living under a merciless dictator and what we have heard from the troops who have served over there is that these people deserve to be free. A useless war? I guess that would be determined by those soldiers who have served and died in it.

Staff Sgt. Bradley King of LaFontaine died because he begged to go on a mission and took the seat of another soldier. Master Sgt. Kelly Hornbeck also died in a Humvee explosion. He had written his parents that “they (the citizens of Iraq) deserve to be free.” Tech Sgt. Ryan Balmer, killed while riding in a convoy, could have deferred his duty because of the birth of a daughter but “he felt he needed to go,” said his wife. His mother, Patricia Balmer, stated that “those guys were over there to do a job. Ryan was behind that all the way.” Let us be wary of using terms without explaining their meaning and of demeaning the death of U.S. soldiers without a degree of compassion. Kathy Valcore 46032 IMPROVE THE SKADIUM Editor: As a resident of Carmel, I enjoy much of what the city offers. One thing, however, that

Those of you who saw Tim Campbell’s cartoon in last week’s issue might’ve been scratching your heads or (we hope not) kicking the dog. We’ve received calls about Tim’s cartoons before; it’s usually a good thing when our talented contributor makes people think. The calls came again last Tuesday. But before you read too much about Tim’s panel last week as it relates to our own views, it is important to understand that every “opinion” he has portrayed in his works belongs to him. We neither assign cartoons to Tim, nor will we ever. What Tim draws in his gifted, inimitable style, is, in essence, HIS signature on something relevant. We love his work, and we look forward to its arrival each week, but you need to know the two of us believe quite the polar opposite of what Tim depicted last week. That’s OK, folks. Opinions are what make the world go ’round, but we felt the need to make a statement here, because we overwhelmingly believe Ron Carter and Rick Sharp, who were lampooned in Tim’s panel, are among the ones who pull the strings on mat-

WRITERS’ RULES

Wanna write us a letter? You can do it a couple ways. The easiest is to e-mail it to info@currentincarmel.com. The old-fashioned way is to snail mail it seems in great need of improvement is the Carmel Ice Skadium. As a hockey player and enthusiast, I’m grateful to have a local place to skate and play. However, Fishers and Westfield offer far newer rinks and atmospheres to the old, antiquated, Skadium. The Skadium hosts many local and out-ofstate tournaments each year. I wish visitors could experience something better than a ’70s era facility. Let’s raise our standards to, or above, what neighboring communities offer! Rob Griepentrog 46032 APPRECIATES WALTERS Editor: I am a reader of your newspaper and a believer in Christ, I wanted to let you know how much I appreciate and admire the fact that you have a column written from a Christian’s perspective (the Bob Walters column on spirituality). In a world that seems to be set on taking God out of the picture it is refreshing to see

Steve Greenberg & Brian Kelly ters regarding development of our city. They are staunch proponents of development done correctly, and we have witnessed both holding developers’ feet to the fire. So there is a difference between Tim’s view and our views from time to time, just as we may not always agree with what Bob Walters writes in his In Spirit column or what Terry Anker writes in his Another Take column. Still, we run those and many other pieces – and Tim’s cartoons – because we’re pretty much an open door here.

to Current in Carmel, 1 South Range Line Road, Carmel, IN 46032. Keep letters to 100 words max (we may make exceptions), and be sure to include your home zip code and a daytime number for verification. that there are people out there who are not afraid of controversy. Bravo to you and keep up the good work! Debbie Nunes 46033 VASECTOMY ALTERNATIVE Editor: In response to the column, “Real Men Get Vasectomies,” (10.16.07) I’d like to suggest a way where nobody gets clipped, nobody takes chemicals: Natural Family Planning. It’s healthy for the body, and healthy for the marriage. It does require abstaining when wanting to avoid pregnancy, but it also gives us the chance to practice the abstinence we teach our kids to practice. For more information, contact Couple to Couple League at (800) 745-9252, or www. ccli.org. Bridget Vickery 46033

DISPATCHES

DONATION LOCATION: Petals and Fine Gifts, 111 W. Main St., will be a collection site starting Monday for donations, canned goods and toys for the Carmel Fire Department’s “Christmas Assistance Program” to help under-privileged people in Hamilton County. For more information, call 844.3331 BUY A PURSE, HELP PREVAIL: The Carmel chapter of Tri Kappa is holding its annual Purse Auction at 7 p.m. today at Woodland Country Club, 100 Woodland Lane. More than 50 purses will be auctioned, with the proceeds beneﬁting Prevail of Hamilton County. Admission is free. Refreshments and cash bar will be available. Prevail is a not-for-proﬁt organization providing advocacy, awareness, support services and education to victims of crime and individuals and families in crisis.

