Candidates for Fishers mayor answer questions

FISHERS – On Wednesday night, the six mayoral candidates debated the issues in front of a standing-room only crowd in the town hall auditorium.

The candidates are Town Council member Renee Cox, Town Manager Scott Fadness, former volunteer firefighter Maurice Heitzman, former Council President Walt Kelly, Butler University professor Marvin Scott and Elaine Viskant, a community activist.

During the debate, the candidates answered questions posed by local news blogger Larry Lannan of LarryinFishers.com. Here are some of their responses:

Lannan: How do you see Fishers moving forward as a city for the arts?

• Renee Cox said she plans to continue fostering the arts plan and art in Fishers.

• Scott Fadness said the arts plan provides a good road map for creating synergy between the arts council and the community.

• Maurice Heitzman said his children are involved in arts. He said he would like to see an expanded program that would include performing arts. He said the master plan is a great start.

• Walt Kelly said he started the funding for arts in Fishers when he led the council and would monitor and measure funding for continued growth.

• Marvin Scott said he is for the arts. He wants the arts to be at the center of the community.

Lannan: "How would you describe the current identity of Fishers, and how would you want to shape that identity?"

• Cox said the community is family friendly and has good schools and that she wants it to stay that way. She said the community is still trying to find its true identity. She wants that identity to include the diversity that exists in Fishers.

• Fadness said the core of the town is its family focus, focus on education and safety. He said he would like Fishers to be a great place not only to live, but also to recreate and to do business.

• Heitzman said the town’s identity is continually evolving but that Fishers has always been a safe place to live. He said he wants to continue the strong community base.

• Kelly said the town’s identity is about family and schools. He said Fishers is a community of neighborhoods.

• Scott: "I want Fishers to become a destination point."

• Elaine Viskant focused on the "excellent" education system and excellence in other areas of the town.

Lannan: With property taxes capped, how would you pay for increasing costs?

• Cox said she would work to help existing businesses grow and seek out companies that look for the kind of employees that live in Fishers.

• Fadness said he would focus on commercial development by making a "dynamic, vibrant" community.

• Heitzman said there are various mechanisms the city could use, including hotel taxes.

• Kelly said the city needs to deal with the reality of the caps, but that local government funding is much broader that property taxes. He said "we will need to be frugal and careful" with current resources and plan for the future.

• Scott said the city needs to draw from the existing population and its many skills.

• Viskant said she would go after commercial growth opportunities.

Lannan: How would you develop the downtown area and other parts of Fishers?

• Cox said there are "opportunities for private investments" and that she would work to market the community. "We've got a lot to sell without giving anything away."

• Fadness: "I think we have a solid plan" for the downtown area.

• Heitzman said the city needs to use space wisely. He said some areas could be redeveloped and used more productively.

• Kelly said infrastructure will need to be dealt with and that the focus doesn't need to be solely on the downtown. He said development needs to be consistent with community wants and needs. He would focus on development along I-69 and Ind. 37 corridors.

• Scott is excited about the potential for land use and chance to make something memorable in the downtown area.

• Viskant said she would move park and ride and fill the space where the KFC ( at 116th Street and Lantern Road) used to be.

Lannan: When would it be in the public interest to allow private development of public space?

• Cox said public-private partnerships are important, but that should not be the model used every time. She said transparency is key. She “would definitely seek...public input" before any major project.

• Fadness said using public land is a way to generate tax revenue and to be a catalyst for strong, vibrant community.

• Heitzman said he thinks the government needs to stay out of the land business. He said he would let the free enterprise system work for itself.

• Kelly said it's important to know who you are as a community and that a community needs to focus on economic development that works for it.

• Scott said there is a need to be transparent and not break the public's trust when developing the community.

• Viskant said giving property away to developers is a violation of residents' trust.

Lannan: Would you lobby the state legislature to allow for reconsideration of the 1 percent food and beverage tax?

• Cox: "You never want to say never." She said she would look for other options before raising taxes. She would want to do an internal audit. A tax would be the very last option.

• Fadness said the food and beverage tax could be applied to reduce circuit breaker loss to schools and property taxes. He would consider lobbying to revisit it.

• Heitzman would lobby the state because while he didn’t support the tax the first time it was brought up, he thinks those kinds of decisions should be made at the local level.

• Kelly said if you are taxing the food and beverage, there should be some nexus about where that money comes from and for what it’s used.

