Franklin Township Online News, Marion County, Indiana, FTONEWS.com

ELECTION DAY TRASH COLLECTION

All services in city to operate 'as normal'

City officials are issuing a reminder that there will be "no change" in residential trash, heavy trash and curbside recycling collection on Primary Election Day - Tuesday, May 6.

The city's next observed Solid Waste holiday will be on Monday, May 26, in observance of Memorial Day.

On that date, there will be no residential trash (hand collection and automated collection), heavy trash and curbside recycling services. All services will be moved back one day for the entire week. Monday collections will be done on Tuesday, etc, all the way through Friday collections being done on Saturday.

Collections will return to normal schedules on the following Monday, June 2.

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2008 PRIMARY ELECTION REMINDER

Absentee voting begins in Clerk's office

The Marion County Clerk's office, located in the west wing of the City-County Building, will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays to receive early on-site voters.

The Clerk's office will also be open:

Saturday, April 26, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday, May 3, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sunday, May 4, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The last day to vote early in the Clerk's office is 8 a.m. to noon on Monday, May 5.

Voters must present a valid, government-issued photo I.D. to vote early in the Clerk's office. Unlike voting by mail or traveling abroad, voters do not have to provide a reason to vote in the Clerk's office.

The City-County Building is located at 200 East Washington Street in downtown Indianapolis. The Clerk's Office is in Suite W122.

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2008 PRIMARY ELECTION FILINGS

Races of interest to Franklin Township voters

While not every candidate has an official opponent, there will be several local races that may be of interest to Franklin Township voters.

There are two positions available on the Franklin Township School Board, where the Primary Election is assured of providing two new members to serve four-year terms apiece. Two current School Board officeholders – President Matthew A. Hamner (Northwest Quad) and Vice President Geoff Horen (Southwest Quad) – did not file for re-election to the five-member panel.

Three candidates – David T. Ostheimer, Garry M. Stevenson and C. Scott Veerkamp – are vying to replace Hamner, while Aaron L. Sullivan is the lone candidate who filed for Horen’s position.

All registered voters who live within the boundaries of Franklin Township are eligible to vote for all School Board seats that are open. The terms for the two selected during the upcoming Primary Election will begin on July 1. The two newly elected members will join Randall K. Bland, Steve Randall and Christopher A. Wood on the FT School Board.

Filings – all by Republicans – for positions on the Franklin Township (Advisory) Board indicate choices in at least four of the seven districts.

Three incumbents – Joe McCullough in District 1, Alan Keith Coyner in District 4, and Theresa Young in District 7 – are unopposed.

In District 2, voters will decide between incumbent M. Paige Green and challenger Tim Ping; in District 3 between incumbent Bernice L. Lowes and challengers Kenneith H. (Kenny) Civils and Andrew Hearell; in District 5 between incumbent Michael R. Shaffer and challengers Chris Bailey and Todd Colip; and in District 6 between incumbent Shirley A. Hauck and challenger Tim Back.

For state legislator posts, there will be Primary Election races for State Representative districts 89 and 90, where both seats provide representation for portions of Franklin Township.

In District 90 (representing the majority of Franklin Township), FT School Board member Hamner will challenge incumbent Michael B. Murphy on the Republican ticket. There were no filings on the Democratic side.

In District 89 that includes only a small portion of Franklin Township, State Representative Lawrence Buell is retiring after a lengthy political career. There will be a Primary Election choice for this district on both the Democratic and Republican tickets. Democrats filing include John F. Barnes and Tyler Gough. Republicans filing include Michael A. Batz, Larry
Cooper and Chris J. Swatts.

For State Senator District 32 (representing Franklin Township), incumbent Republican Patricia Miller and Democrat Ken Kern are unopposed in the Primary Election.

The following candidates have filed for the upcoming Primary Election scheduled for Tuesday, May 6.

Primary Election filings:

NATIONAL CANDIDATES

** U.S. President & Vice President – Hillary Clinton, Democratic; Barack Obama, Democratic; Mike Huckabee, Republican; John McCain, Republican; Ron Paul, Republican; Mitt Romney, Republican.

** U.S. Representative Indiana District 5 (serving a portion of Franklin Township) – Chester Kelsey, Democrat; Mary Etta Ruley, Democrat; Kenny Stall, Democrat; Clayton L. Alfred, Republican; Dan Burton, Republican; John McGoff, Republican.

** U.S. Representative Indiana Distict 7 (serving a portion of Franklin Township) – Andre D. Carson, Democrat; Larry Lamont Ledford, Democrat; Carolene Mays, Democrat), Woodrow A. (Woody) Myers Jr., Democrat; David Orentlicher, Democrat, Pierre Quincy Pullins, Democrat; Joseph C. “Hippie Joe” Stockett III, Democrat; Frances Nelson Williams, Democrat; Jon Elrod, Republican; Catherin (Cat) Ping, Republican; Lawrence B. (Larry) Shouse, Republican.

STATEWIDE CANDIDATES

** Governor & Lieutenant Governor – Jim Schellinger, Democrat; Jill Long Thompson, Democrat; Mitch Daniels, Republican.

STATE LEGISLATOR CANDIDATES

** State Senator District 32 (all of Franklin Township) – Ken Kern, Democrat; Patricia Miller, Republican (incumbent)

** State Representative District 89 (a portion of Franklin Township) – John F. Barnes, Democrat; Tyler Gough, Democrat; Michael A. Batz, Republican; Larry Cooper, Republican; Chris J. Swatts, Republican.

** State Representative District 90 (most of Franklin Township) – Matthew A. Hamner, Republican; Michael B. Murphy, Republican (incumbent).

FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP CANDIDATES

** Franklin Township School Board
Northwest Quad – David T. Ostheimer, Garry M. Stevenson, C. Scott Veerkamp
Southwest Quad – Aaron L. Sullivan

** Franklin Township Board
District 1 – Joe McCullough, Republican (incumbent)
District 2 – Tim Ping, Republican; M. Paige Green, Republican (incumbent)
District 3 – Kenneth H. (Kenny) Civils, Republican; Bernice L. Lowes, Republican (incumbent); Andrew Hearell, Republican
District 4 – Alan Keith Coyner, Republican (incumbent)
District 5 – Michael R. Shaffer, Republican (incumbent); Chris Bailey, Republican; Todd Colip, Republican
District 6 – Shirley A. Hauck, Republican (incumbent); Tim Back, Republican
District 7 – Theresa Young, Republican (incumbent)

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2008 CANDIDATE ANNOUNCEMENTS

Governor endorses Murphy for Primary race

Governor Mitch Daniels is endorsing incumbent State Representative Mike Murphy (R-District 90) for the Primary Election on Tuesday, May 6.

The announcement of the governor's support for Murphy was contained in a press release distributed by the Marion County Republican Central Committee on Tuesday, April 15.

"Mike Murphy has been a terrific partner in moving Indiana forward," Governor Daniels said. "He has shown courage and leadership in helping pass historic property tax cuts and authored the telecommunications legislation that has created thousands of new jobs and attracted several hundred million dollars in investment. Please support Mike's continued leadership in the statehouse."

State Representative Murphy has represented south-suburban Indianapolis since 1994. He is currently Ranking Minority Member of the House Technology, Research and Development Committee. He also serves on the Veterans Affairs and Public Safety, and Government and Regulatory Reform committees. He is a former member of the Ways and Means, Public Policy, Rules, Labor, Education, Agriculture, and Families and Children committees.

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Stevenson vies for School Board (NW Quad) seat

Garry Stevenson
School Board candidate

Garry Stevenson, a fifth-generation Franklin Township resident, is seeking a seat on the Franklin Township School Board in the upcoming Primary Election. He is running for the Northwest Quad position currently held by Matthew A. Hamner, who is not pursuing re-election to the FT School Board.

Stevenson attended Acton Elementary School, Franklin Township Middle School (FTMS), and graduated from Franklin Central High School (FCHS) in 1982. In 1986, Garry graduated from DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, and pursued a Master of Science degree at Bowling Green State University in Ohio.

Stevenson is a Franklin Township business owner and has been president of CENCOR, Inc., an environmental consulting and remediation contracting firm, since 1999. Prior to founding CENCOR, Inc., he worked in various project management and business operation positions at four national/international environmental consulting/contracting firms in Detroit, Michigan, and Chicago, Illinois, before returning to Franklin Township to raise his family.

Garry and his wife, Toni Stevenson, have been active in the education of Franklin Township students and have two children attending Franklin Township Schools. Garry was a member of the 2002 Franklin Township Community School Corporation (FTCSC) Strategic Planning Committee and currently serves on the board of directors for the Franklin Township Education Foundation (F*TEF). Toni is the principal for Edgewood Intermediate School, and is actively engaged in the opening of the new building this fall for the 2008-2009 school year.

Garry's interest in serving on the Franklin Township School Board stems from his belief that education of our children, thus our community, must be the focus to sustain the growth opportunities available to the residents of Franklin Township.

Stevenson brings experience in business management and first-hand knowledge of the Strategic Plan developed for the schools and community of Franklin Township. He believes that communication with Franklin Township residents is crucial to managing growth in an efficient and fiscally responsible manner.

"As the our township continues to grow and prosper," Stevenson says, "it is necessary for the Franklin Township Community School Corporation to strive for excellence by continuing to seek out the best educators and providing the necessary resources to educate our children and establish the ' Roots for Growth. '"

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State Rep. Murphy launches re-election bid

State Rep. Mike Murphy

In announcing the start of his re-election campaign, State Representative Mike Murphy (R-District 90) pledged to support Governor Mitch Daniels' property tax reform plan.

"My neighbors have been paying too much in property taxes for many years, now," said Murphy, who represents most of Franklin Township. "Taxes are driving people from their homes and threatening the quality of our neighborhoods. We must permanently cap property taxes as a percentage of the home's value, and we must rein in government spending at all levels."

When the Indiana House and Senate passed the property tax reform package in mid-March, Murphy issued the following comment:

"We all remember and admire the bold actions toward property tax reform former Governor (Otis) Bowen implemented in 1973. On both sides of the political divide, we marvel and have looked to the 'Bowen Plan' to serve as inspiration to create serious reforms today. I am confident that 10 years from now, people will ask us if we were there when Indiana passed the 'Daniels Plan' for property tax reform, and we will be proud of what we did today."

In its original form, Governor Daniels' proposal included capping residential property taxes at 1 percent of the property's assessed valuation. The plan also would have allowed voters, through a referendum, to go beyond the statutory and constitutional caps if they agreed that a particular taxing district needed an exceptional infusion of money.

Earlier this year Murphy authored HJR4, a proposed constitutional amendment that would limit the growth in government spending to the growth in personal income. In Indiana, personal income has been rising at about 3 percent per year, while local government spending has been increasing at an 8 percent annual rate.

"Government should not grow faster than my neighbors' ability to afford it," said Murphy. "We have to remember whose government this is. It does not belong to the politicians and appointed spenders. It belongs to the taxpayers."

Murphy has also been working to reform mortgage foreclosure laws, to ensure that amputees have access to adequate prosthetic limbs, and to prevent convicted sexual offenders from having access to teen chat web sites.

Recently, Murphy proposed an Ivy Tech Community College presence for Franklin Township. Those discussions are ongoing.

Murphy can be reached at gopmurphy@sbcglobal.net.

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