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Danielle Wilson is a Carmel resident and contributing columnist. You may e-mail her at danielle@currentincarmel.com.

SHE HELPS BRING THE MUSIC TO LIFE

t is remarkable for a city entertainment pouring forth from the size of Carmel to each musical instrument. She has have its own symphony missed only a handful of rehearsorchestra with paid als, where she believes it is her musicians and staff. That duty to provide refreshments. Durthis has been the case since 1976 ing one session she even showed is even more astounding. Arts up on crutches, to the surprise of organizations realize that funding the weary musicians. is a major issue, headache and In the late 1990s, the Women’s obstacle that must be conquered Guild fell on hard times as the continually. Although there have members moved away or simply been many people over the years became too old to carry on, thus who have contributed to the causing the group to disappear Jeff Worrell success of Carmel’s professional from the local fundraising scene. CarmelCan! symphony, there is one lady who But just like the maestro of her has volunteered tirelessly for the beloved Carmel Symphony Orbeneﬁt of our ears. chestra, she climbed back up on the podium, Jeanne Book enjoyed her ﬁrst performance raised her arms and began conducting her of Carmel’s version of Bach and Beethoven comeback. A newly created Carmel Symphony in 1986. She soon was invited to become a Orchestra League was born and the members member of the Carmel Symphony Women’s set out to recreate the fundraising successes Guild and quickly became its president. Each of the past. year she worked with other women in the The idea to create original artwork on guild to raise funds to keep the fountain of violins and then auction them to apprecia-

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tive art and music lovers grew into the successful Painted Violins of Carmel Gala event. With great crescendo and allegro, Jeanne orchestrated the Jeanne Book most successful fundraiser for the symphony in her 21 years of service. Thanks to Mrs. Book and people like her, our community is enhanced through creative and artistically excellent performances by our very own local talent. Won’t you please join me in giving Jeanne Book a thunderous round of applause? Jeff Worrell is a local business owner. He recognizes volunteers on “Connecting with Carmel” on Cable Channel 16. Contact him at jworrell@ advantagemedical.com.

www.currentincarmel.com

Holiday Photo Cards, Greeting Cards and Invitations

night and then not being able to fall back asleep because my mind is busy pondering my next column, trying to solve world hunger, debating the quality of Elmer’s versus generic, wondering how I’d look as a brunette, developing a case for Ambien addiction, defending my choice of Orkin over Terminix, and then panicking because I’ve only got two hours left before the alarm goes off. What a nightmare! 10. Pre-teen street walkers: Elevenyear-old girls should not wear midriff-baring halters, cut-off jean shorts and eye makeup as thick as peanut butter. Period. They look like they should be working the corner of 38th and Tibbs. I’m sure there are still some really aggravating things out there, so please let me know if you’ve got one! Peace out!

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

FAMILIES CAN HELP: United Way of Central Indiana is currently accepting registrations for the second annual Family Volunteer Day. Families can register to work on projects at nonproﬁt organizations in their community, or create their own project. Family Volunteer Day will be from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Nov. 17. Families that register before Nov. 2 will receive a free T-shirt for each individual registered. For more information or to register, go to www.uwci.org or call 921.1204.

