Weingarten: Wait until next year

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Dear Editor:

In reply to Mr. Dalton –

I am very sorry that you feel the way you do about my statements. But I also sense that you feel very threatened by the clear fact that the make-up of the population of Hamilton County is changing and the politics of the county is changing. The days of this being a 100 percent Republican county are gone.

Last year, the first Democrat was elected in 58 years. This year for the first time in history Democrats were elected to the Carmel and Fishers City Councils. To top that off one Democrat ran in a non-contested race for city council in Atlanta.

A Democrat non-contested – impossible, unheard off. But it did happen.

Wait until next year, yes, wait until next year as we continue to bring a message to the people of Hamilton County. A number of Democrats last year received votes in the mid-40 percent range, far higher than the old days of a few years ago of 25 to 30 percent. The people of Hamilton County are very smart and it seems you have discounted this fact.

The population of the county is changing. It is becoming higher educated as technology companies move into the area. You are right, the county is a good place to live and raise children. A great deal of this reason is because of the non-partisan school boards and not the city governments.

The city governments are placing a very high mortgage on the future for this great place to live. The 1.4 billion-dollar debt in Carmel is not acceptable and the growing debt as Fishers tries to catch up with its building programs without real citizen input is also not acceptable. If these places are so great why do the governments continue to give developers tax breaks? They would come anyway.

The concept of being able to speak up at a city meeting is vanishing. So, the Republicans are trying to rule as if they can without any citizen input. This is not an insult but a clear indication of what is happening.

Wait until next year is not a sports slogan but rather a continuation of what we have started to do, to inform voters of what is going on behind closed doors. To demand that our elected officials be transparent and to stop the reckless spending as if there is no tomorrow. That all elected officials ask and listen to the citizens. To provide voters a choice in an election instead of a one-party rule.

If any of this offends you, I am very sorry but maybe instead of blindly following a party you start to ask questions of your party.

Joe Weingarten

Chair Hamilton County Democratic Party

Fishers