Voters have choices in three races for Delaware County Council

MUNCIE, Ind. − Delaware County Council holds the purse strings for county government.

While the ordinances and policies that impact daily life in the county fall to county commissioners, it is the council that largely determines if and how tax money gets spent and revenue taken in. Which is significant power.

On issues from tax abatement for solar farm projects to adjusting pay for sheriff's merit deputies, the seven-member council is key to how the county government works and its relationship with citizens.

This fall, voters will choose the occupant of four seats on council. William V. Hughes, who in previous years served as attorney for council, will move to being a council member representing District 2, which includes western Muncie from the area of the Ball State University campus on through Yorktown. Hughes, a Republican, is unopposed in the general election. There are races for three other seats.

Delaware County Council District 1: Audie Barber v. Daniel Flanigan

District 1 takes in southwest Muncie and the southwest corner of the county, including Daleville. Vying to represent the area is Audie Barber, a familiar face to those who watch telecasts of local government meetings. The active Democrat makes his voice heard with regularity in watchdog fashion.

Barber says that if elected he plans to be a watchdog, overseeing how commissioner spend tax dollars. He noted that the rural communities where some commissioners live get a lot of public projects. He would work to make sure that the public safety departments of the county, such as the Sheriff's Department, paid staff enough to reduce employee turnover which has been troublesome.

Another priority for Barber would be to get the council meetings moved from daytime to nighttime so more people could attend without having to miss work.

He wants more transparency, he said, and noted a recent issue in which a proposal to live stream budget hearings by the county council fell by the wayside after County Commission Shannon Henry declined to fund it saying it would cost thousands of dollars. He went on to say that he was tired of people using "transparency" to cause officials to make public meetings available online so members of the public can take things out of context and then use those things against officials on social media.

Commissioner James King also said that was a problem but offered to provide some money for the proposed live streaming out of the commissioners' budget.

Streaming controversy:Commissioners not paying to stream county budget hearings that started Wednesday

Council President Scott Alexander, who had been sent to ask commissioners about funding the live streaming, told Henry he agreed with him.

County Council Member Ryan Webb wound up steaming the budget hearings this year as he could with his cell phone.

"Tired of transparency?" said Barber. "That is a big problem."

He said he would promote transparency and keep people informed of the county's business if elected.

Barber is employed as a union heavy equipment operator on construction projects. He said the job takes him all over the state sometimes, he said, but he will take time off as need to attend council meetings should he not be able to change the meeting times to evenings.

Also running for the District 1 seat, which is currently held by Republican Ryan Ballard, is Republican Daniel Flanigan.

Flanigan is is a member of the Yorktown Town Council. His term ends Dec. 31. He is employed as an electrician with the Muncie Sanitary District and also works with his father part-time as a private electrician.

If elected Flanigan said he would work to grow the county while keeping tax rates low. He commended the current council for the work they've done in keeping county finances working, noting that the county has done well this year handling money and developing a budget for next year.

More:Surprise! Delaware County actually saw its population increase in 2021

He said that on council he would, "try to keep as much money in people's own pocketbooks as possible."

Delaware County Council District 3: Mary Chambers v. Matt Kantz

County Council District 3 takes in the southeast corner of Delaware County, with the towns of Oakville, Selma and the northeast section of Muncie, including the neighborhoods of Whitely and Morningside.

Mary Chambers is a veteran member of the county council and a longtime Democrat officeholder. She is a native of Mississippi who moved to Muncie in 1961. Chambers had worked for 28 years as the Center Township Trustee.

'Just keeping everybody employed," Chambers said was her main objective in looking for another term on county council.

Chambers said she has seen a lot of things in her years of public service and she was proud of the work she has done helping people.

On council, she said, so much depends on how much money the county has available.

Being on council and working for her constituents has been fun, she said,

Her Republican opponent, Matt Kantz, says he hopes to represent District 3, "in a more meaningful way."

Kantz serves the Muncie Economic Development Commission, which reviews tax abatement proposals before they go to Muncie City Council for consideration.

He said he thought county council had done a good job making things work for the county without having to borrow money.

Kantz says he will look to be creative in his approach to council work and would probably reject the idea of doing things just because "that's the way they've always been done."

More:Tax abatement granted for Markets on Madison; some tenants in place as work begins

County council represents is his first race for elected office. Kantz works from his home as national sales director for strategic accounts at Elsevier Clinical Solutions − a company that produces medical books and journals and written communication between medical staff and consumers.

Delaware County Council 4: Kristi Knapp v. Jane Lasater

Another race between a political newcomer and veteran of local government is paying out in Council District 4 where longtime incumbent Republican council member Jane Lasater is facing a former educator Kristi Knapp making her first run for office.

District 4 takes in most of northern Delaware County, including the towns of Eaton and Albany.

Knapp is an Albany resident. She worked as a teacher at Albany Elementary and then Royerton Elementary before going to Richmond Community Schools in Wayne County where she became an assistant superintendent.

Knapp said she want to make county government more efficient and would look to steer the development of renewable energy in Delaware County in ways that work for residents while also working to provide revenue for county government.

She would aim at doing that with both solar and wind produced energy and noted Randolph County's success in being a home for renewable energy.

Stopping to study:Solar farms unplugged for a year in Delaware County as commissioners order moratorium

She said she would be a dependable county council member, making sure she attended meetings, and would serve with honesty and integrity.

"I am a conservative," the Democrat said. "We need to try to keep taxes down."

She also said she would work to keep from employees of the county on board rather than seeing so much turnover.

Lasater said she plans to keep doing what she has been doing on council.

The past years have been fortunate in that money has been available, through American Rescue Plan money and through other sources of revenue, that council has been able to provide raises of county employees.

"I think Delaware County is on the way up," Lasater said.

She cited improvements in Muncie and the employers being attracted to the county as evidence of an upswing that the people of Delaware County deserve.

Lasater said she takes pride in being able to deliver a budget this year that stays within the county's plan.

She is running for her third term on council. In the past she has served as county auditor, county treasurer and county recorder, making for 30 years in Delaware County government.

"I've been very blessed," Lasater said.

This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Races for three Delaware County Council seats settled in November