received such a good 5. Cell phones: Granted, response on my “Ten they’re a necessary evil; I wouldn’t Things That Irritate Me” be caught dead road-tripping to column that I thought Louisville (or the Indianapolis I’d give you more. Kind Zoo) without one. But do people of like the totally awesome VH1 have to have them in restaurants, show, “I Love the 80s, Part Deux.” libraries, movie theaters and Thanks to those of you who church? I’m quite sure it’s not God wrote in about your own pet calling. peeves; they were all wonderfully 6. Incontinence: So long annoying! trampolines, good-bye jumping 1. Jungle g ym free-falls: It’s jacks. Since bearing my children, quite clear to me that mothers do my bladder control is shot. Danielle not design playground equipment. I’m lucky to make it through a Wilson Who in his right mind thinks it’s bad comedy without needing a good idea to build a 20-foot Depends. So not funny. high slide with a gap in the railing halfway up, 7. Academic pre-schools: Huh? They’re 3, presumably for a fireman’s pole but in reality, for criminy’s sake! I want my daughter to learn a chance for toddlers to free-fall to their how to play nicely with others, follow finger deaths. Stupid! painting instructions, ride a tricycle and use 2. The Christian agenda: (I’m Catholic, the toilet like a big girl. Can we please save the so I’m allowed to rag on my own here.) If geometry, English lit and astrophysics for first one more right-winger lectures me on how grade? homosexuals, Muslims and pornography are 8. Monon Center cost: The gorgeous our country’s top threats, I’m going to hurl new Monon Center, which my taxes helped right in the offertory basket. What happened build, does not include childcare in the to poverty, racism, illiteracy, drug abuse membership cost. So for me to use the and the freaking Iraq war? Did these “real facility three to four times a week would problems” get resolved overnight without cost approximately $200 per month, anyone telling me? four times the 3. Stealth urine: How in the name of amount I pay the Holy Throne do boys (and men) miss at my current the toilet when they are urinating? I have gym, and two discovered urine on cabinet doors, in air vents hundred dollars and on the wall opposite the toilet. You have a more than built-in aimer! Use it! my mini-van 4. Dishes in sink: The dishwasher is payment. That’s literally two inches from the sink, yet my ridiculous. husband cannot find the energy to load the 9. Midnight darn thing. He’ll rinse and stack the plates, no anxiety: I can’t problem, but ask him to go the extra mile (or stand waking up in two inches)? “No can do!” the middle of the

COMMUNITY FOR THE RECORD

KIWANIS SPEAKER: Doug Buck will speak about his experiences as a forensic scientist at the next Carmel Clay Kiwanis Club meeting. The talk will be at 7 a.m. Monday at the Life & Learning Center, 515 E. Main St.

Ten More Things that Irritate Me

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

PUZZLES COMMUNITY

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JANUS DEVELOPMENTAL SERVICES SEEKS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

anus Developmental Janus and its programs. Long Services, one of time O’Malia Human Resources Hamilton County’s Director Barb Ash’s two daughgreat assets, is ters, Kelly and Terri, are graduates searching for a new of Janus programs. And my wife, executive director. Rita, served with Barb on Janus’s I recently spoke to Janus Board board for many years. Barb is now Chairman and retired Ivy Tech Janus’s HR person. executive Meredith Carter about Carter outlined some goals for Janus’ search and why Carmel the new executive director. “We folks should be interested. Janus subscribe to the theories espoused is a wonderful organization that in the book ‘Good to Great.’ We serves all of Hamilton County. want to keep getting better so Danny Although they’re based in Noblesthat we’re not just recognized in O’Malia ville, they have served Carmel and Hamilton County but nationwide,” Clay Township extremely well over he said. the years. Some specific goals: Janus helps handicapped people prepare • Improved fundraising for the job market • Improved public and actually places relations many in jobs. It • Stronger advocacy currently serves for the disabled about 40 families in • Stronger relationCarmel. Of these, ships with the com24 are transported munity to the facility on State Road 32 by At Janus HQ, new Janus. There are four programs are springCarmel residents ing from the basic in the Job Developmodel factory work. ment program. Janus Some recognizable helps these folks find businesses that hire jobs and supports Janus for packagthem at the job site. ing, for instance, are And approximately IUPUI, F.C. Tucker, 12 are using Janus’ Porter EngineerTransitional Services. ing and Polymer This program works Technologies (“We with parents, school package the lancets A Janus client works on a job for IUPUI. for cholesterol testcounselors, job placement people ing for them,” says and other “help” Barb). New programs programs to place young people upon graducurrently being introduce include an arts ation. program and computer training. If you or someone you know can benefit Looking for someone to do a job for your from Janus, call 773.8781. If you’re interested company? Cal Janus! in the Transition Services, ask for Patrick Danny O’Malia is a Carmel resident. Contact him Jamison. at dannyo@thetrustpointe.com. I can personally attest to the power of

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Vote nov. 6

Current in Carmel is publishing a series of Q&As with the candidates for ofﬁce in Carmel. This week we feature District 5 and the at-large candidates for City Council. (Candidates’ responses have been edited to ﬁt this space. To read their complete answers, go to www.currentincarmel.com.)

THE CANDIDATES

Photo Unavailable

What do you believe Carmel will look like in ﬁve to 10 years?

How can you help improve the quality of life for Carmel residents?

If there were something you could change about Carmel, what would it be?

I am most concerned with the mounting level of debt held by Carmel.

I am optimistic about the future of Carmel. I like many of the mayor’s ideas and much of the direction he has taken the city. Hopefully most of the major construction, roads and infrastructure in general are completed in ﬁve years. In 10 years, the debt should be at a less “scary” level.

