By JESSICA BRICKER
More than 100 people had the chance to hear first-hand from those on the primary ballot during a meet-the-candidate forum Monday.
The structured event provided candidates for multiple offices the ability to answer in turn a set of questions. It was hosted by the Wells County Chamber of Commerce and Rick Johnloz served as the moderator.
Indiana House of Representatives
Rep. Matt Lehman, R-Berne, said he’d support upgrading Ind. 1 as conversations mount about making the highway a four-lane route from Bluffton to Fort Wayne. He said it is the last main artery into the metropolitan that needs addressed.
He also said he foresees funding rural broadband coming up in the 2023 budget session of the Indiana General Assembly.
Lehman, the incumbent, is facing a challenge by Wells County’s Russ Mounsey, who was not in attendance Monday.
Wells County sheriff
Expanding on answers given to similar questions The News-Banner asked in a questionnaire of the candidates, Sheriff Scott Holliday and challenger Ryan Mounsey spoke to the crowd about why they are running for office and their positions on alternative sentencing methods.
They also spoke about body cameras, both supporting them as a tool for law enforcement that brings accountability.
Mounsey said they need to be handled responsibly. He added he has concerns with cameras that continuously record, citing privacy issues for deputies.
Holliday said he fully supports body cameras, which is why he implemented them with jail staff last year and he’s upgrading equipment to include body cameras for deputies.
The cameras have cut down on complaints in the jail facility, he said. Any concerns about their use can be addressed in policies, which Holliday said have been developed locally in part by a group of deputies.
When asked how the national spotlight on law enforcement can impact new potential recruits, Holliday said his administration has worked to bridge the gap — and fix the fracture — between law enforcement and the public through social media, for example, to humanize the badge. The department has grown its online following to 10,000 people, he said.
Mounsey said it’s a tough job but he believes youth still dream of being police officers. The department has to be a team that feels supported by its leadership and one that fosters a good work environment. Recruits are going to talk and find out if a department is a good place to work or not, he said.
Wells County assessor
Incumbent Kelly Herman and challenger Laura Roberts both spoke highly of the need for consulting firms such as Nexus to help the department function on a daily basis. Roberts said it would take additional staff to do the work that Nexus does for the county, and Herman said she hasn’t had any issues with the county’s field representative but she knows if issues come up, they can be discussed.
When asked what the candidates would do to encourage Wells County residents to apply for the county’s property tax assessment board of appeals, Herman said the board appointments are advertised for those interested. Currently, only one member of the board is a local resident. She also said she would like to send county residents to classes in order to gain necessary training.
Roberts noted that a requirement of the board’s composition is that one appointment have additional certification by the state, and no one in Wells County currently qualifies under that categorization. It makes it harder to fill that appointment, she said, adding that more attention on the PTABOA lately may increase interest going forward.
Wells County Council District 1
Brian Lambert and Mike Mossburg spoke to issues they think are the hot topics facing the county council.
When asked how the county would spend millions in hypothetical grant funding, Mossburg — a former county council member and current regional sewer district member — said funds could immediately be used to install more sewer infrastructure. He said he guarantees sewer connectivity will pay off for Wells County in five years.
Later, when answering a question about supporting funding mechanisms for initiatives in the county, Mossburg said the RSD is already benefiting from grant funding, which is helping communities that are suffering.
In order to use this hypothetical grant funding, Lambert said he would like to see a focus on the south side of Bluffton, which he says is routinely neglected and has room for expansion. He also said he would financially support infrastructure and the highway garage project.
Lambert later said he supports growth that will make his children proud to stay in the community or proud to come back to it one day.
jessica@news-banner.com