• Scott said he would work to lower 7 percent rate to 6 percent rather than burdening taxpayers.

• Viskant said she would not lobby the state. "There's hardly anything that they haven't thought of" to tax.

Lannan: "Based on what you now know, do you favor a referendum in Fishers on a tax increase to fund mass transit?"

• Cox: "We need to be the ones to decide." She said she would support it and would negotiate the best opportunity for residents.

• Fadness said he would want more details before making a referendum, especially given the financial implications. "There needs to be a lot more information in the hands of residents before I would advocate for a vote on this today."

• Heitzman said while he is a strong advocate for mass transit, the General Assembly has muddled the issue too much.

• Kelly said he is pleased about the referendum but is disappointed about the limitations. He said the bill the legislature passed is not what was anticipated.

• Scott said he would not "waste residents' time" when he could bring in investors to fund a rail system.

• Viskant said mass transit is what brought her into the mayoral race. She said it isn't the best option right now. "It's just not worth it. It's not in our best interest."

Lannan: What priorities would you set for road improvements and maintenance in Fishers?

• Cox said there is a good inventory of what roads there are and that there are good ways to preserve roads and extend life. She said real-time light signals should help with traffic flow.

• Fadness said roads aren't in good condition and that the community has its work cut out to improve the road system.

• Heitzman said the basic system is good but thoroughfare traffic needs some work, especially crossing over I-69.

• Kelly said "we know our thoroughfares" and have to fix those before making changes, that the town needs to build up corridors.

• Scott: "I think we should, as an intelligent society, should be embarrassed by our road system." As an example of good infrastructure, he cited the Roman roads still in place.

• Viskant said the 106th street interchange being next to a school encourages rapists, shooters. "We should be up in arms about it."

Lannan: What can and should the mayor do to help with the school funding crisis?

• Cox said she can continue the good things happening right now and would want to start an open dialogue. She would let the school run the school and not overstep her boundaries.

• Fadness praised school district leadership and said he wants to maintain a positive, open relationship between the town and the schools.

• Heitzman said state violated communities’ trust and that the funding decision needs to be moved back to the local level.

• Kelly said he would champion the district's cause.

• Scott ran the Boston Public Schools system. He would give 30 percent of his mayoral salary to help with community and schools.

• Viskant said salary freezes and consolidation of classes could be among solutions to funding issues.

Lannan: What would be your policy on using tax increment financing (TIF) districts?

• Cox said site selectors for businesses want to know the strategic locations and what to expect to maximize their investments, TIFs can be helpful in that.

• Fadness said TIFs are a tool to bring down barriers to commercial development.

• Heitzman said TIFs should be for things that can't be funded otherwise, not to subsidize developments. He is totally opposed to their use.

Lannan: What would be your first act as mayor?

• Cox said she would meet with department heads and all other town staff and start coming up with plans for the future.

• Fadness said he would go out into the community to talk to chamber, schools and residents to figure out how to move forward.

• Heitzman said he would want to have had a smooth transition so he could "hit the ground running" and would start with team meetings.

• Kelly said he would hold a meeting to let town staff know his values and would then work to assess the community to avoid surprises.

• Scott said he would evaluate all members of town staff and their effectiveness.

• Viskant said she would ask for a copy of the resumes of all the department heads, introduce herself briefly and then go talk to larger employers out in the community.

Lannan: How would you market Fishers to a prospective business?

• Cox said she has strong marketing and sales background and would tout the police and fire departments, among other benefits, to prospective employers.

• Fadness said he would tout core values of safety and education and the community’s world class infrastructure.

• Heitzman said he would make sure to understand employer needs first.

• Kelly also said he would first make sure to understand the business’s needs.

• Scott talked about his national and international experience when dealing with prospective employers.

Lannan: Please take a moment to give us a closing statement

• Cox said it has been a privilege to serve on the town council and that she would continue to listen to the people because "you are the government."

• Fadness said "we are a great community" and that he would come in every day and work to continue that greatness.

• Heitzman said he stands for a "lean, efficient government" and that he would never overstep his bounds. He's here to listen to the people.

• Kelly said he is proud of how the community has grown and what it has become. He said the community needs to work together to continue its successes.

• Scott talked about his family and read a poem that began with "My city, my town"

• Viskant began by listing her professional qualifications. She said she has a diverse background and several skills that would benefit the community.

Call Star reporter Megan Banta at (317) 444-6125. Follow her on Twitter: @MeganBanta2