Elaine Hilber
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.”
Incumbent District 3 Councilman David Bush, who is a Republican, has said he will not seek re-election. However, Councilman Jerone Wood, a Democrat who currently represents District 1, said he plans to file to run for District 3 due to the city’s new council district maps.
Democrat incumbent Grace Kestler, and Republicans Alex Engelbert, Christopher Rutan and Josh Burnett have filed to run for Columbus City Council at-large.
Republicans Christopher Lee Bartels is running for District 1 and Kent Anderson is running for District 5. Councilman Frank Miller, a Republican representing District 4, has filed for reelection. So far, no candidates have emerged for the council’s new District 6 seat, which represents portions of central and north Columbus.
Republicans Mary Ferdon and Milo Smith are running for mayor of Columbus. Former Bartholomew County Sheriff Matt Myers, a fellow Republican, announced last week that he is withdrawing his candidacy for mayor.
Columbus Clerk-Treasurer Luann Welmer, a Republican, has filed to run for Columbus city clerk.
Filings are completed in person at the Bartholomew County Clerk’s office at the courthouse. The deadline to file for the primary is Feb. 3, and the deadline to withdraw as a candidate is Feb. 10.
