Looking forward, looking back: John Dennis reflects on his four terms in office as Erin Easter envisions the future for West Lafayette

BY KAT BRAZ

PHOTOS BY CHRISTINE PETKOV AND PROVIDED

JOHN DENNIS, WEST LAFAYETTE MAYOR 2007-2023

First elected as mayor of West Lafayette in 2007, Dennis came to the role with 23 years of experience serving in the Lafayette Police Department, where he retired as deputy chief, the highest-ranking merit position on the force. At the time of his election, he was the first Republican mayor of the city in 28 years. In June 2022, Dennis announced he had been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease and would not seek re-election to a fifth term.

► Describe your tenure as mayor in one word.

Surprising.

► What do you love about being mayor?

The feeling of gratification I get from helping the people I’m able to help.

► What do you think people misunderstand about the role of the mayor?

That we can solve everything.

► Have there been some things that you weren’t able to solve that you wish you could?

Definitely. When I started my first term, the city was very politically divided. There was a clear line between the Republicans and the Democrats, and that’s something I’ve never understood. I don’t understand why political affiliation determines somebody’s conduct, leadership style or belief system. For me, political divisiveness is primarily based on party affiliation and I think the world would be a much better place if we got rid of that. I don’t know if that will ever happen, but it was one of the biggest challenges I had to overcome in my role as mayor. When you’re in a leadership role — not a legislative role but a leadership role — you can’t be loyal to a particular party because you must serve everybody. All citizens deserve the best quality service that local government can provide. And that was the drumbeat that I followed for the past 16 years.

► Your first term followed Democrat Jan Mills’ one term in office. Prior to that, Democrat Sonya Margerum — the city’s first woman mayor — had served a record 24 years. Did it feel like big shoes to fill?

It’s funny, because I grew up playing football with Sonya’s son, Larry. Sonya was a football mom. We would go to the Margerum house for pregame dinners and things so I’d known Sonya since I was a little kid.

As mayor, she developed relationships and built an understanding that there’s more to local government than just making sure streets are plowed and police cars have gas. We were able to take West Lafayette to the next level because Sonya made people aware of the city’s potential.

► As you reflect on your four terms in office, what are some of the accomplishments you’re most proud of?

No. 1 is annexing the university and making West Lafayette legitimately the home of Purdue. I’m also proud of developing a downtown and business environment. We’ve maintained the quality of our schools — which are second to none in the country — but now we can also boast about a thriving business community. Economic development has been a huge priority. Our emergency services have evolved exponentially from where we started. Our police and fire department truly understand the need and meaning of public service, that solving a problem doesn’t necessarily require somebody being punished. We’ve opened the doors to all kinds of social services to ensure our citizens get the help they need. That’s something I’m proud of, but I can’t take the credit. The chiefs I’ve hired have done an amazing job transitioning us from the old school “shut up or you’re going to jail” philosophy to one where when we say we’re here to help, we sincerely mean it.

► If a 2003 Purdue or West Lafayette High School grad returned to town, what would you show them first?

My cool Batman tattoo? But seriously, the State Street corridor. We went from a block of buildings in a line to a revamped corridor with wider sidewalks, bicycle racks, public art and landscaping that stretches from the Wabash River up the hill through Purdue’s campus. It was a huge $120 million project completed in partnership with Purdue that transformed State Street into a vibrant, attractive entry point to the city.

► How did your longtime friendship with Lafayette Mayor Tony Roswarski — whom you served with in LPD — influence your tenure as mayor?

I love Tony like a brother. We’ve been in the same squad car together. When you’ve served together in the police force, you share so many experiences — some very cool things happen and some very horrible things happen. That builds a bond between two men, a collegial brotherhood of mutual love and respect, that is unlike anything else. When people ask me what I’m going to miss in retirement, one of those top things is Tony. We both have different takes on life and different courses of growth in life that we can share with each other and that makes us better people and better mayors.

► In June 2022, you made the decision to go public with your diagnosis of early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. Why was it important to you to be transparent with the people of West Lafayette?