I can help to improve the quality of life for Carmel residents by providing a more balanced representation. I would like to help keep the wonderful neighborhoods as they are as much as possible. I don’t want to stop progress, I would just like to make sure we don’t overdevelop and overspend.

I like the small town ﬂavor of Carmel and would like to see less urbanization in our future plans.

As we move toward build-out and a slowing of growth in the assessed valuation, that means flat tax revenues. Therefore, we must ensure that we have put in place the infrastructure for an attractive and functioning community. Efficient fiscal planning is critical to ensure that we build what we need and have enough revenue to pay the debt.

In 50 years, Carmel will be completely built out. But because of over 80 years of progressive municipal planning and active citizens willing to work for a better community. We will have excellent schools, attractive neighborhoods, parks/bikeways and shopping areas that have the added tax support of progressive businesses. Our excellent design requirements begun in the 1970s ensured we were a leader in progressive and livable communities.

While we already have the major pieces in place to make Carmel a great place to live, work and raise a family, we must not forge ahead without checking in with the citizens. Leaders should not get too far ahead of their army lest they turn around and ﬁnd no one behind them. The same with elected ofﬁcials. Real and virtual regularly scheduled Town Hall Meetings to inform and elicit feedback from the people of Carmel will ensure that we all buy into the vision.

While I know many people in Carmel are interested in what goes on in their city, they don’t show up at the polls to vote. Does it take a Pearl Harbor, a 9/11 or an enormous tax crisis such as Marion County to focus our attention on our government? When only 50 percent of us are registered to vote and only 35 percent of those actually do vote, a very small number of us decide our future.

What is the most important issue facing Carmel today?

Mary Carter (D) District 5

Luci Snyder (R) District 5

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COMMUNITY FOR THE RECORD

city council candidates weigh in

Current in Carmel is publishing a series of Q&As with the candidates for office in Carmel. This week we feature District 5 and the at-large candidates for City Council. Responses have been edited to fit this space. Go to www.currentincarmel.com for complete answers.

THE CANDIDATES

Ron Carter (R) At Large (Incumbent)

Photo Unavailable

Edward Chu (D) At Large

How can you help improve the quality of life for Carmel residents?

If there were something you could change about Carmel, what would it be?

The disruption brought about by having two major highways running north and south through our community. These increasingly divide us economically and socially. This will become even more of a problem when the state begins what will be almost a decade-long rebuild of Meridian.

In five to 10 years Carmel will be a well-rounded, well-planned community with a new downtown offering a place for healthy living, shops, cultural events and services for our residents.

I can help improve the quality of life by continuing to lead with vision and foresight.

If I could change something about Carmel right now I would have pedestrian and bicycle connectivity across both Keystone and Meridian to better connect all our citizens.

Although it would be easy to say debt and the extravagant projects funded by it, this is itself a symptom of lack of transparency. A better-informed citizenry would determine the right balance of growth and what level of debt, if any, is appropriate to support it.

That will largely be determined by what the city government does to manage the growth of Carmel over the next four years. Growth that is badly managed will result in growing pains, such as traffic, crowding and difficulty getting services to where they are needed.

By making sure that the people know what its government is doing, and how it is doing it. And by making sure that the voices of the citizens are heard.

Just one thing really: the transparency of city government.

We must continue to create advantages based on the inherent strengths of a diverse and robust economy and tax base. However, we must manage our growth to make Carmel one of the premier places to live and locate new businesses.

We will be in a community that will include a great school system, culture with the performing arts center and arts district, a safe community with high quality police and fire departments and a business center for all your needs.

I will work with the City Council and our mayor to maintain the history of low residential property taxes. Continue building a firstclass parks system, adding to our network of trails and bike lanes.

I believe it is important for people to get more involved. Government is like church and family: the more invested you become the more you can effect change in our community.

The most important issue in Carmel today is that our city government must assert control of both our growth and our debt.

Carmel will continue to be a great place to live. The downtown area may be overly dense, making traffic conditions intolerable if the present trend continues. Annual debt payment in 2011 will approach $25 million, a 250 percent increase in debt since 1998.

Our quality of life consists of keeping our small-city mentality, not overreaching on debt, planning our city so that it is easier to get around, bringing more jobs to the city of Carmel and protecting the jobs that now exist in Carmel.

The first thing that should be done by a new administration is to review all expenses that have contributed to the present debt of approximately, $300 million. The mechanism under which this ever increasing debt has been permitted must be stopped by a new administration and a new council.

John Sullivan (D) At Large