WRT candidates host their own forum

Is anyone else scared of the consequences if this Gang of Four were to take over township government?

The trustee has already shown that he governs with a very narrow scope. I’d hate to see what would happen if he had a township board inclined to agree with him.

There is a nugget of reality in both Joe’s and Amy’s comments. Both use the term Gang of Four, therefore I will utilize your reference terms.
There are a number of unanswered issues that seem to be lost in the grey area of the problems as hand. Amy is right in that “at least she knows where they stand” (the Gang of Four). The problem is that there are unanswered issues of funding, a more accurate reporting of what tax implications really are, and do the people (residents) really want the merger. Has there been a decision on current annexation court cases either?
So when the Gang of Four has decided for you and all citizens of the Township are we to assume that they (or one and his minions)know the answers to the remaining studies to be completed, court cases to be settled and the will of all homeowners? That is at minimum presumptious.
Here is a really serious question that is not being addressed:
There is a large sum of funds in accounts with the Township right now. At least $500,000 or more. Any measure of excessive funds with the Township would agree that this is a lot of money for WRT to have in accounts. The questions that should be asked are:
1. What will the Trustee (whoever it will be) do with the funds? Should there be Board approval?
2. Is there or should there be accountability to the Township since there is no submitted budget. Thus, there is no line item designation of those funds. Should there be?
3. Since no other Township Trustee (to my knowledge) in Indiana have health insurance provided by their Township, should the Trustee use any funds of the Township to provide himself health insurance?(The Board has turned this down before.)
4. Has anyone suggested that these funds be refunded in some way to the tax payer. (Other than I am suggesting it be considered)
5. There is going to be a vote in November on “the merger”. My vote and the Board’s vote is only 4 votes (5 if you count me). My gestimation is that there are about 40,000 people in WRT. Many are voters. We as a Township will decide the question. Not a Trustee and 3 Board members.
6. Thus there is a lot of “smoke and mirrors” and misdirection of priorities being played here. Let’s refocus on what WRT Trustee and Board are supposed to do. That is to run the Township efficiently and effectively.
I would like to serve White River Township on the Board to work with (whoever is) the Trustee. We need to eliminate stalemates. Get a reasonable working budget, that is not dictated by the State.
Elect me to WRT Board and we will get WRT moving again!
Thanks for reading this. And thank you Joe and Amy. You have helped me make a case to elect Kenneth Marshall I know it was a little long. I apologize for that much. Ken

If you’ll recall regarding the Bantam football complex, the CGSD wanted to give it away. We have folks crying for parks and trails, use the funds from the Bantam sale to to build trails. I’m not into parks. In todays world, the need for police protection in those parks is an added expense to an already non-producing fund project.
I think that having 2 separate candidate’s meeting, even on the same night, speaks very poorly of the those in the township who want to have good government. To go into who asked who to come etc, is a waste of time. If one township “meet the candidates” night can’t be arrange, then maybe, in protest, we the voters should stay away from the polls. That meeting should include all candidates, from Sheriff on down. But two meetings, that’s nuts. Regarding the Jail proposal. I think enlarging the facilities for a prison population growth is necessary. Having said that, the .04 cents a 100 of property value is doable for 20 yrs. On the flip side, I’m concerned with the increased, rising cost of doing business and how does that get paid. My real concern are the two other pregnant elephants we have sitting in the room. IE: the takeover of WRT by Greenwood at a cost to the WRT taxpayers of 27-28% and the millions of taxpayers dollars it is going to take to keep CGSD afloat. Both of these are nothing more than pouring money down a sewer. Neither has no true concept of living with a budget. All this in just one township. I don’t see any need to let Greenwood takeover. I think a fix for all township schools is creating one county school district. While there do the fire districts the same, one county fire department.

Just like it is best if the same party does not control congress and the White House, I agree with Mark that it is best if there is a healthy tension between the “executive” (trustee) and the “congress” (the board).

Voting them in as a slate would be a mistake. The challenge is that Jay has not demonstrated over the last year or so that he “plays well with others.” He sets his agenda and does what is needed to accomplish it. Bright man, good politician, but I would not want to give him carte blanche by providing him a board he hand picked.