The following letter was sent on April 15th to all seeking election to Brownsburg Town Council. The Sentinel does not endorse any candidates but hopes by answering the four questions below, we are helping the citizen’s of Brownsburg make informed decisions about the candidates for Town Council.
Status as of May 2nd, 2019
Ward 2 – Jeff Gracey No acknowledgement of emails / Avoided Sentinel Staff at public events
Ward 2 – Chris Worley Declined Interview
Ward 3 – Brian Jessen No acknowledgement of emails / invitation
Ward 4 – Matt Bowles Accepted email invitation. CLICK HERE for interview
Ward 4 – Matt Simpson No acknowledgement of emails / Avoided Sentinel Staff at public events
The Sentinel will upload each video interview as they are completed. Or note they declined our request to participate. Please check our web-page frequently. — The Editor
EDITOR’s NOTE:
It difficult to rationalize the actions of those who claim to advocate transparency, increased communications to the public, if elected to public service, yet fail to extend it while running for office.
Please exercise your right to vote. There are two times when public servants are required by law to listen to their constituents, the primary and general election. It is a right few people on the planet have, and are able to perform without fear of reprisal. — The Editor
The Brownsburg Sentinel is extending an invitation to all candidates seeking the office of Town Council in the Town of Brownsburg to publish a video interview.
“The format of the interview will consist of 4 questions (see below). In your own words you will be asked to answer the following questions, please limit your answer to each question to 3 minutes or less:
Question (1) –
Please describe your near-term vision for the Town of Brownsburg. Please provide 3 specific actions / programs you will suggest to the other council members take to see your vision achieved.
Question (2) –
Please take from your campaign marketing materials your #1 priority you would like to see the Town of Brownsburg address and/or achieve while you are in office. Please provide specific actions you will take to bring this item to the forefront of the of the public’s attention, and see that this is placed on council’s agenda during your tenure.
Question (3) –
Are you for or against the town obtaining a city status?
If you are for becoming a city – Please concisely describe why this action is needed, the advantages to the average resident, the structure of governance you seek to put in place (if it differs from today), your desired timeline, and steps needed to take to realize the change.
If you are against becoming a city — Please concisely describe why this action is not needed, the immediate advantages to the average resident, and steps you will be taking to ensure the town council does not actively pursue this issue.
Question (4) –
Are you for or against the project commonly known as the “rec center”, “community center” or the “multi-generational center”?
If you are for the construction of a “rec-center”. Please describe your reasons why this is your position. Please provide three specific actions you intend to take support the Brownsburg Parks and the Town of Brownsburg, not only in its construction, but methods to ensure funding its ongoing operation (regardless of the outcome of the design study).
If you are against the construction of a “rec-center”. Please describe the reasons you hold this position, and how doing so is in the best interest of the constituents you are seeking to serve.
For an example of the style of interview the Sentinel will provide to the public, please see the website entry titled Representative Jim Baird Stops by for Coffee.
The Sentinel has already received enthusiastic responses from multiple candidates. We look forward to each of you taking advantage to present yourselves to the public. Please contact us as quickly as possible if you accept or decline this invitation. Once your acceptance is received, we will be in contact to schedule this interview to be held in a public but quiet location. The goal is to have these interviews on the Brownsburg Sentinel website no later than April 29, 2019 to give the voters time to see and digest the information provided.
Thank you in advance for your thoughtful contemplation and reply to the Brownsburg Sentinel’s request.”
The Brownsburg Sentinel will post in all Facebook groups when each of the candidates videos are published to our website. The Sentinel does not endorse any candidates but hope that in this way we are helping the citizen’s of Brownsburg make informed decisions about the candidates for Town Council. — The Editor
