Washington Township Trustee-elect Don Hodson has appointed Dan Smith as the Avon-Washington Township Fire Department Fire Chief.

Smith, 54, will take the helm Jan. 1, 2011.

A graduate of Brownsburg High School, Smith served as chief of the department from 2002-2005. He is a 14-year veteran of the Avon department. Previously he was a Brownsburg for 12 years, nine of those years he was a career firefighter.

Smith is finishing up his four-year certification as an Executive Fire Officer with the National Fire Academy. Out of high school, he went to Huntington University and studied psychology and sociology. He earned an associates degree in Fire Science from Ivy Tech Community College.

He and his wife, Shelly, are raising five children.

Hodson also announced Pat Laughlin as Deputy Trustee. Laughlin is a retired executive from Rolls Royce. Sherry Moyer will be named the Washington Township administrator. Moyer currently holds the same position in Browns Township in Morgan County. Jennifer Thurnell will continue as the Washington Township Public Assistance Investigator.

Appointees to the Washington Township Fire Civilian Safety Board will be Democrat Ed Martin, a retired executive with the Wabash Valley Power Association, and Chris Shuler, president of the Statewide Credit Association.

In addition to the above appointments, Hodson named Jeff Peters as the Washington Township financial consultant and Tony Jost with Riley Bennett & Egloff, LLP as the township attorney.

Other members include:

• Brock Bowsher: Director of Finance and Operations at Avon Community School Corporation,
• Bob Howell: Agent for Church Mutual,
• Al Hornaday: Former township trustee in Morgan County,
• Harold Hiser: former Washington Twp Assessor and currently with the Hendricks County Assessor’s office,
• Greg Zusan: Vice President of Corporate Banking with The National Bank and President of the Avon Town Council,
• Cinda Kelley: Executive Director of The Hendricks County Partnership for Economic Development and a former township trustee,
• Laurel Setser, Executive Director of the Avon Washington Township Public Library,
• Fred Palmer: former Guilford Township Board member and Hendricks County Council.

The commission’s mission will be to “extensively examine all revenue and expense streams of Washington Township with the objective of identifying drivers which, if modified, could result in a financially stable government while providing for public safety, public assistance, park system and stable employment.”

Washington Township is facing a debt of $15 million and is seeking ways to reduce the budget while maintaining the priorities.

My mother was a very active leader in the Republican Party and the Young Republicans of Hendricks County.  This allowed me the chance to observe how others conducted themselves in elections and in governing.  My mother taught me that those who were public servants must always remember that being elected to a public office was an honor. That folks entrusted you to do the right thing on their behalf.  They also expected you to be truthful and listen. Most of all they were giving you a sacred trust to handle public funds wisely.

If I have the honor of receiving that sacred trust from you then I promise to apply what my mother and being a member of the Boy Scouts of America for 50 years have taught me. I will conduct myself on your behalf.  I will always remember that my actions not only reflect me; but more importantly the folks who live in the Greater Avon Community.

Again thank you for the journey I have had these past six months.  I am glad that I did this because I have been able to reaffirm what I have been telling people in other communities that the Greater Avon Community is the “jewel of Hendricks County”.

During that same period, the salaries for administrative staff grew from $84,000 annually to $230,000! This is NOT the firefighters budget or any public safety. The question needs to be asked: What are you getting for your money?

Two years ago, the incumbent trustee borrowed $7 million to build a community center and expand the parks. Then he used part of that money to engage in a lawsuit with the Town of Avon. He admits to using the interest for the $7 million park bond in his ads to pay for the water ordinance lawsuit. That’s your money he’s spending.

Don Hodson believes there has to be a better way. There has to be a more responsible way to run township government and be responsive to the needs of the community without spending us into the poorhouse.

Don Hodson promises to return Washington Township to conservative fiscal values and find ways to reduce costs.

Don Hodson plans to reduce the salary to $25,000 and find other ways to reduce the spending of the Township without sacrificing public safety. He can do this. He’s researched the law thoroughly and he can do it.

But change has to come from you, the voter. Unless you get out and vote tomorrow, this campaign will all be forgotten. The spending will continue. Voters must remember that this is not just Don Hodson’s battle. He will need a Township Board that will help him reduce wasteful spending. That’s why we’re asking that you also vote for Suzanne X. Conger, Doug Elmore, and Michael Lynch. These three individuals see that new leadership is imperative.

The time is now. Please vote.

