<p>The race to represent District 3 on the Franklin City Council pits an incumbent intent on finishing work he’s already started against a political newcomer hoping to provide a voice for Democratic voters on the council.</p>
<p>Republican Andrew "Drew" Eggers is vying for his second term as the district’s representative on the council. A former deputy prosecuting attorney for Johnson County and current general practice attorney, he aims to continue the progress he’s helped the council already achieve, as well as moving Franklin forward as it looks to the future.</p>
<p>“I wanted to see some of these projects come to fruition. I’ve been working on quite a few things with the mayor and the current city council for the past four years, and I don’t like to leave things unfinished,” he said.</p>
<p>His challenger, Democrat Donald Smith, wanted to run for office to provide a different perspective to city government, as well as bring into focus issues such as homelessness, lack of affordable housing and affordable transportation in Franklin.</p>[sc:text-divider text-divider-title="Story continues below gallery" ]
<p>"I know the mayor and the city council have done a good job with economic development and infrastructure, but I think there ought to be one Democratic voice on the council to bring up these issues," he said.</p>
<p>District 3 covers the west side of the city. Either Eggers or Smith will join the seven-member city council to set annual spending for the city, make policy changes, adopt new local rules and ordinances, approve new taxes and appoint members to various city boards.</p>
<p>After being elected in 2015, Eggers was involved in a number of important projects and decisions made by the council. He was part of the Franklin Redevelopment Commission, which has been working on trails projects to develop the U.S. 31 corridor and the greenway trails area along Young’s Creek.</p>
<p>He was on the exploratory committee looking at a home for the Franklin City Court. The committee was able to figure out a way to move the court into a renovated space on the north side of the city, in the current home of the police department. The council was able to do that without raising taxes.</p>
<p>Eggers also worked to ensure that city employees were being paid similarly to other cities and towns. He was part of a group that studied city government throughout Indiana and compared wages paid in Franklin to the municipalities closest in size and structure.</p>
<p>“We started tweaking the salaries to make everyone a little more commiserative to what they should be, so we could be more competitive as an employer,” he said.</p>
<p>Moving forward, Eggers would like to focus on how to maintain the intrastructure, trails and greenway spaces that the council has added to the city, without raising taxes. He wants to work toward maintaining sustainable growth for the city and bringing in new business, but also incorporate maintenance into those projects.</p>
<p>"I don’t want to just build something and have it go to pot. We want those pieces to be sustainable," he said.</p>
<p>Smith was motivated to run for city council due to the lack of Democratic candidates in local races. He understands that Johnson County is a deeply Republican county, but thousands of people in the city are Democrats, and he’d like to see them represented on the city council.</p>
<p>Though he has not run for office himself in the past, Smith has been involved in the political process. He led the campaign for a board of education candidate while living in Columbus, Ohio, and has volunteered for a number of political campaigns in the past.</p>
<p>He served as the county chairperson for the re-election campaign of Ronald Reagan in 1984, though in the years since he has resigned from the Republican party and considers himself a moderate Democrat.</p>
<p>Smith has lived in Franklin for the past nine years, and sees a city that has done a good job of creating a good quality of life for people and situating itself well for economic growth.</p>
<p>If elected, his focus would be to dig deeper into issues affecting residents, including those that impact people living in poverty. Transportation and housing are two issues he wants to help the city deal with.</p>
<p>"Franklin has done an outstanding job with growth and economic development, (and) it’s wonderful on infrastructure. But we still have people who have difficulty getting to their jobs or finding a place to live. I think we need a voice to speak for them," he said.</p>[sc:pullout-title pullout-title="The Eggers File" ][sc:pullout-text-begin]<p>Name: Andrew "Drew" Eggers</p>
<p>Education: Franklin Community High School, Indiana University Bloomington, University of Dayton School of Law</p>
<p>Occupation: General practicing attorney</p>
<p>Memberships: Franklin Elk’s 1818, Johnson County Bar Association, Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity, Franklin Redevelopment Commission</p>
<p>Military: Indiana Army National Guard</p>[sc:pullout-text-end][sc:pullout-title pullout-title="The Smith File" ][sc:pullout-text-begin]<p>Name: Donald Smith</p>
<p>Party: Democrat</p>
<p>Education: Bachelor’s degree in science and mathematics from Harvard University; post-graduate studies in advance mathematics and global economics from Case Western Reserve, Ohio State and College of the Armed Forces, certificate in management accountanting</p>
<p>Occupation: Retired</p>
<p>Memberships: Stephen minister and choir and finance committee at Grace United Methodist Church; baritone in Lasting Impressions; accountant for American Legion Post 252 in Greenwood; AARP tax aid program local coordinator at Otterbein Franklin SeniorLife Community; mentor for First Scholars program at Franklin Community High School; Whitehall Lodge 761, Reynoldsburg, Ohio; National Rifle Association life member; Boy Scouts of America, White Oaks district commissioner; Civic Air Patrol, Columbus (Ohio) Squadron, education officer and commander; Junior Achievement, multiple roles.</p>
<p>Military: U.S. Navy</p>[sc:pullout-text-end]
