Bargersville town council race

The need find better ways for traffic to move through Bargersville and regulate the development of new homes and businesses are top issues for five candidates for the town council.

Five candidates are facing off in the primary election for the Republican Party’s nomination for two open seats on the Bargersville Town Council. The town council is responsible for making decisions such as road improvements, hiring police officers, improving public parks and for how tax revenue should be used to fund those needs.

Paulette Rae Brown, who works at Interstate Towing, R. Dustin Doyle, a self-employed investment manager, Larry W. Gates, a retired bank president, Roger D. Hitz, a retired project supervisor for the Indiana Department of Transportation, and Rob Lowden, an associate vice president in Indiana University’s IT department, are running for two at-large seats on the council that represent the town of Bargersville.

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Incumbents Jim Beck and Rowana Umbarger did not file to run for re-election.

A growing population and the challenges that come with it were at the forefront of the candidates’ concerns. Growth, combined with the impending construction of Interstate 69, has raised questions about how to address a continued increase in traffic on County Road 144 and how new construction should be regulated. From 2011 to 2016, the number of vehicles using County Road 144 near Whiteland Road rose by more than 20 percent from an average of 4,000 vehicles a day to nearly 5,300, according to data from the Indiana Department of Transportation.

Candidates’ ideas to handle that traffic ranged from finding an alternative route for vehicles between I-69 and State Road 135, adding another two lanes to the road or widening lanes and adding guardrails.

As difficult and expensive as it will be, widening County Road 144 is the only solution that makes sense for addressing the needs of future traffic, Doyle said.

Gates said he was skeptical that County Road 144 could be rebuilt to handle more traffic, saying that the town needs to look at other routes, such as Whiteland Road.

County Road 144 has narrow lanes, Hitz said. He would like the town to widen the current lanes and install guardrails in areas with hills or curves, he said.

Other candidates want to see the town further study traffic issues before any decisions are made.

Before moving ahead on any road improvements, the town needs to study traffic patterns and assess what specific areas will need the most upgrades, Lowden said.

Brown agreed that road improvements are needed, but said she would need to study those issues further before backing any specific projects.

While the road itself is a concern, managing the development of new homes and businesses along County Road 144 will be a priority as well, the candidates said.

Hitz cited State Road 135 as an example of what he doesn’t want County Road 144 to look like. He would prefer to restrict commercial projects to areas near intersections, and not have business after business lining the road, Hitz said.

Gates also used State Road 135 as a comparison to the type of development he wants Bargersville to avoid. The town should have rules in place so that businesses have a similar look and feel to each other, he said.

Before I-69 is built, the town needs to development a strategic plan on where development should take place and make sure any new businesses and homes aren’t in conflict with current properties, Lowden said.

Brown sees the development of new businesses along County Road 144 to be a benefit for residents, who might otherwise have to travel to Greenwood or Franklin to go to a grocery store, she said.

Doyle wants to see additional regulations put in place over future development along County Road 144, he said.

The Bargersville Town Council recently voted to require new homes to be built with more brick, a move current council members said was necessary to bring in tax revenue and protect property values. The change is one that the council candidates are split on.

As a member of Bargerville’s plan commission, Doyle voted in favor of the new zoning rules. He said the town needs to have those standards.

Hitz is concerned that the change will price some residents out of living in Bargersville, and restricting builders to expensive homes just for tax value is wrong, he said.

Brown also expressed concerns about how the new rules could end up making homes too expensive for some buyers.

“I think all brick homes are beautiful, but some people can’t afford it,” she said.

The town council needs to listen to the concerns of current residents when new neighborhoods are being proposed next to them, and make sure that new developments don’t negatively impact the property values of existing neighborhoods, Lowden said.

Gates supported the new rules the town council put in place.

“I think that Bargersville has set high parameters to protect those who have already invested quite a lot of money in their homes,” he said. “We can’t lower our standards, if anything, they have to go up.”

[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”R. Dustin Doyle” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]

Name: R. Dustin Doyle

Party: Republican

Family: Wife, Danielle; three children, Sophia, Lula and Caleb

Occupation: Owner of Doyle Investment Management

Educational background: Eastbrook High School, 1993; Indiana State University, 1997

Political experience: None

Memberships: None

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Name: Rob Lowden

Party: Republican

Family: Wife, Aries; Children, Brandon, Austin, Tyler and Alyssa

Occupation: Associated vice president, enterprise systems, Indiana University

Educational background: Bennett St. Pauls High School, 1989; Purdue University, bachelor’s in 2001, master’s in 2011

Political experience: None

Memberships: None

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Name: Larry W. Gates

Party: Republican

Family: Spouse, Gardiner

Occupation: Retired, former president and founder of Bargersville State Bank and First Community Bank & Trust

Educational background: Mooresville High School; Indiana Central College, bachelor’s of science; University of Wisconsin-Madison, MBA

Political experience: Center Grove Board of School Trustees, 1973-1980; Union Township Advisory Board, 1998-2005

Memberships: former director of the Indiana Bankers Association, Indiana School Boards Association and Indiana State Teachers Association

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Name: Paulette Rae Brown

Party: Republican

Family: Children, Preston Stark and Victor Brown

Occupation: Interstate Delaware and South Towing, accounting department

Educational background: Ben Davis High School, 1982; Aristotle College of Dentistry

Political experience: None

Memberships: None

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Name: Roger D. Hitz

Party: Republican

Family: Wife, Ru Ann; Children, R. D., Lydia

Occupation: Retired, former project supervisor at the Indiana Department of Transportation

Educational background: Graduated from West Central High School in 1968; attended Vincennes University

Political experience: Candidate for State Representative, 19th District in 1972

Memberships: Bluff Creek Christian Church, Past President of Johnson County Young Republicans Club, Past President of White River Township Jaycees

[sc:pullout-text-end][sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”About the job” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]

Bargersville Town Council

Duties: Approving the town budget, including how many police officers the town has. Making decisions about road improvements, managing the development of new homes and businesses.

Term: 4 years

Salary: $6,595

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