On Thursday, the Indianapolis Star reported that Jeff Hern, an at-large county council member, admitted to and accepted a plea agreement on a criminal mischief charge related to stealing a political rival’s campaign sign before the 2016 May primary.
While Mr. Hern has been ordered as part of a plea agreement to pay restitution, and write an apology letter for his crime the Democratic party joins with many Republicans who have called for Mr. Hern to resign from his office as a Hamilton County Councilman.
Joe Weingarten, of the Hamilton County Democratic Party stated, “The holding of public office brings with it public trust and by his action he has shown a lack of ethical behavior and has lost the public’s trust.”
Hamilton County for many years has been run by Republican office holders. The one-party system results in a political agenda and may contribute to behind the scene political deals. There is a strong need for opposition office holders to challenge and bring to light misdeeds.
“While some of these instances have been brought to our attention by the news media and/or the businesses themselves, I can’t help but wonder about what don’t we know about,” stated Chairman Weingarten. “I’m taking this opportunity to ask the residents of Hamilton County—Republicans, moderates, and Democrats—to get more involved in our local politics. We need more choices on our ballot in the general elections and a greater participation from our residents on election day.”
Through collaboration and increased competition, our county has the potential to forge ahead as a community that respects all viewpoints, ethically governs, and actively pursues the publics best interests over individual political aspirations. Now is the time to seize the opportunity.