Filing for City Council at Large

I am pleased to announce that I have filed my paperwork to be a candidate for Fishers City Council at Large for the 2015 election.

I hope to bring diversity to the City Council, a diversity of opinion and background and political perspective that is missing in our local government.  Fishers is likely the most diverse of all of the communities in Hamilton County, drawing people not just from Indiana like myself, but from all over our country, and indeed, from all over the world. Increasingly, they do not reflect the one-party domination of local government, but have their own views and often do not identify with any particular political party.  I hope to give a voice to those who feel disenfranchised by local government,  Many are so disillusioned that they no longer even vote in local elections, a fact which is dangerous to good representative government.

As a father, a grandfather, an attorney for 37 years, and an activist in local politics outside of the mainstream, I can be that voice for those who do not feel that local government represents them, and all too often in the past, has not listened.  The biggest example of that is when the voters overwhelmingly agreed with me that Fishers should become Indiana's newest city, which all but one person in local government opposed.

I listen to only one voice, the voice of the people of Fishers.  I ask for your support in this venture. Please go to my website, www.GregPurvis.com, for more information, to sign up for my mailing list, or to make a donation, or even to contact me with questions, or offers of support.

The First Fishers City Council Election

Tomorrow, November 4, 2014, the voters of Fishers will go to the polls to elect their very first CITY council.  This has been a long time coming, and was over the determined opposition of those in Town Hall, who did everything possible to delay, obstruct, and defeat the City referendum which passed in 2012.

But tomorrow's election is only for a ONE year term. This only lasts until NEXT year, 2015, when Fishers goes on the regular municipal election cycle again and elects Mayor, City Clerk, and City Council for a full 4-year term.

Why is that?  A little history is in order.  CityYes was formed in 2008, with me as its first chair, to promote the change to a city.  In May 2010, the day before the primary, we submitted our petitions asking for the referendum to be held in the November 2010 general election.  But at that time, the Town Council had total control over when to schedule the referendum.  So what did they do?  They created a "merger" process to create a "fake city" with an unelected/appointed figurehead "mayor" and stalled the referenda (there were now two, one for the city, one for the "merger") to November 2012.

Remember the black on yellow "Don't Be Tricked" signs?  Well they worked, and the merger went down in flames, defeated nearly 2-1 and the City referendum passed by a healthy margin.  I am proud of the work I did with CityYes in making sure the will of the people was heard.

But if the referendum had passed in 2010, we would have had our first City election in 2011 for a full four year term and these races this year for mayor and council would not be happening.

So, if you don't like that, and NONE of the current council members supported the City referendum, then I ask for your vote tomorrow, for that and many other reasons.  Remember, I fought HARD for the will of the people to be heard, and I will continue to do so if elected to the City Council.

Remember, always remember....

DON'T BE TRICKED!