By Jim Sack
Brandon Seifert is running for the Lake Township Advisory Board. Not exactly a marquee office in politics, out there around Arcola, with a budget a fraction of the Wayne Township office, with none of the highly charged issues that surround a mayor’s office or a commissioner’s future. It is a quiet place where raising money for fire protection is paramount.
But Brandon, young, supported by his wife and delivering an unpolished speech to the Conservative Breakfast Club Monday morning, spurred quiet a raging debate among the 25 or so politicians gathered on the 13th floor of One Summit Square.
Liz Brown was there. So was candidate for mayor Paula Hughes and council members Mitch Harper and Liz Brown. Roy Buskirk, a sage member of County Council, was also there, as well as Jim Banks, a Whitley County councilman and candidate for State Senate, and Mike Obergfell who is running against Win Moses for a State Representative seat.
Do we really need the township trustees? That was one of the first questions and a main point of debate. There was no consensus, but many at the table felt that citizens get a great deal of service from trustees who are occasionally volunteers, usually underpaid, and often work evenings, weekends and holidays when their neighbors are in need. Others at the table took the position that we have too many elected officials and that the trustee system is archaic, going back to the 1790s. Getting rid of the trustees would cut taxes and reduce the size of government. One attendee smiled that Indiana has more elected officials than California or Japan. Cute line, but not necessarily explanatory of anything. The snickers subsided and the debate resumed and turned toward efficiencies and service. Most agreed that trustees offer considerable service at discount rates. They are closest to the people, one fellow explained, easiest to reach, not somewhere in Indianapolis with five layers of bureaucrats between you and an answer. When someone brought up perceived excesses at the Wayne Township office the debate turned to questions of inefficiency and waste. All agreed that the current leadership in the Wayne Township office spends much too much on administration and too little on services.
It was also generally agreed that more oversight of township budgets and expenditures was in order.
The discussion/debate turned to other efficiencies, and to appointed boards and commissions that have taxing powers, but do not answer quite as directly to the public as do elected officials. Case in point, the library board. Some members were highly critical of the library for spending so much on new construction, while others praised the benefits of the library and the remarkable services it provides to the community and said they felt quite comfortable paying that portion of their taxes. Bang for the buck. Return on Investment.
All in all it was the most interesting and most spirited political debate on issues that I have heard in years. There were moments of bland comment purporting to offer the true conservative position, but in general the discussion was without platitudes, was a debate of competing ideas and suggestions for better government.
One member suggested privatizing the township system, but Paula Hughes quickly retorted and drew plenty of laughter when she snorted about how well privatization had worked with Indiana’s welfare management. Her point was well taken, ideology and dogma usually do not solve problems, but experience, cooperation and creativity does. The Conservative Breakfast Club should change its name to the Thoughtful Breakfast Club. It is a fine debating society offering good ideas for Allen County’s future.
As for Brandon Seifert, he deserves your vote if you live out there in Lake Township.
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