Name: John Price
Age: 68
Party: Republican
Office sought: McCordsville Town Council District 3
Occupation: Retired department manager project leader, director of technology
Political experience: None
Family: Wife, Donna
Why are you running for office?
I will represent the current residents and businesses of McCordsville. The present town leadership is more focused on attracting new residents and addressing the needs of developers rather than the impact of this growth on current residents. All too often, when existing residents express their concerns at public hearings, those concerns are not considered when making the final decision. I am all for the growth of the town, but my concern is that the uncontrolled growth is coming at the expense of the existing residents and businesses.
How are you qualified?
I was an R&D project leader for 15 years, responsible for managing multi-million dollar budgets and project schedules. I also provided project planning between multiple departments and governmental agencies. I have experience working closely with engineering staff and with architectural design. I have worked with teams to assess potential decision options and made “tough” decisions defining the path forward. I was appointed to the McCordsville Planning Commission from 2016 to 2020 and have worked closely with the town staff. I have been attending the town council, planning commission and public works meetings for the past 10 years.
What are the most pressing issues facing McCordsville?
The growth of the town needs to happen in a more controlled and selective manner. The infrastructure (waste treatment and roads) needs to be improved at the same time as new subdivisions are approved. The massive expansion of McCordsville is currently causing traffic issues and will continue to worsen. This growth will cause future problems with school overcrowding, higher taxes, and fees. I want to see new subdivisions with fewer houses per acre to minimize the impact on the town’s infrastructure and services (police and fire). The lower expenses associated with infrastructure improvements would offset the lower tax income.
How can the town responsibly handle the growth it’s experiencing?
This is an important time for the town to focus on the quality of business and residential expansion. Rather than approving every opportunity presented to the town, select those that will integrate well with the existing businesses and residential developments. We need to increase the cooperation with other local governments (Lawrence, Fishers, Marion and Hancock County) to address the necessary road improvements. I am also opposed to the approval of any additional warehouses in the town. It is time to get focused on recruiting other commercial uses for the property so easily sacrificed to warehouses.
