Foyst
New candidates for the 2023 municipal election continue to emerge as the deadline to fill vacancies approaches.
Democrat Arthur “Dewayne” Fillmore II has withdrawn from the Columbus City Council District 5 race, and fellow Democrat Eric Riddle has filed to run for the seat.
Bartholomew County Democratic Party Chair Ross Thomas said that Fillmore withdrew due to “work and family obligations” that arose following the primary.
Additionally, Jay Foyst, 60, is seeking the Republican nomination for District 6, though he is not an official candidate yet. According to Bartholomew County Republican Party Chair Luann Welmer, a caucus is set for Saturday. As of Monday, Foyst was the only individual to file.
“We are thankful that this gentleman has come to us and is willing to work hard, to go door to door and meet people and secure this position,” said Welmer.
Foyst was previously a salesman for 25 years and is now a dump truck driver. When asked about his priorities, Foyst said that some of the issues he sees in Columbus are homelessness and traffic.
He said he was motivated to run because of the low turnout during the primary, as well as the fact that there was no Republican candidate for District 6.
“I’m like, ‘I can’t wait for someone to step up,’” he said. “‘It’s time for me to step up.’”
District 6 is a new district that was created due to the city’s decision to adopt second class status. It includes portions of central and north Columbus.
At present, the only official candidate running for the seat is Democrat Bryan Munoz, who was one of the last candidates to file before the initial February deadline.
As for the new District 5 candidate, Riddle works for an environmental advocacy nonprofit. If elected, his priorities would include NexusPark, environmental initiatives and the new Mental Health Matters coalition.
He added that he wants to ensure that the long-term plan for Columbus Regional Health’s 690-acre property on the west side of town includes affordable housing while also taking flood safety into account.
Riddle said that he and Fillmore had discussed the election while working on a United Way project together during the Day of Caring in May.
“He had expressed some concern that he might not be able to run in the fall,” said Riddle. “And so I started thinking about it at that time, and then I talked to him last week about him stepping down, and I thought, ‘This is a good opportunity to step up to the plate and serve the community from the capacity of an elected official.’”
Republican Kent Anderson is also vying for the District 5 seat. Incumbent Councilman Tim Shuffett is not seeking re-election.
Additionally, local bartender and podcaster Sean Burton is seeking to run as an independent in the mayoral election.
Taylor Seegraves, elections administrator for the Bartholomew County Clerk’s Office, said that Burton will not be an official candidate until he has 259 certified signatures and files his consent paperwork. The signatures are due by noon Friday and the consent paperwork is due by noon on July 17.
As of Wednesday morning, the clerk’s office had certified 171 signatures for Burton’s petition.
At present, the only official candidate for mayor is Columbus Director of Administration and Community Development Mary Ferdon, who beat Republican former Indiana state representative Milo Smith to become the GOP nominee with about 63% of the vote during the May primary. Incumbent Mayor Jim Lienhoop, also a Republican, is not seeking another term and has endorsed Ferdon.
There is currently no Democratic candidate for mayor, but the party could still select a candidate for the general election before noon on Monday.
When asked if the party will do so, Thomas replied, “If we have a candidate, they’ll be filed by July 3.”
He gave the same response when asked whether the party will field a candidate for District 4.
When asked how he feels about the upcoming election, Thomas replied that he feels good about the party’s slate of incumbents and newcomers.
“We understand that we have to work for everything we get here,” he said. “Our candidates worked really hard to earn that (city council) majority in 2019, so it would be foolish to think that anything was a given. But obviously we know from past experience that if we work hard and show the voters what our incumbents have done to earn their trust, we’re going to be very competitive in all of these races.”
Welmer, who is running for city clerk, said that she’s feeling positive about the election and added that Republican candidates “have been at the fair, working hard.”
“I know that they’re all very energized, and they want to, they all want to win this November election,” she said. “I think many of us have opponents, which is always a good thing, right? It makes us work harder and get out and talk to more people.”
Political parties have until Monday at noon to select candidates to fill vacancies on the ballot. The general election is Tuesday, Nov. 7.
