Two Franklin residents want to represent downtown on city council

<p>An incumbent who was appointed to his seat and a political newcomer both want to represent downtown Franklin on the city council.</p><p>Daniel Blankenship currently has the Franklin City Council District 1 seat after being appointed by a caucus in March 2018 after two people resigned from the city council. He faces a challenge to the seat by political newcomer, Josh Prine, who has lived in the county for decades.</p><p>The seat they are vying for represents the heart of the city, including most of downtown Franklin and the neighborhoods just northwest of downtown.</p><p>The person elected on Tuesday will be on the ballot in November. No Democrat or Independent candidates have filed to challenge the seat. If none seek the seat by the July deadline, the winner on Tuesday will take the seat in January.</p><p>Franklin is growing rapidly, with a new subdivision being built on the southside of the city. City officials are also tasked with finding solutions with a construction project on U.S. 31 and testing for and cleaning up contamination in the city that has affected two schools and numerous residents.</p><p>Blankenship listed continually working with the mayor and listening to and working with Franklin residents and city employees to move the city forward, including updating infrastructure and continuing existing projects as his top priorities. </p><p>Prine is prioritizing solving current issues the city is facing, including cleaning up and testing for contamination.</p><p>Prine wants to be an advocate for the community as the city grapples with testing and cleaning up the contamination that has affected local schools and residents, although he believes the city is taking the right steps to address the issue, he said.</p><p>&quot;They are taking the appropriate steps and have called in the appropriate agencies and have been consistently communicating with them,&quot; he said.</p><p>Blankenship wants city officials to continuously work with the school district to get the contamination cleaned up. The process is a long term goal, he said.</p><p>&quot;It’s just a massive project, it is not going to happen overnight,&quot; Blankenship said. &quot;It isn’t on anyone’s back burner.&quot;</p><p>City council members would also be tasked with deciding whether they would commit money to help the state with a large U.S. 31 project.</p><p>The project is needed as work that has already been done to the main north-south thoroughfare through Franklin has helped reduce serious accidents, Blankenship said.</p><p>The state is doing most of the work on U.S. 31, but believes city officials need a voice about what happens, such as connecting a trail system to the project, Prine said.</p><p>Both candidates support efforts to revitalize downtown, such as building an amphitheater to help attract more people to downtown restaurants and shops.</p><p>&quot;The amphitheater speaks for itself,&quot; Blankenship said. “It will motivate people to come to downtown Franklin and experience everything. The merchants will love it.&quot;</p><p>Blankenship would like to also concentrate on infrastructure issues in the district, which would include adding sidewalks and curbs to North Graham Street and to find more options for Walnut Street, where parking is only permitted on one side, he said.</p><p>Prine wants to work on drawing new businesses and residents to Franklin to continue to help the city grow, he said.</p><p>“We’ve got to have the amenities, the infrastructure that businesses want and need so they will be able to come down and enjoy the Franklin life,&quot; he said.</p><p>Part of the reason Prine, 41, is running is because he wants to make sure that younger people have a say in what happens to the city, he said.</p><p>&quot;I want our age group to have a say, because it will affect us,&quot; Prine said.</p><p>Blankenship, the incumbent, is touting his current city council record, where he says he has voted on every issue. He also wants to continue public service. He is currently a Johnson County sheriff’s deputy and was in the United States Air Force.</p><p>&quot;I have spent my entire life in service,&quot; he said.</p>[sc:pullout-title pullout-title="At a glance" ][sc:pullout-text-begin]<p>About the job</p><p>Franklin City Council</p><p>Term: Four years</p><p>Pay: $7,522 annually</p><p>Duties: Set the annual city budget, approve ordinances, rezoning requests and tax abatements, appoint residents to various boards</p>[sc:pullout-text-end][sc:pullout-title pullout-title="THE BLANKENSHIP FILE" ][sc:pullout-text-begin]<p>Name: Daniel Blankenship</p><p>Age: 63</p><p>Education: Franklin Community High School; attended Vincennes University and Northern Michigan University.</p><p>Occupation: Deputy sheriff/courthouse security for the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office.</p><p>Memberships: American Legion Post No. 205, Elk’s Club, Indiana Sheriff’s Association, Fraternal Order of Police.</p><p>Military: United States Air Force, Indiana National Guard</p>[sc:pullout-text-end][sc:pullout-title pullout-title="THE PRINE FILE" ][sc:pullout-text-begin]<p>Name: Josh Prine</p><p>Age: 41</p><p>Education: Whiteland Community High School, Vincennes University</p><p>Occupation: IT operations manager for Urology of Indiana</p><p>Memberships: Elks’s Lodge, Eagle Scout</p>[sc:pullout-text-end]