Three Republican candidates are vying for two seats on the Bargersville Town Council.
Incumbent Andrew Seth Greenwood was selected via caucus in July 2020, and is asking voters to elect him for a full term.
Roger D. Hitz and James “Jaime” Pheifer serve on town boards, but are looking for new ways to serve.
The Daily Journal asked the candidates questions about their experience and goals for the town. Here’s what they said:
Why are you running for reelection/office?
Greenwood: I got involved in the Bargersville Vision 2040 plan. What I learned is that I really enjoy that (planning) aspect. I’m a real estate developer and an attorney. I develop property all throughout the state of Indiana, so I have seen a lot of different successes and failures over the years in towns and cities. I was able to bring that perspective to the 2040 committee and really felt like my skill set from my day job can be really impactful for Bargersville in the foreseeable future with all the growth that we’re gonna have. That’s what’s driven me to run for reelection. I want to set the stage for the next 15 to 20 years so Bargersville continues to be a place where I want to live and my kids want to live after they leave and go to school.
Hitz: I want to be able to serve the town and help keep the town growing and prosperous. I want to work with the utilities and keep the utility rates down, keep the taxes down and just help with the development of the town.
Pheifer: For as long as I can remember, even back in high school, I’ve always wanted to live in Bargersville, primarily just because of the rural charm. I obtained that dream five years ago when I built my home. We’ve seen a lot of dramatic changes since I moved in. I first got involved with the 2040 plan. I mobilized our community with a few different developments that were proposed (near the future Interstate 69). I decided to get more involved and be less passive. I sit on the redevelopment commission now. I’ve been heavily involved in the development of Umbarger Plaza. I’ve been heavily involved in the expansion of Taxman and several other projects that I personally believe will define our community. I’ve been part of the town’s rebranding efforts lately and the committee to determine the future of our parks. We need to resist the need to change overnight simply because it is the easy thing to do. I also feel like change and growth are inevitable. The essence of why I’m running is to be a steward and caretaker of the community I’ve wanted to live in for over 30 years. We need people who understand and are willing to respect our past and build our future.
How would you make your decisions if elected/reelected to this office?
Greenwood: (The council) is pretty collaborative, so we try and make sure we get input from not only our staff, but other experts in whatever decision needs to be made. We try and work things out to be beneficial for all parties involved. It is a very collaborative … trying to make sure we are anticipating future needs, current needs and everyone’s interests … are aligned with the larger goals of the town that have been set by the council.
Hitz: I would make my decisions based on the will of the people, but also for the good of the town and to keep the costs down and service at a high priority.
Pheifer: My perspective is I’m a caretaker and a shepherd of the community. I think what we do for the town should never be the quick and easy way around things. We need to respect our roots and what makes Bargersville a special place now and into the future. We need long-term, sustainable and responsible growth. I want things the community wants, but I don’t want to put things in — whether it is housing or commercial development — that are the easy way out in the short-term. I want things that are going to be around and grow with the community.
What are three weaknesses of Bargersville and what ideas do you have to tackle those?
Greenwood: It wasn’t that long ago that Bargersville only had 4,000-5,000 people and now were are over 10,000 people. So, one of our weaknesses is (the need) to make sure we are prepared for that growth and ahead of it. We have to make sure our infrastructure from our police to our parks are all in line with what that growth demands. Our geography doesn’t lend itself to having big-box warehouses or industrial businesses, nor does it set itself up for a large-scale mall. We have to make sure we are growing our commercial development appropriately. That’s something we are in the middle of addressing between our redevelopment commission and our council with our long-term plan to make sure we are attracting the right businesses, companies and folks to not only bring their business here, but to live and work and play as well.
Hitz: The park system. We are working to improve it now, and we will get started this summer on Kephart Park. I’m on the committee working on the five-year master plan, we are looking at increasing the trail system – which is a need – and looking at parks in the western and northern part of town. Right now they’re all centered around downtown. Infrastructure, especially with I-69 coming in. Something needs to be done with State Road 144. It needs to be widened to four lanes, if not five with a center turn lane. But the problem with that is trying to find the funding for it. I’d be willing to work with the Indiana Department of Transportation – I was employed with them for 45 years. I’d like to work with them to get state or federal funding to do those improvements. One other thing is, with the town growing as it has … we need to add two more town council members and create districts. It would get a larger representation of the area for town council members. They wouldn’t all be concentrated in a square mile area or so.
Pheifer: My concern is growing too quickly and without cohesion. We can’t just say, “You want to come and build? Yes, approved.” We’ve got to be very protective of the businesses, the farmers who’ve laid the foundation for what made this community special. Growth is inevitable, but there has to be a cohesive plan. I don’t want Bargersville to turn into southern Indianapolis and have people just move further south. You can’t just throw up homes on every piece of vacant farmland. There’s got to be a transition to and from the (homes and businesses). You’ve got to have respect for the people who’ve built their homes there and raised families for the past 30 years. We’ve (also) got to be cognizant of the ambitions of other communities, and work with them to develop and just make sure we are thinking about our broader community-at-large.
