<p>A political newcomer taking on an experienced city councilman wants to turn Greenwood around, she said.</p><p>Long-time resident and local pharmacist Janet Whiteside wants J. David Hopper’s District 5 seat on the city council, and both Republicans have vastly different views when it comes to future development and the city’s spending habits.</p><p>One issue they agree on: something needs to be done about the traffic situation on the west side.</p><p>Voters will decide who should get the Republican nomination for all city council seats this spring. Whoever wins the District 5 seat will face Democratic candidate Hunter Haskell as well as any Independents who may file in the fall general election. The winner will join the other five district council members and three at-large members for the next four years.</p>[sc:text-divider text-divider-title="Story continues below gallery" ]<p>District 5 is one of Greenwood’s largest districts, serving the entire west side of the city, from Whiteland Road to the county line. Between Smith Valley Road and Main Street, it spans as far east as U.S. 31.</p><p>The biggest District 5 issue is traffic congestion, which is expected to get worse once Interstate 69 is built through the northwest corner of Johnson County. The city is in the process of making improvements to some of its east-west corridors, such as Worthsville Road, but still has quite a bit of work to do.</p><p>Smith Valley Road is an example of a highly traveled east-west corridor that still needs a lot of work, Hopper said.</p><p>"It’s not designed to handle that much traffic. Luckily for Greenwood, we don’t have as many miles to expand as the county does," Hopper said. "Take any of those east-west roads in District 5, those are all still basically two-lane country roads that are not up to city standards."</p><p>Whiteside says the city needs to work more closely with INDOT, which is leading the I-69 charge, to come up with solutions, and fast. Improving the city’s east-west corridors is one of her top priorities.</p><p>More traffic is also expected on State Road 135, which sees its fair share of serious traffic accidents, Hopper said. He plans to push for safety improvements to that road if he’s elected to serve another term, he said.</p><p>Whoever wins the District 5 seat will vote on issues that affect all Greenwood residents, most notably future growth throughout the city, particularly in hotbed areas such as downtown Greenwood on the former middle school property, which will likely come to fruition during the next council’s term, and in southeast Greenwood, which has the most land available for development.</p><p>East of the Interstate 65 and Worthsville Road interchange, Hopper would rather the city not allow industrial development, but home builders have said it’s not the prime area for estate-size homes, which is what Greenwood needs more of, he said.</p><p>He envisions the land east of that interchange with a look and feel similar to State Road 135 and Olive Branch Road, and would support grocery stores, shops and restaurants, he said.</p><p>Whiteside said home builders do not want to build in that area because the city has allowed warehouses.</p><p>"High-end homeowners do not want to live next to the massive warehouses, truck traffic, noise and congestion," Whiteside said. "The poor decisions to give excessive warehouse tax breaks caused this building boom. Sadly, we must face the unpleasant facts."</p><p>She does not support Mayor Mark Myers’s current vision for the former middle school property downtown. In her opinion, it’s money not well spent, she said.</p><p>She would rather that money go towards upgrading holiday lighting, painting curbs, working with businesses on standard landscaping, and adding distinctive signs, modern street lights and, most important, fixing traffic flow by working on east-west corridors.</p><p>"The city has spent millions with no results," Whiteside said.</p><p>"Looking at the closed shops and vacant buildings, the current plan does not work. It is time to try proven simple methods … We could have fairs, farmers market, food-truck Friday’s and countless other uses."</p><p>Hopper supports the mayor’s plan for mixed-use development in that area, from restaurants and retail, to apartments and townhouses, he said.</p><p>"One argument is that we tend to like our cars. But we want to attract everybody, and not everybody wants to be in a car. The younger generation wants to walk and use public transit to get places. They love the Chicago’s and New York’s of the world. We want them to be able to experience that here," Hopper said.</p><p>Hopper also supports the way the city is spending money within its many TIF districts, he said.</p><p>"By and large, I agree with most of the things that we spend our money on. TIFs and tax abatements are about the only economic development tools that we have left," Hopper said.</p><p>"I can’t point to any project where I could say that it’s not an appropriate use of TIF funds. As far as trying to better Greenwood, we have used it responsibly."</p><p>Whiteside disagrees.</p><p>The spending is hard to track and lacks transparency, she said.</p><p>"The TIF-related tax abatements have been horrible. Thriving cities would not consider allowing these warehouses. But Greenwood promotes and pays in million dollar tax abatements for starting wages under $12," she said.</p><p>"The city claims we will have a great tax base. I would give-up the low-wage and traffic for a weaker tax base and happier citizens."</p>[sc:pullout-title pullout-title="About the job" ][sc:pullout-text-begin]<p>Greenwood City Council District 5</p><p>Term: Four years</p><p>Pay: $12,612 per year</p><p>Duties: Set annual spending for the city, make policy changes, adopt new local rules and ordinances, approve new taxes, appoint members to various city boards.</p><p>District 5: Represents the entire west side of the city, from Whiteland Road to the county line. Between Smith Valley Road and Main Street, it spans as far east as U.S. 31.</p>[sc:pullout-text-end][sc:pullout-title pullout-title="The Hopper File" ][sc:pullout-text-begin]<p>Name: J. David Hopper</p><p>Age: 42</p><p>Family: Wife, Carlie; three children</p><p>Occupation: Director of the Local Health Department Outreach Division at Indiana State Department of Health</p><p>Education: Franklin Community High School; Bachelor’s degree, Indiana State University; J.D., Indiana University School of Law; Master’s degree in Health Administration, Indiana University</p><p>Political experience: Greenwood City Council member since 2012; Greenwood redevelopment commission</p><p>Memberships: Grace United Methodist Church, Franklin; Mt. Pleasant Christian Church, Greenwood; Indiana State University Alumni Association; Indiana University Alumni Association; Indiana State Bar Association; Indianapolis Bar Association</p>[sc:pullout-text-end][sc:pullout-title pullout-title="The Whiteside File" ][sc:pullout-text-begin]<p>Name: Janet Whiteside</p><p>Age: 68</p><p>Family: Widowed; three adult children; seven grandchildren</p><p>Occupation: Pharmacist</p><p>Education: Butler University</p><p>Political experience: None</p><p>Memberships: Stones Crossing Church</p>[sc:pullout-text-end]
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