Readers' views: Tiffanie Ditlevson for Fishers City Council and the House is in disarray

Here's what community members had to say in three recent letters to the editor we received. Submit your own thoughts here.

Jim Banks won't work with Democrats, betrays voters who elected him

The House GOP seems now unable to govern. After voting to oust Kevin McCarthy, Jim Banks says that any deal with Democrats is a betrayal of the voters who sent them there. I guess Mr. Banks doesn’t represent Democrats in his district. Indiana should remember this as he runs for the Senate.

Mr. Banks seems to think we would rather have a House that is paralyzed and unable to function than to find issues with Democrats that we can compromise on. If Mr. Banks thinks that Democrats never have good ideas he should check out what his constituents think about Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid. We sent Jim Banks to Congress to govern, not sit on his hands and argue with each other.

It’s time to get the House open and back to work.

Bryan Miller

Indianapolis

Why I have voted a straight Democratic ticket in recent years

I have been voting since the mid 1960s. For many years I would vote a split ticket, finding some candidates in each party to my liking. In recent years I find myself voting a straight Democratic ticket despite the fact that there are Republicans, especially down ballot, that I would normally consider. Here is what caused this change:

• Indiana Republicans decided that Richard Mourdock would be a better U.S. Senator than Richard Lugar

• Former President Donald Trump

• U.S. Representatives Matt Gaetz, Jim Jordan, Lauren Boebert, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Jim Banks, Elise Stefanik, et al.

• House Speaker clown show

I wish I could return to my past practice, but I don't see any path for that to happen.

Tim Armstrong

Fishers

Tiffanie Ditlevson showed as a realtor she cares about Fishers and its residents

As a longtime resident of Fishers since 2001, I wanted to pass along my personal experiences with one of our candidates seeking public office. Our family has been parishioners at St. Matthew Catholic Church at 56th Street and Binford Boulevard since 1994 and continue to attend presently.  That is where we met Tiffanie Ditlevson for the first time.

We were initially impressed by her enthusiasm including the willingness to volunteer for various parish ministries.  As we saw her regularly at church and we needed to sell my mom’s home in Fishers, Tiffanie was near the top of the list of realtors that we were considering. We didn’t even know she was a Fishers resident at the time.

After we picked her, we weren’t disappointed. She worked hard and quickly to prepare and sell the home. Many of our other friends were also realtors, so it was hard to decide who would be the best person to hire. In the end, we would hire Tiffanie again and recommend her to others.

My belief is that Tiffanie would be a great servant to the community based on our personal experiences with her both in our faith community and in the real estate market. We knew her before she was running for any kind of office, so we feel have a better perspective.

Fishers would be lucky to have someone as dedicated, enthusiastic and hard working as Tiffanie.

Ray Meckauskas

Fishers

Tiffanie Ditlevson would work hard for Fishers residents on the City Council

We are excited to fully support our friend, Tiffanie Ditlevson, for Fishers City Council at Large. We've watched Tiffanie demonstrate leadership over the years, being willing to take on hard challenges and not walk away.

She has lived in Fishers for 17 years, raised a beautiful daughter, is a successful business woman and now has time and energy to devote to our city that she loves. She is a big supporter of first responders and we feel this is in part because she was in the Air Force for almost eight years and an active member of VFW Post 1120.

She has been in tough situations and handles herself with dignity and grace in the midst of negativity and outright cruelty. She genuinely enjoys meeting with residents of Fishers and makes herself approachable and always wants to know how they are doing and what is important to them. She takes time to get to know people and is a great listener.

This is her first political office she has ever run for and she deserves a chance to prove what we already know.  She would be a great addition to our city council and should be elected. She genuinely cares about Fishers and wants to keep it a great place to live, work and play, and she will work hard for us.

Doug and Shelly Allman

Fishers

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Readers reflect on Fishers City Council race and House speakership