Bargersville is exploding with housing growth. Do you think the council has done a good job of choosing which housing developments go forward and which to turn down?
Greenwood: I think that the previous council tried to make the best decisions for our growth with the options that were presented. Now we need to make sure we are identifying multiple housing opportunities. When I say that – it’s not only estate lots and starter houses its also workforce housing and all different realms of the price range. We are not a town that is exclusive to only the rich and/or first-time home buyers … We have to make sure we have the right housing in the right areas … A key to that is the redevelopment of our downtown, the continued development on 135, the growth at I-69 and 144 … As a council we can’t dictate who develops what where but we can work with our plan commission on the type of housing we would like to see. Trying to do that appropriately is the hardest part of any town that is growing like we are.
Hitz: I think the plan commission has done an outstanding job of deciding which housing to recommend to the town council and to not recommend. The town council has been going along with the plan commission’s decisions. I think the plan commission deserves all the credit.
Pheifer: My bigger concern is that we seem to have allowed a lot of growth without consideration for the gateway in and out of town. Is it too much, too quick? It goes back to that cohesion and those transitions within the community. In my mind, it is more about various price points of homes throughout the community. As far as the decision-making goes it is more about following through with the comprehensive plan.
Is Bargersville growing businesses and creating jobs fast enough to support the growing population?
Greenwood: We are adding businesses. We would like to add more of those to our community. We need to be a little bit more proactive as a town and we’ve done that and worked heavily with Aspire over the past 18 months to attract more businesses to the town. We’ve attracted everything from new restaurants to Centurion Arms … We believe that with I-69 being completed there will be an opportunity to attract advanced industry, biotech and other types of business to that corridor that would make a lot of sense being that our location is almost equidistant from Indianapolis to Bloomington on an interstate highway.
Hitz: I think right now are not getting the business (growth we need). Right now the growth is on the eastern side of the town, but in a couple of years when I-69 comes in there is proposed business growth in the I-69 and CR 144 corridor area … the business growth will pick up and equal out.
Pheifer: The community and its population have never been one that relied on local job growth. There’s people from big companies like Cummins, Cook, Lilly who live in Bargersville. So I’m not sure that Bargersville needs that kind of commercial growth to sustain it into the future. I do think that we’ve got some opportunities in the 69 and 144 corridor to do some unique things to bring together various businesses … The town has already done some things to capitalize on what makes our town unique and desirable for the community. I don’t think that putting some retail that is duplicated a few miles away makes that much sense. People I talk to want things that are unique and take advantage of Bargersville’s assets.
What do you think the town should be doing right now to prepare for I-69?
Greenwood: We have been proactive in our approach with INDOT and the county in terms of what those roadways will look like. We are investing heavily in infrastructure for our utilities so that we are able to service those areas out there as that growth comes to town. We have spent quite a bit of time, money and effort to do that so we are able to capitalize on what we believe will be a game-changer once I-69 is completed … We believe there will be tremendous opportunities for business, residential and experiential opportunities that will happen because of our location, that roadway, the infrastructure that we’ve put in and the planning that we’ve done to set the stage for that area to take off.
Hitz: Some of the plans are already in the works by private companies. The town needs to get a sewer line in that area. They do have a master plan – and I don’t necessarily agree with all of it. They’re showing the plan for the future is a commercial area all along 144 and I’m not for that. I don’t want 144 to get like (State Road) 37 … or like 135 going up to Greenwood where you have one business after another. I’d like to see businesses spread out a little bit and have rural areas spread out a little bit.
Pheifer: I-69 (should be a) slow and steady wins the race type of approach … The topography around there is kind of unique and you only have one chance to get it right. (We should take) a little bit more of a cautious approach until you see the actual interchange where it is going to exist and the layout of the land. If you develop it just for the sake of developing it you’re stuck with it for the next 40, 50, 60 years. I travel for a living and I’ve seen communities do it right and communities do it wrong. You don’t sacrifice the long-term for the short-term.
The Greenwood File
Name: Andrew Seth Greenwood
Family: Wife, Kelly; three children
Occupation: Principal, Patch Development, LLC
Educational background: Rockville High School (Rockville, Md.); Indiana University; Hofstra University Law School
Political experience: Bargersville Town Council member since July 2020 caucus
Memberships: None
The Hitz File
Name: Roger D. Hitz
Family: Wife, Ru Ann; two adult children
Occupation: Retired project supervisor, Indiana Department of Transportation
Educational background: West Central High School (Medaryville, Ind.); Vincennes University
Political experience: None
Military service: United States Army 1969-1971
Memberships: Bargersville Parks and Recreation board member; Salem Cemetery trustee
The Pheifer File
Name: James “Jaime” Pheifer
Family: Wife, Kristi; three children
Occupation: Partner, Ernst and Young
Educational background: Southport High School; University of Indianapolis; Indiana University Maurer School of Law
Political experience: None
Memberships: Bargersville Redevelopment Commission member; Elks Club member; German American Klub member