Recently, my opponent has decided that he can’t defend his record for the past 7 ½ years as the INCUMBENT trustee.  Therefore he has put on his web site and in the “Hendricks County Flyer” information that is nothing more than a “smear campaign” with misinformation.

Because I believe in facts when you make a statement orally or in print; I would like to tell you the “real truth”. From the newsletter he states about me the following:

• “Mr. Hodson has paid his property taxes late 8 times since 1999, and just recently paid his delinquent 2009 taxes and late fees- a convenient 40 days before the election.”

FACT: My wife and I have never personally paid our property taxes late.  There are some payment postings on our property tax records that are not the typical May 10th and November 10^th dates.  The reason is the County billed late due to reassessment. We paid by the date those late billings instructed.

FACT: Our 2009 property taxes were paid late by our mortgage company I responded to those allegations in a Letter to the Editor (Hendricks County Flyer-April 21, 2010)  The Flyer also ran a letter dated April 19, 2010, from Nancy Marsh, Hendricks County Treasurer, that stated “ the mortgage company paid the taxes late and knew they had done so because they also had sent a separate check from them for the late fees!”

• “Mr. Hodson has had 2 small claims and 2 civil cases filed against him since 1993.”

FACT: Any and all filings have been resolved and were dismissed. Who hasn’t had problems in their life? I have always believed that you shouldn’t judge somebody by their mistakes; but how they handled them and did they learn from it and not repeat them!

FACT: Concerning the civil cases- WRONG Don Hodson!

• “Mr. Hodson is a salesman for Statewide Credit Association, a vendor of Washington Township.  Mr. Hodson earns a commission for the Township’s account.”

FACT: It is true I am the Sales Manager for SCA-BUT- I am a salaried employee of the company.  I DO NOT get a commission on the Township account which has been a client since 1995. Also SCA only takes 40% if the debt ends up in court.  The overall cost for the Township with SCA has been 12%!

• “Could this actually mean he is going to outsource ALL of the EMS Billing to Statewide and make up the “reduced” salary in the form of commissions?”

FACT: My company, SCA,does not do billing. It is a collection agency! Also I am salaried!

• “Mr. Hodson also promises to cut 3-5 million dollars from the Township budget.  …  resulting in the closure of  one Fire Station and at least 25 firemen.”

FACT: I have never stated orally or written that I would cut $3-5 million dollars or close fire stations or firefighters!

Folks, I have stuck to the issues during this campaign and have made statements “that are backed by facts”.  Those facts have come from the Township financial reports, minutes and other state and local documents.  I have made every effort to confirm every thing I have published or stated as mistakes.  Even my opponent “has skeletons”-But I have chosen not  “to drag them out of the closet”.  It serves no good.  You the voters deserve to know the truth where  a candidate stands on the issues. You also deserve to have those things presented in a positive atmosphere. I can hold my head up high knowing I did everything I could to get my message to you without dragging my opponent and his family through the mud.

All I can ask is that you look at me as who I am and where I stand on the issues.  Now the decision is yours!  PLEASE GO VOTE NEXT TUESDAY! A lot of good folks have given their lives so you could!

Thank you!

Don Hodson

Candidate for Washington Township Trustee

This is in response to Ronnie Austin’s FB discussion page, “My Salary Saga” posted on April 28, 2010:

It is unfortunate that the incumbent Trustee in Washington Township feels that pointing out facts is negative campaigning. Although he is correct that he cannot “hike up” his own salary, he does make recommendations to the Washington Township Board to adopt. The Board looks to the Trustee for recommendations on all areas of the budget.

It is a fact that Trustee Austin made $15,000.00 compensation in 2003 when he first took office. The Board increased that compensation to $25,000.00 for 2005. Early 2006 prior to budget meetings of Washington Township, I have been told by several individuals that Trustee Austin sought their advice about going full-time as Trustee and recommending his compensation increase to $75,000.00. This was prior to his re-election the that year and he was told it would not be a good idea. He instead recommended that summer of 2006, after the primary election, to increase his salary from $25,000.00 to $30,000.00. In summer of 2007 after he knew he was in office for 3 more years, he then recommended to his Board to increase his salary beginning in January 2008 to $75,000.00, which the Board at that time approved. He received $75,000.00/year for 2008 and 2009.

In summer of 2009 he recommended to his Board a 10% reduction to his salary and the compensation received by the Board. The Board took action on his recommendation and reduced Trustee Austin’s salary beginning January 1, 2010 to $67,500.00. This is at the same time that Hendricks County government was requesting all departments to reduce their budgets by 20%, which each department did.

