Elaine Hilber
COLUMBUS, Ind. — Three more candidates have filed for Columbus City Council.
Incumbent Councilwoman Elaine Hilber, a Democrat representing District 2, is seeking re-election. Republican Sue Norman-Chapple and Democrat Tony Hayden have filed seeking the District 3 seat.
Norman-Chapple previously ran for District 1 in 2007 but lost to Democrat Priscilla Scalf. Due to recent redistricting changes, she now seeks the District 3 seat.
“I just really feel a deep need to give back to this city,” said Norman-Chapple. “This city’s been really good to me. And I still feel like I have some public service left in me.”
She cited her 27 years as a city employee and knowledge of city operations, having previously served as the city’s transit coordinator.
Norman-Chapple now works part-time in adult protective services for the Bartholomew County prosecutor’s office.
When asked about her priorities, she said she wants to get a feel for what constituents want and how the city’s various projects are going. She is also interested in looking into homelessness and cases of animal abuse.
Hayden, who is a registered behavior technician with Lighthouse Autism Center, previously ran for the Columbus Township Advisory Board. If elected, he hopes to foster public engagement and communication and work to improve the district in which he lives.
“City council has actually been on my mind for about three or four years,” said Hayden. “I’ve lived in District 3 for about five years, and I’ve kind of seen the area — I want it to be better than it currently is. And I want some of the populous in the area to also be more engaged with their politics.”
For more on this story, see Friday’s Republic.
