Jackson
WAITING ON CANDIDATE MUGSHOT
Two candidates are in the running for Columbus Township trustee on the fall general election ballot.
After being appointed to fill out the term of Fred Barkes in June 2013, Republican Ben Jackson retained the position of trustee following the 2014 and 2018 elections.
His Democratic opponent this year is Andrew Sekeres III, who recently earned his master’s degree in social work and volunteers with the Bartholomew County Food and Security Coalition. Sekeres also works for the Indiana Family and Social Security Administration.
The Columbus Township trustee is responsible for providing fire protection and ambulance service to unincorporated areas within their jurisdiction, distributing poor relief, working in conjunction with nonprofits to help the poor, the burial of indigents, cemetery maintenance, weed control and fence disputes. Columbus Township is the largest township in Bartholomew County. The trustee is a full-time employee, earning $62,000 annually.
Q: Under what circumstances should a person be granted assistance, and under what circumstances should that help be denied?
Jackson: We assist people to obtain basic necessities if they can’t acquire them on their own. We do examine those who don’t spend the assistance they receive on basic necessities like food, shelter, hygienic and medicines. We may have to investigate their assets, wages or possibly their mental health. If we assist them, but they are still unable to budget their funds appropriately after a few months, we may deny them additional assistance. Decisions are made on a case-by-case basis.
Sekeres: Granting or denying assistance must be considered on a number of levels. Not only looking at their income, but also factors that affect their income like rent and utilities. There would also have to be some type of budgeting process, as well as learning if they are aware of other resources available to them. We must look at everything going on in this person’s life. It gets complicated, so I will have to make decisions on a case-by-case basis.
Q: Townships have vigorously fought and defeated past attempts to eliminate townships or their advisory boards. Other efforts have been made to combine groups of smaller townships into larger ones. What has made township governments so controversial at the Statehouse, and is there anything that can be done about it?
Jackson: In 2007, then-Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels campaigned to eliminate townships altogether. I don’t agree with that. Township services should be provided by the townships. But with over 1,000 townships in Indiana, I am very much in favor of smaller townships voluntarily merging. I think there is a duplication of services in both township and fire assistance. Last summer, we announced Columbus Fire and Rescue and the Columbus Fire Department are going to provide automatic aid to one another. At some point, we may consider possibly merging the two departments.
Sekeres: We have to look at the governance of a township. They are governed by the Indiana State Board of Accounts, and all records must be submitted to them. But the paper trail can be a little bit skewed. In the past, we have seen corruption going on, so we’ve had to adequately oversee it. But an issue that needs to be brought up is the role of volunteer fire departments funded by townships. If we get rid of township government, what happens to these fire departments?
Q: How important are township advisory boards? Doesn’t the trustee have sufficient resources for advice from other agencies?
Jackson: Advisory boards are very important. Basically, they exist to protect the taxpayer, not wasting money and ensure enough funds are being provided for township assistance. While there are many things a trustee can do that don’t require the approval of advisory boards, the advisors do have to appropriate the money. Ultimately, you have to work with the board to explain why you need to spend money or what adjustments are being made. The advisory board also sets the township tax rate and approves the fire contract. But once again, it does make a lot of sense in a number of cases where merging two townships makes the most sense.
Sekeres: We need to understand what the credentials should be of a township advisory board. Their main role is to approve the budgets. But besides that, I would like members to have some knowledge of what it takes to run the township. Advisory boards are important for keeping the township trustees in check, but there should be transparency for the public. The budget is around $3 million, and people should know where that money is going. But right now, you only have to post notification of a meeting in your office, and that is it. That’s not right. We should make conventional and social media aware of these meetings.
Jackson
Name: Benjamin P. “Ben” Jackson (R)
Age: 53
Address: Columbus
Previous elected positions: Chosen to replace Fred Barkes as Columbus Township trustee in June 2013. Completing his second full term.
Current employer: Columbus Township government
Educational background: 1986 graduate of Columbus North High School. Earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from the American University in Washington, D.C.
Community Service: Board member of Mill Race Theatre Co.; board treasurer for Dancer Studio, Inc.; member of Bartholomew County Right to Life and St. Bartholomew Catholic Church.
Family: Wife, Amy. Three grown children.
Andrew Sekeres
Name: Andrew Sekeres III (D)
Age: 41
Address: Columbus
Previous elected positions: None
Current employer: Family and Social Services Administration of the state of Indiana.
Educational background: Bachelor of arts degree in criminal justice earned in 2004 from the University of Chicago. Masters in social work from IUPUI this year.
Community Service: Works with the Bartholomew County Food and Security Coalition. Housing co-chair of the local chapter of the NAACP.
Family: Wife, Maki. One son.
