FORTVILLE — At the heart of the race for two spots on Fortville’s town council was the increasing development and beautification of the town, an issue that has stirred controversy among Fortville’s residents. But some of the town’s projects might see resistance from a newly elected council member.
Independent candidate Frederick Fentz was elected to Fortville’s at-large council seat over incumbent Robert Sterrett, a Republican. District 2 council member Robert Holland retained his post, defeating Becky Davis.
Fentz received 659 votes to 616 for Sterrett
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Holland received 733 votes. to 655 for Davis.
While some citizens and officials are optimistic about the town’s ambition to expand and improve, several have expressed concerns that the town’s rapid growth is hurting its small-town identity.
Fentz said he plans to strive for clearer communication and more transparency in local government. The town’s website needs to be improved and made more user-friendly; citizens should be able to pull up documents so they can read the ordinances and grants for themselves, he said. It’s important that the town knows exactly what their tax dollars are being used for during this time of growth, he said.
Fentz is eager to start working with the town council to move forward to the future of Fortville, he added.
“I want the stakeholders in the town that had concerns with these projects to work with the Madison county central governments,” Fentz said. “Everybody needs to have a say-so in this project. That’s what I’m going to push for now.”
During their campaigns, Fentz and Davis took issue with some details of the town’s Main Street project, which will use $2.5 million in federal grants for improvements to the downtown area. Fentz referenced business owners who were angry about the potential loss of available public parking.
But Holland has expressed optimism and support for the project, which will install new sidewalks, bump-outs and crosswalks, saying it will improve safety while making businesses more attractive at the same time. The council is listening to the town’s concerns, and plans to tweak the projects as necessary, he said.
“I’ve made myself about as available as I can, which obviously is important,” Holland said. “I’ve stopped just short of showing up on people’s doorsteps.”
“Actually, I’ve done that as well,” he admitted with a chuckle.
The council is responding to the public’s concerns with understanding, Holland said. He added that continued discourse is necessary for them to properly serve the community for which they work.
“I ran my campaign on my experience, staying professional and being respectful of my peers,” Holland said. “That includes those running against me and the public. And I think that resonated with the voters.”
Fortville Town Manager Joe Renner said many of the statements given by Fentz during his campaign were made without him having enough information. Fentz’s election to the council is an opportunity for him to help them make educated decisions that will benefit Fortville as a whole, Renner said.
“The people voted (Fentz) in, and I’ve got confidence that he’ll step up and do what’s best for the community,” Renner said. “I feel like everybody is mature enough that we’re going to do what’s best for the community. We’re going to come together for the town and do what’s right.”