If you’re a public figure, elected by the group you serve, and you have pledged your duty, your honor, your faith, your community and your citizenry, I think it’s important that if something as life-altering as Alzheimer’s happens, that you are transparent about it. I’ve been very fortunate to have the jobs I’ve had, being on call and being responsible for a number of people. I’ve taken those responsibilities seriously, but that means I haven’t always been the most present husband or father. With my diagnosis, the clock is ticking. I know my life is going to get smaller, not bigger, and I don’t have time to put things off anymore. It’s important that I spend time with my family and do the things we’ve been wanting to do together.

► As you vacate the office, is there anything you wish you’d been able to accomplish that’s left undone?

I really want to see a revitalization of Levee Plaza. We’ve been working with the property owners and business owners there on plans to develop a downtown grid. There is great potential for the right development, but it’s not going to happen on my watch. Another thing we haven’t done enough of is empowering our citizenry regardless of gender, orientation, race, creed, you name it. We have one of the most diverse populations not just in Indiana, but in the country, and we’re not celebrating the diversity of our community as much as we should. Sometimes the limitations of local government make it difficult, whether it’s codified or some sort of unknown social code. I think we’ve left out a few opportunities to be more inclusive.

► What do you love about West Lafayette?

My family moved here when I was a small child. This is not just a place I’ve lived, it’s a place where I’ve grown. I have a deeply rooted emotional relationship to this place. I feel strongly about making sure that good things happen to this community. We have so much going on any given day. We’re more of a rooftop community than a smokestack community. That sort of intimacy with our population and that understanding of how to properly grow really makes us unique compared to other cities of our size. I think that’s a big reason why we’re often so favorably ranked among national groups and studies. West Lafayette is a city with a soul, not just a checking account.

► What advice do you have for incoming Mayor Erin Easter?

Make sure your leadership is 50 percent brains and 50 percent heart. When you’re facing a tough decision and you can’t make up your mind, think with your heart. There will be a lot of challenges personally, and being a high visibility public official, you have to put your family first.

► You’ve been a public servant in this community for more than 40 years. How do you hope to be remembered?

I don’t even know that I will be, to be honest. When you’ve been doing this sort of stuff for so long, it’s hard to think of it as being any type of legacy. But I was raised to be nice. So I would hope that people would think of me as a nice guy who always put people over process or politics.

ERIN EASTER, MAYOR OF WEST LAFAYETTE

Running unopposed and endorsed by outgoing Mayor John Dennis, Easter began her first four-year term as mayor in January. A graduate of Lafayette Jefferson High School and Purdue University, she lives in the New Chauncey neighborhood with her family. She’s worked for the city of West Lafayette since 2018, most recently as director of development.

► Describe your vision for West Lafayette in one word.

Progressive.

► Indiana’s been battling brain drain for decades. As a graduate of Purdue University, what motivated your choice to stay in Greater Lafayette?

When I was working in eastern Ohio for the Obama campaign in 2008, I had the opportunity to meet a lot of really incredible people. But I also saw what happens when governments aren’t working well together. In the Greater Lafayette community, we have two cities, a county, a Big Ten university and the largest community college in the state — you have to be able to work together. There is something different about the way people do things here. They are always working together to solve problems and that struck me as profoundly different than lots of other levels of government.

► What motivated you to run for mayor?

I’ve spent my entire career in positions focused on quality of life and quality of place issues and as mayor, you have the opportunity to implement betterment ideas that create places where people want to live. I also knew I would have great partners throughout the community.

► Feeling any pressure coming into office as a Democrat following a four-term Republican?

If you look at how John Dennis has governed and led the city of West Lafayette, it hasn’t been overly partisan. When it comes to local politics, it’s difficult to divide into parties because we’re all dealing with the same issues. We’re all looking to make decisions in the best interest of our community. You are responsible to the people stopping you in the grocery store to share their opinions on an issue. It’s one reason why local government is great; it’s the place where you can have the most profound impact on your community.

► You described your vision for West Lafayette as progressive. Some readers might equate that with liberal, so expand on what you mean by that.

I’ve been a Democrat my whole life, so there are certain values that I hold near and dear that align with that. But by “progressive,” I mean that I want West Lafayette to continue to grow responsibly and in a way that feels supportive of our community. I want us to look for new and creative ways to be innovative with the way we provide services to our citizens. Even if it’s something as simple as evaluating our trash and recycling program, we’re recognizing that our community is growing and we have some interesting infrastructure needs that we need to solve.

