You can learn more about candidates running to be your next township trustee at an upcoming forum.
The Greater Indianapolis Multifaith Alliance will host the forum 6-8 p.m. April 15 at Castleton United Methodist Church, 7101 Shadeland Ave.
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Register for the event online.
Trustees, who are elected every four years, are responsible for making an annual budget and maintaining property owned by the township. They also run township assistance programs, which help people pay for rent, medicine and other needs.
The multifaith alliance invited trustee candidates from Lawrence, Pike and Warren townships. Current trustees from all nine Marion County townships were also invited.
But don’t expect to see every candidate there.
Rabbi Aaron Spiegel, the multifaith alliance’s executive director, said only eight of the 18 candidates invited had agreed to attend as of April 6.
Why the low turnout?
“I think they’re ignoring it because they can,” Spiegel said.
‘I definitely want to be there’
Three of the four trustee candidates in Warren Township plan to be at the forum.
One candidate, Jacque Bartlett, said the event is a way for voters to meet candidates they aren’t familiar with. And people can learn what trustees do, whether you’ll ever need their help or not.
“If you’re not in a position to have to use one, I guess you’re doing OK,” Bartlett said.
Marie Hitze said the forum will be a good way to show voters why township trustees matter. As charity programs come and go, trustees control what ends up being the most reliable source of emergency assistance.
“Every voter should have the opportunity to speak with candidates,” Hitze said. “Candidates should have the opportunity to win their vote.”
Another candidate, James Taylor, said going to events like a candidate forum is a way to show accountability to voters.
“I definitely want to be there just to have a conversation about what our community needs,” Taylor said. “If someone is asking us to come out, that’s part of being visible.”
The three of them are running against Vernon Brown, who has been Warren Township’s trustee since 2015.
Brown said he won’t be at the forum because of a scheduling conflict.
Brown said he attended a similar forum focused on Warren Township candidates and is answering political surveys, including from Mirror Indy. But he said the trustee forum is different because it includes every township.
“I don’t know if it would have any impact on people I represent or not,” Brown said.
Why you should care about township trustees
Aside from meeting some of the candidates, residents who attend the forum can expect to learn more about the role trustees play in local government.
“It really matters who the trustee is,” said Spiegel, the Greater Indianapolis Multifaith Alliance’s executive director.
The organization has partnered with other groups to produce two reports about trustee’s offices.
The first report details where some trustees are falling short in their duty to help people in need. Many residents have to wait weeks just to get an appointment, and about 80% of people who asked for help during the study period were denied.
The second report highlights some things that are working in and around Marion County.
Best practices include letting people apply for help in person without needing an appointment and dedicating more of the township’s budget to assistance.
But if trustee’s offices have a reputation for being slow and unhelpful, Spiegel said, people won’t try to use them for help. Then there will be even less pressure on trustees to assist residents.
“It’s a vicious cycle,” he said.
If you go
Township trustee candidate forum
🗓️ 6-8 p.m. April 15
📍 Castleton United Methodist Church, 7101 Shadeland Ave.
🎟️ Register for the event online
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Mirror Indy reporter Tyler Fenwick covers housing and labor. Contact him at 317-766-1406 or tyler.fenwick@mirrorindy.org. Follow him on X @ty_fenwick and Bluesky @tyfenwick.bsky.social.
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