Trustee Austin’s salary is NOT comparable to other trustees in this area. Depending on the population that Trustee Austin wants to use, he makes Washington Township larger depending on what works for him at the time, stating during the debate and on his FB that the population of Washington Township is 45,000. According to the Hendricks County Economic Development’s census information the population of Washington Township was 32,111 in 2009 when Trustee Austin was making $75,000.00. Guilford Township (our neighboring township south of us, Plainfield) had a population of 30,228 in 2009. The trustee of Guildford Township made $30,000.00 in 2009. Quite a difference in salary yet only 1,733 people difference in population! Just north of us, Lincoln Township (Brownsburg) population in 2009 was 23,739 while its trustee was making only $19,000.00.

Trustee Austin blames the Washington Township Board for the increase of his salary and for the increase debt to the Township, yet he is the CEO, the one to advise them of what is going on in the township and the needs. So which is it, is the Board running the Township or is the Trustee running the Township?

Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels earns $96,000 annually while serving more than 6 million Hoosiers. Governor Daniels has declined a raise in his compensation for 2008, 2009 and 2010, at the same time Trustee Austin accepted the $75,000 in the years of 2008 and 2009!

Lastly, I was one of the last people out of the Avon Middle School North the night of the debate. Mr. Austin states on his FB “And I have no idea where his figures came from that he spoke of during the debate…he did hold up a stack of papers, but didn’t stick around long enough for anyone to look at them.” Trustee Austin left before me, followed by Don Hodson. I am growing tired of misleading statements and untruths. Don Hodson stayed to answer all questions and the stacks of papers he had that evening were the 2003-2009 Financial Reports of the Township filed with Hendricks County and the State, signed by Trustee Austin and Washington Township Board. Those are the facts mentioned by Don Hodson in each response he gave that night. Anyone who wants to see those documents can call Don Hodson and see them, his number is 317/370-3236.

So I ask the people of Washington Township to return the Trustee and Board positions to people who care about their community and want to be public servants, not career politicians. Please vote for Don Hodson for Trustee and Suzanne X. Conger, Doug Elmore, and Michael Lynch for Washington Township Board. I am also available to talk, give me a call at 317/908-1433.

First, I honor the sacrifices that you and your family make for the community you serve. I have and always will appreciate that service and what you and your families go through since I am a “child of a fireman.” My Dad was the fourth full-time firefighter for Plainfield.
He worked with many of the volunteers of the first Avon Fire Dept.

As Trustee:
1. I will put Public Safety as the # 1 priority. I will make sure that the public and firefighters are kept safe by insuring that the dept membership has the best equipment and training to do the task.
2. I WILL NOT close fire stations or lay off firefighters. Doing that jeopardizes public safety. Instead I WILL work to find ways to use tax dollars wiser by sharing resources and finding ways to purchase items and services at lower cost while not cutting the intended need. The commission I propose to study and make recommendations to the Board and myself will include three representatives from the fire dept- one appointed by the chief and 2 appointed by the membership.
3. I will pursue ways to offer employee benefits that do not “take those benefits backwards”; but do decrease the cost to the taxpayers and staff. There are ways to do this!

4. I have never said that I want to take the township to PERF. What I have said and will do is “be open and willing” to hear and study all ideas submitted by the membership and their representatives.
Also I WILL NOT make false promises. I will listen, give you a realistic date for the answer, study all aspects of the proposal, give you the answer by the date promised and explain thoroughly the answer.

5. I will take politics out of the dept. I will appoint a chief and let that individual select the management team. My only requirements for the selection of the chief will be someone who shares my vision of “community involvement”; who believes that you give “a day’s work for a day’s pay”; that as long as you do your job you will not be treated differently; and the dept and its members will be a professional dept; morale will be kept high by not encouraging or allowing gossip or actions that depress it; and management, including the trustee and board, will lead by example. Politics will occur outside the dept. and everyone’s views will be respected and tolerated. NO ONE OR THEIR JOB will be threatened because they back a certain candidate, party or legal cause.
6. I HAVE NEVER SAID I WANT TO MERGE THE TOWNSHIP AND THE TOWN OF AVON. ALSO I HAVE NEVER SAID I WANT TO GIVE THE FIRE DEPT. TO THE TOWN. When I have said I want “to bring the community together”- I am saying I want to bring leaders of local government (township, town, library and school); leaders of business (chamber of commerce and the WCC) and leaders of the community (ministerial, key service clubs etc) to share, develop and implement ideas that will maximize our resources, decrease fees and give the most potential for improving the quality of life for the Greater Avon Community; both those living here and those working here!

