If elected to a third term as District 3 representative on the Bartholomew County Council, Mark Gorbett says he will retire from local politics at the end of 2026.
But political newcomer Democrat Blake Wesley Fields is hoping to replace Gorbett on the council at the end of this year.
Q: What are your thoughts about the salary study received last March that showed many salaries and benefits for county employees are below the median income for a comparable worker in other counties?
Gorbett: The current council has not approved the salary recommendations, and I will continue to press that it is done. Some on the council were questioning the study without really analyzing it. We’ve lost over 70 employees over the last year to a number of factors, including low pay. That’s costing us in the long run, and if we don’t address the factors and keep losing employees to the private sector, we’ll have to readdress this issue next year.
Fields: I think some of the salaries are shameful. I was talking with a waitress who told me she also worked for Bartholomew County government. We’re paying some of these people so little they need two jobs. Some of the lowest paid people are in our emergency services and risking turnover in that sector is so dangerous. You are putting people at risk, and that isn’t right.
Q: For several years, local government has received criticism for hiring consultants. Do you feel this is a valid criticism?
Gorbett: To move forward in any profession, you have to admit you don’t hold the answers to everything. I seek out the people who have the most experience who can give me the best answers. If that’s a consultant, that’s what we need to use. We then need to evaluate that data and act appropriately.
Fields: If you don’t have an expertise in an area, you should find someone who does. I would rather have the county spend money to seek out expertise than to go forward in ignorance.
Q: There’s about $10 million in reserves (also known as the Rainy Day Fund). What should the council do with that money?
Gorbett: There are still going to be unforeseen expenditures we did not anticipate, and we need to keep some money set aside for that. But our five-year plan is always evolving, and we should be addressing our long-term needs. We also need to make sure we don’t revert back seven or eight years ago when we were in the process of not meeting those needs. When the economy stabilizes, we can begin to address where those funds would be best served.
Fields: I know families who became homeless due to a disaster who are now holed up in hotel rooms. They are trying to figure out how to rebuild their lives. It would be worthwhile to build up some type of emergency housing while they look for more permanent solutions. And with climate change on the horizon, I think we need to take a look at some local environmental issues and be ready for that to get worse.
Q: What do you hope to accomplish over the next found years if elected to the council?
Gorbett: One goal is the continued retainment of county employees. We need to properly pay and retain these employees. We also need to continue long-term planning to address our future revenues and needs, as well as set aside funds to meet those needs. The third thing is continued fiscal responsibility.
Fields: I’d like to see more of the interests of the working class represented. As someone who spent much of my life in a blue-collar background, I find a number of county leaders who can’t relate to anything I’ve gone through. These people are not bothered by how little they are paying their employees.
Mark Gorbett
Name: Mark Gorbett (R)
Age: 65
Address: Columbus
Previous elected positions: Bartholomew County Sheriff (2007-2014). Currently seeking third term on the county council.
Current employer: Retired
Educational background: 1975 graduate of Columbus North High School, attended Ball State University from 1975-1979, graduate of the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy, 1980; graduate of the FBI National Academy 2002.
Community Service: Active in church, chairs the joint City/County Council for Substance Abuse funding board and serves on both the county data board and the jail corporation board.
Family: Wife, Renee. Two adult children
Blake Wesley Fields
Name: Blake Wesley Fields (D)
Age: 31
Address: Columbus
Previous elected positions: none
Current employer: Cummins, Inc.
Educational background: Earned bachelor’s degree in history from Ball State University in 2018.
Community Service: Civil rights advocate, participates in community gardening.
Family: Single
