12 candidates on ballot for Trafalgar Town Council

Eleven candidates want to have a say in the future of Trafalgar as a town council member.

Twelve Republicans filed for five seats in the upcoming primary election. One of the candidates is not actively seeking election.

They want to help govern the town of fewer than 1,300 residents.

Candidates include incumbents Jason Ramey, Charles Rairdon, Jeff Eisenmenger, Steve Scott and David Moore. Moore was arrested in January on charges of battery and disorderly conduct after he grabbed a fellow council member with both hands and slammed him against a wall at the town hall, according to a Trafalgar police report. No charges were filed.

They will face newcomers James Armstrong, Jessica Jones, Pamela Palmer, Rebecca Moore, Kyle Siegfried and Jerry Rafferty, who decided it was time for some fresh faces on the council, they said.

Stephen Johnson tried to withdraw, but missed the deadline, so his name will still appear on the ballot. Council member Steve Scott said he had no comments about the race.

Five of those 12 Republican candidates will advance to the fall municipal election, where they will face any Independents who may file by the July 1 deadline. No Democrats filed for Trafalgar Town Council, but the party could slate candidates to fill the vacancies on the November ballot.

Council President Jason Ramey rallied for change.

During the last municipal election in 2015, Trafalgar did not have an election because five candidates applied for five seats, so residents did not have a choice, Ramey said. Until now, that has been the trend, he said.

“At risk of my own self, people need to not just vote on the fact that somebody’s been doing the job. That doesn’t necessarily mean you’re doing what you’re supposed to or what you can do for the community.”

Ramey is the leader of the training division for the Bargersville Fire Department, where it is his job to keep firefighters current with certificates and training, running educational programs and helping with media relations. He was the Bargersville fire chief for about seven years.

He is running for town council again because of significant projects underway that he wants to see through to the finish line, including the addition of several pedestrian crossings that will hopefully improve safety throughout the town, he said.

At the top of Ramey’s wish list is attracting a grocery store, which is one of the town’s biggest needs, he said.

Eisenmenger, a local real-estate broker, said he is running again to continue moving the town forward. His focus, if he holds onto his seat, will be returning the police department to 24-hour coverage, lowering water and sewer rates and making Trafalgar more convenient by attracting a grocery store, he said.

Rairdon, who designs traffic signals and street lighting for a living and worked at INDOT for many years, says his No. 1 priority would be making sure the town is well lit for public safety personnel.

"There are some areas that are very dark," Rairdon said.

He said he would also continue to make sure the town is operating on a sound budget that allows it room to grow, he said.

"There are a lot of empty buildings sitting around, a lot of businesses that have gone out in some spots. It doesn’t look good when people are driving through town and see a lot of empty buildings. That isn’t a good appearance for the town," Rairdon said.

David Moore, a former truck driver, said he doesn’t want to be a lifelong politician, but he feels he has accomplished so much during his time on the council that he wants to continue that work, he said.

"This town was going nowhere. Basically, it was a cow town. I feel that I’ve moved it forward. We built a park," Moore said.

If he is elected to serve another term, his goals include: establishing some sort of senior center; taking care of flooding issues, especially along Pearl Street; and helping the town’s little league garner support from major donors, he said.

Armstrong works full-time at Sub Surface of Indiana in Morgantown, part-time as a Greenwood firefighter and volunteers as a Trafalgar firefighter. He wants nothing more than to be a fresh face on the council.

"The same people have been on there for a long time, and people are disgruntled," Armstrong said. "By doing this, I have nothing to gain but to hear people’s opinions and listen to what matters to them. It seems like other folks on the council have something to gain. I don’t own any businesses in town."

The town doesn’t need any more gas stations, he said. It needs a grocery store, even if it’s something small like an Aldi, Jay C Food Store or even a mom-and-pop shop like the town used to have, he said.

Jones, a healthcare professional who moved her family back to Trafalgar about five years ago, decided to run after talking to family and friends about her hope for some quality residents on the council.

"As I was talking to them about it, I realized maybe I would be the right person for the job," Jones said.

If she wins a seat, her focus would be on building relationships with community members and school leaders, and helping the town grow the right way, she said.

"Personally, I feel like we’re seeing growth, but not the growth that you want to see. We have a lot of businesses that are sitting empty," Jones said.

Palmer, who also works in the healthcare industry in billing and coding, wants to have a hand in the decisions that are being made in her town, particularly decisions about new neighborhoods and subdivisions as the town grows, she said.

"How will those affect properties that are already here? I want to make sure that the projects that are put out there are in the best interest of not only the town, but the residents as well," Palmer said.

She says the town lacks public involvement and residents aren’t aware of the changes that are being made. She hopes to change that, she said.

Siegfried, an associate minister at First Christian Church of Morgantown, says the town council needs to repair its relationships with Indiana Creek Schools, the Trafalgar Fire Department and Trafalgar Little League, and he wants to help accomplish that.

Negative news about the town prompted him to run for a council seat, he said.

The town needs more commercial businesses, especially a grocery store, more space for housing developments which requires a better infrastructure for water and sewage and unity on the council.

"We all don’t have to agree on everything, be we must agree that what matters is whatever is best for the town itself," Siegfried said.

Rafferty, who owns a construction business, is running on the following platforms: establishing a community-wide trash program to take that cost away from town residents and reduce heavy truck traffic in town; a more uniform and branded look for the community; and attracting new businesses.

"While the actual town of Trafalgar is small in size, we pull from a large geographic area and could support a much more diverse business population," Rafferty said.

Rebecca Moore, 28, works in the records and warrants division of the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office. Her goals include growing the community, supporting local law enforcement, adding a grocery store and putting community members first.

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Trafalgar Town Council At-Large

Term: Four years

Pay: $3,090

Duties: Set annual spending for the town, make policy changes, adopt new local rules and ordinances, approve new taxes, appoint members to various town boards.

At-large: Represents all Trafalgar residents.

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