Eight candidates seek five seats on Prince’s Lakes Town Council

The race for Prince’s Lake Town Council features six challengers taking on two incumbents for five seats.

The two incumbents in the race are Greg Nelson, who has served on the council since 2013, and Bryan Tearman who was elected last year via caucus after former council member Troy Meadows left.

Challengers are Charlie Bourne, Anthony Giger, Richard Giger, Kevin Harrison, Lindsey Kelly and James Young.

The Daily Journal asked seven of the candidates their top priorities for the town, what they think could be improved and their motivation for running. However, Bourne declined an interview, saying in an email he was going door-to-door to talk to people instead.

The winners of the primary election on May 2 will move on to the general election on Nov. 7. No Democrats have filed to run for office at this time, though the local party still has an opportunity to slate a candidate.

Greg Nelson

Nelson has served on the town council for nine years and was named council president in 2020. During his time in the office, the town has completed a sewer and water system upgrade. This year, a basketball court will be constructed in the park near the town council building, Nelson said.

If reelected, Nelson hopes to expand the water lines and increase the number of fire hydrants to accommodate more people, a project he said the town has already applied for a grant for and is working with Camp Atterbury officials on. He also wants to increase recreational opportunities by expanding the town’s walking trails, he said.

Nelson said his 29 years as a Franklin firefighter inspired him to do what he can to help others.

“There are always things we can do better, but that’s why there are five people on the board who can come up with different ideas,” he said. “We’re improving the town and trying to take care of the citizens.”

Anthony Giger

Giger is currently a member of the Nineveh Township Board. He wants to minimize spending in order to keep taxes low in Prince’s Lakes. He current sewer and water rates are already too high and wants to make sure sewer and water bills don’t increase further if he’s elected. Giger also wants to make sure the town has sufficient park activities, he said.

“Serving on the township board really caused me to run for town council, seeing some of the things that need to be done,” he said. “The main thing people complain about most is high sewer and water bills. If I were elected, I would work with the town to make sure things don’t go any higher.”

Giger said he would also prioritize maintaining the town’s roads through regular paving and look into upgrading the town hall.

“I would like to see a new town hall built not only for people to come and do their business with local government all in one place but to have an area if the community needed a place to rent, have receptions or have parties,” he said.

Richard Giger

Richard Giger, who is Anthony Giger’s father, has lived in the town since 1982. He said one of his primary goals is to cut down on wasteful spending.

“They spend money on things that don’t need to be spent on. I just want to bring common sense to the way things are done,” Richard Giger said. “The water company is spending money to build a new building to move the water company to (Camp) Atterbury. Elderly people who pay their water bills would have to go there.”

He also said he wants to make sure the town’s police and fire services are solely focused on Prince’s Lakes. He said police patrols often extend into Nineveh, as do snow clean-up efforts. The town also needs to make more of an effort to improve roads, he said.

“I see the town needs some direction. I just want to make sure we’re getting our money’s worth,” Richard Giger said. “The town should come first and not other communities.”

Kevin Harrison

Kevin Harrison has lived in Prince’s Lakes for 41 years and has served on town boards including the board of zoning appeals and the plan commission. He said the town’s zoning ordinance is outdated.

“I questioned at council meetings why they’re not looking at it, and I didn’t get an answer, so I decided to jump in the race and do something about it myself,” Harrison said. “I have concerns about the zoning regulations in terms of construction setbacks. Prior to the sewers you had to have a 40,000-square-foot lot size. Now that we have sewers, there’s no reason to have that. As long as you meet the front yard and side yard setbacks, you should be able to build on your property.”

Other goals for Harrison if he’s elected include replacing any water lines that are leaking and making sure the roads are paved properly. His experience and knowledge of the town’s inner workings make him a good candidate, Harrison said.

“I know the town better than anyone else that’s running,” he said.

Lindsey Kelly

Kelly has served as the town’s deputy clerk-treasurer and wants to serve in a new way. She said her top priorities are lowering water bills and making sure residents understand the calculations that go into the water and sewer rates. She also wants to make sure there is enough funding and support for the town’s police department.

To improve the quality of life in the town, Kelly said she would work with other members of the town council to plan events for residents.

“I think number one is just to be a voice for the town’s residents, young and old, whether they’re new to the community or lived here their entire life,” Kelly said. “I also want to give Prince’s Lakes a reason to be special other than the lakes. A lot of residents don’t have access to the lakes and we can create community events to keep the community together and update the parks for all to enjoy.”

Brian Tearman

Tearman, a one-year incumbent, currently serves as a supervisor for Duke Energy and said his three decades of experience in utilities can pay dividends for the town.

“I can help make improvements to the sewer bills. I’m the only person on the council who has experience running utilities,” Tearman said. “I want to continue the expansion of utilities so we can secure more revenue for the future of the town and keep our rates low.”

Tearman also said the town will benefit from the new basketball court being built this year at Town Hall Park and the town council also has a goal of lengthening a trail behind the town hall. If elected, Tearman said he would look to continue improvements in the town’s parks, including building a new playground and ballfields.

“I’m excited about the park improvements this year and want to continue improvements for the community,” he said.

James Young

Young said the current council has been ineffective in accomplishing its goals. He wants to see sewer bills lowered and roads fixed.

“I think they listen to people, but the bad thing is they don’t get things done,” Young said. “The sewer bills need to be lowered, the roads need a lot of ditching, because the water has no place to run. I just want to better the community as best I can.”

There is also a need for people to have more things to do in the town, he said.

“We can always use more stuff for the kids to have a place to play, somewhere to go to keep from getting in trouble,” Young said. “We’ve gotta keep (improving) the parks.”

About the job

What: Prince’s Lakes Town Council At-Large

Term: Four years

Pay: $4,200 a year (2022)

Duties: Set annual spending for the town, adopt local rules and ordinances, appoint members to various town boards