7. Finally concerning the possible elimination of townships. I am a realist. I personally think whoever is elected to serve as trustee for the next term will more than likely be our last! Because I believe the potential exist for this to happen we must be ready and be pro-active. I believe we need to study and provide options for the township voters. This will come from input from a group with fire dept. representation. What I will do is first work with our local legislators to insure that the voters have the final say on the elimination of townships and where those duties, assets, etc go if the State Legislature decides elimination of township must occur. Also I will work very hard to insure an orderly transition if the voters decide to eliminate our township government.

These are my promises and my vision for the Washington Twp Fire Dept. Now you know the truth. I am open-minded, honest and willing to listen to all your concerns. I ask that you consider my qualifications and philosophy when making your decision. Should you hear something that concerns you, I hope you will give me a chance to respond to your concerns. Together, I think we can make Washington Township a great place live, work, and play.

Thank you!

Don Hodson

Remember when the Democrats were calling Senior Citizens in Florida and telling them the Republicans planned to take away their social security and Medicare if elected? Well Mr. Turner, at a candidate’s night hosted by The Hearth at Prestwick, told the audience during his one minute speech the following:

“Folks you need to realize that our opponents plan to close a fire station which will result in firemen being laid off. What this will do is jeopardize the response time and our public safety.”

He said this with senior citizens present.

The four of us did go around afterwards and re-assured those present that was not our intent. When asked by a county council candidate when he had heard Ms. Conger, Mr. Elmore, Mr. Lynch or I say that we would close a fire station; his response was “I can’t divulge my source!

FOLKS WE ARE NOT GOING TO CLOSE A FIRE STATION OR LAY OFF FIREFIGHTERS!

Mr. Turner you need to first “tell the truth”, stop scaring senior citizens and get back to the real issues. Maybe you are upset because you just might lose your supplemental income of $ 7497 that you get for going to those 15-45 minute monthly meetings to tell everyone what a great guy the trustee is! Mr. Turner the people are upset with elected officials who try to benefit financially from the taxpayers.

Oh by the way, Mr. Turner, I checked with the Avon School Board and the Avon Town Council. Their members DO NOT RECEIVE retirement benefits!! They attend more meetings that last longer with substance in one year than you have the last 7 1/2 years!

Please come to the debate next Tuesday, 7 p.m. at Avon Middle School North.

When I decided to run for the nomination, I quickly learned that I had a lot to learn about the situation that Washington Township is facing. There were so many different aspects of it, that I literally spent hours reading minutes from meetings and researching finances. At that time, I had no idea who was interested in running. Except for Susan Webb, I knew I wanted a clean slate on the board of advisors.

When I learned that they were accepting a retirement kickback for public service, I was sure that my message of fiscal restraint would not work on the current board. I was excited to have Susan Webb run again, but she had other obligation that kept her from serving any longer and I respect that.

I wanted to run with people I knew and people I thought would be able to lend a certain amount of expertise. There will be no “rubber stamping” of my ideas. Each board candidate has a mind of their own and their own opinions. Mike Lynch has the most because he saw township government from the inside out. For six years, Mike was the Avon-Washington Township Fire Marshal. He has some great ideas about what work and what won’t work at the fire department.

Doug Elmore has worked with me on several occasions including the Avon Community Heritage Festival. He is an engineer in construction and a great friend of the community. He also, with Mike Lynch, sits on the Avon Redevelopment Commission. Both of these gentlemen know what will work and what is pie-in-the-sky when it comes to fixing the township’s financial issues.

Suzanne X. Conger is the sister of a dear friend. Suzanne and P.Z. Sinclair sit on the board of Project A.N.G.E.L., an organization that holds a special place in my heart. She is an attorney and very capable of identifying issues when it comes to Indiana code.

The team concept doesn’t mean that we will agree on all matters. It won’t be a rubber stamp of my policies. These are thoughtful people who will make up their own mind on all these matters and I will be proud to work with them.

Knowing my board will make it easier to work with them. There will be a mutual respect for cooperation and tackling big issues.That’s all it means.

On a side note, this election is so important that it was necessary to pool our resources and collectively campaign for all of us. We saved money and were effective in getting our message out to the voters. This is the kind of thinking that will restore financial sanity to Washington Township and it’s what you can expect from Hodson, Conger, Elmore and Lynch.

Thank you for hearing me out about this situation and please vote on May 4.