Bargersville voters chose incumbent Andrew Greenwood and newcomer James “Jaime” Pheifer as Republican nominees for the town council.
There were three candidates on the Republican ballot and voters chose two to fill at-large seats on the council. So far, there is are no Democrat challengers for town council, but there is still time slate one in the coming months.
Greenwood and Pheifer won with 37% and 33% of the vote. Roger Hitz was also on the ballot and fell short with 29% of the vote.
Greenwood was selected via caucus in July 2020 and was asking voters to elect him for a full term. He is an attorney and real estate developer with Westfield-based Patch Development.
Pheifer, who also serves on the town’s redevelopment commission, is a partner at the Indianapolis office of financial law firm, Ernst and Young.
Both first got involved with town government when they took part in developing the town’s Vision 2040 plan.
Greenwood sought re-election to use his experience to shape the town into great place for people to live for generations to come, he told the Daily Journal earlier this year.
“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,” Greenwood said. “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.”
Pheifer sought the office to make sure Bargersville keeps growing the right way, he told the Daily Journal earlier this year.
“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,” Pheifer said. “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.”
As Interstate 69 and more growth loomed the council will be faced with big decisions about growth.
Greenwood said a priority will be attracting the right things to create a good quality of life for residents.
“It wasn’t that long ago that Bargersville only had 4,000-5,000 people and now were are over 10,000 people. So, (we 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,” Greenwood said. “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.”
For Pheifer, the priority is cohesive growth and honoring the town’s agricultural heritage.
“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,” Pheifer said. “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.”
How you voted
Andrew Greenwood: 37%
Roger Hitz: 29%
James “Jaime” Pheifer: 33%
