Westsiders can hear from their trustees during a forum with the elected officeholders from Pike, Wayne and Decatur townships.
The forum, hosted by the West Side Chamber of Commerce, will be 8-9:30 a.m. Oct. 30 at the Pike Township Trustee’s Office, 5665 Lafayette Road.
The event is free. Register here.
The trustees in each township are:
Annette Johnson (Pike)
Jeb Bardon (Wayne)
Jason Holliday (Decatur)
Don’t know which township you live in? The city’s website has a tool to find out.
All three trustees are up for reelection this year, although Johnson is running unopposed. You can learn more about township trustee candidates and other races on the ballot in Mirror Indy’s voter guide.
In Wayne Township, Bardon, a Democrat, is running against Republican Kent Wells. In Decatur Township, Holliday, a Republican, is running against Democrat Elise Fecteau.
Only current trustees have been invited to the annual forum that happens in the fall.
Township trustees are responsible for helping people with things such as rent and utility payments. Some offices have a better reputation than others.
Trustees are also responsible for maintaining property owned by the township and making an annual budget.
As mundane as those duties may sound, trustee’s offices can be sources of drama in township government.
In Pike Township, a state audit found examples of unauthorized salary increases and missing mileage logs for vehicles.
In Wayne Township, the trustee’s office was at the center of a controversial plan to merge the fire department with Indianapolis Fire Department. Those talks eventually stalled.
And in Decatur Township, Holliday was opposed to a separate attempt by state lawmakers to merge fire departments.
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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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