FORTVILLE — With two Fortville Town Council seats up for grabs next week, the candidates in each race have focused their campaigns on the town’s growth, a polarizing issue among residents.
Republican Bob Sterrett, Fortville councilman at-large, will face Independent Fritz Fentz in the Nov. 6 election, while Becky Davis, also an Independent, is running against incumbent Republican Robert Holland for the town’s District 2 seat.
At-Large
Sterrett said with the perpetual growth of Fishers and McCordsville, development has flowed into Fortville. Currently, the town council is considering three voluntary annexations of nearly 170 total acres. Sterrett said the council has to “participate in growth” rather than “let the growth control” the town. He also said the council doesn’t want Fortville to be another Fishers or Geist, losing the small-town charm.
“What we want is a better Fortville,” Sterrett said. “We’re pretty proud of what Fortville is, and what it stands for, and the atmosphere that we have here, and the character. We don’t want to lose that.”
A few months after Sterrett, a Republican, decided to run in the primary for the council seat, he was appointed to the council after the previous councilman left the position in March. Sterrett, the lone candidate in the primary race, was also the only person to run in a Republican caucus for the vacant seat.
Sterrett, who helped start Fortville Action, Inc. with his wife Milda, said as the town grows, he wants to make sure the council works with developers to create a safer and more walkable Fortville. He said the town’s Main Street project, which would use $2.5 million in grants to install new sidewalks, bump-outs and crosswalks, will improve safety and might draw more people to the downtown’s small businesses.
“I’m not sorry that we have parking issues because it means our town is busy and vibrant and we’re just doing it,” Sterrett said.
Part of the downtown plan would eliminate 19 parking spaces, an issue Sterrett’s opponent, Fentz, would fight to stop if elected to the council. Fentz said multiple downtown business owners have told him about their opposition to the Main Street project, saying the lack of parking would deter customers.
“Once (I) am elected, I will put a hold on the Main Street project,” Fentz wrote in an email to the Daily Reporter. “This will be a hard decision to make because of all the effort that has gone into this project. Don’t get me wrong: I want the sidewalks replaced and (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliant. However, as I go around town listening to the residents, building owners, and shop owners, they say, ‘I do not want to lose 19 parking spaces.’”
Fentz said he also wants to repair any divisions between Fortville officials and residents in the surrounding area. He said the town’s approach to the ongoing annexation process has created a “rift” between neighbors. Fentz said developers should work to be more transparent with those living outside the town, especially when it pertains to possible annexations.
“Our town council members have to realize and respect that the residents outside of the town limits are our neighbors, our kids go to school together, we go to kids’ games together, we go to social events together, and we go to church together,” Fentz wrote.
District 2
Holland, a member of the Fortville Town Council since 2012, said he hopes the town can continue advancing “positive” projects in the coming years, such as the Main Street revitalization.
Holland, a Republican, said some Fortville residents have expressed concerns about the council abandoning the town’s history and rural persona in favor of new residential development. Similar to Sterrett, Holland said that’s not true. Fortville needs responsible and healthy growth, he added.
The downtown has added more business and restaurants over the past few years, he said, attracting more visitors to the community. Holland also said the town’s police department has been growing in size and training. Many small towns in Indiana have a few officers, if any, on patrol.
“It’s an exciting time to be in Fortville right now,” Holland said. “I’d like to continue being a part of that.”
Davis, who’s running as an Independent against Holland, did not return multiple messages for comment.