► What’s your response to people who are concerned that the growth in West Lafayette is moving too fast?

If you look around, we have many buildings that are only 35 feet tall because that’s the tallest you can build with traditional zoning mechanisms. Those buildings have served great purposes over the years and lots of former students have fond memories of them. But as we look at changes in our community, such as the high-rise apartments near campus, those new buildings are safer for students to live in because they have modern fire suppression technology. They also offer the amenities today’s students are looking for. Higher occupancy apartments help us to use our land wisely. Near campus neighborhoods are popular because they are walkable. There are a lot of people who want to live in an urban environment. We can’t just continue to expand in every direction. We must focus on urban infill.

► What are some key things you’d like to accomplish in your first term?

Wabash River Enhancement Corp. has done an incredible job for many years working with our partners upstream to clean up the Wabash River, and the opportunity to recreate on that body of water and utilize it as an asset is important. Adjacent to the river, we have an opportunity to reimagine the Levee Plaza by creating a walkable, dense urban downtown area.

Another issue to address is housing. It’s a complex issue further exacerbated by the student population which moves quickly through our community. It also impacts the ancillary business community and the university as they recruit faculty and staff looking to move here. We need to recognize that there are lots of scales of earning and we need to be prepared to meet people where they are with robust neighborhoods that truly reflect the entire community.

The city has already begun working on improving access to early childhood education. We’re investing in programs that are sliding scale, affordable and offer different options for early childhood education. Lack of childcare can be a barrier to parents wanting to enter the workforce, and children enrolled in early childhood education programs are better prepared to enter kindergarten.

► How will your experience as a city employee benefit you during your transition to the role of mayor?

Working in the public sector is very different than most people think. It is, without question, more challenging than I would have anticipated. Because we are responsible to taxpayers, there are policies and timetables that ensure a deliberate and thoughtful process. It’s a huge adjustment when you’re coming from the private sector or the nonprofit sector to local government. My experience working for the city means I understand the nuances of how public work happens. It’s truly wonderful, but it is far more complex than I think most people give it credit for.

► What sets you apart from Mayor Dennis?

Obviously Mayor Dennis’ time on the police force gave him a very specific perspective on public safety work. My experience working with small businesses and then quality of life issues gives me a different perspective. In those roles, you hear from some voices who may not be traditionally represented in the business community, such as the employees of those organizations. You learn pretty quickly about the everyday things that bring people fulfillment in their lives.

► If someone was considering a move to West Lafayette, what would be your pitch to get them here?

First, I’d want to know what kind of life they want to live. If they are looking for an urban city where they never have to drive a car, West Lafayette may not be the best fit for them. The reality is, not every person we could possibly attract here is going to find it the best fit for what they want in their life. But for those looking for a safe and stable community with access to an incredible university and a really intellectual business community that’s researching solutions to address some of the world’s most pressing needs, a community that has great recreation options and high-quality education from top to bottom, they could be very happy here.

► What are the biggest challenges facing West Lafayette right now?

We need to come up with some policies regarding housing. We have tremendous growth within the Tippecanoe County School Corp. and consistent enrollment in West Lafayette Community School Corp. A lot of that is based on the boundaries of the school districts, which are difficult to change. We have very limited housing in West Lafayette and many families are outbid when looking for places to live full-time so their children can attend the schools of their choosing. We have to be very thoughtful about what we’re doing with every piece of land within city limits.

► What are the biggest opportunities?

We have so much potential on all fronts with continued business growth, both small business and big industry. Our restaurant and retail amenities are currently a bit limited. For our population to continue to grow, we must find ways to offer the shopping amenities, services and dining options that create a sense of place within West Lafayette.

► What are you most excited about?

I’m really excited to get started on a strategic plan. The city has a strategic plan that we’ve been working from for a number of years, but it’s always a good practice to recognize what we’ve achieved and explore how our priorities may have shifted.

► West Lafayette’s first woman mayor, Sonya Margerum, had a 24-year run as mayor. Any aspirations to tie or beat that record?

We’ll take every term as it comes. ★