GREENFIELD — The bid for mayor of Greenfield is the only contested race this primary election, but plenty of other candidates remain on the ballot, and they, too, want voters to know their plans to better the community.
There are nine Greenfield candidates for seats on the city council or clerk-treasurer. Seven Republican hopefuls are running for each of the seven seats on the city council. Several are incumbents.
Judy Swift, who is running for mayor, Greg Carwein and Jason Horning are not seeking re-election to the city council.
Only one Democrat so far is running, making for at least one contested race in the fall, unless more candidates are slated to the ticket in the coming months.
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While it’s smooth sailing for now for these uncontested candidates, many say they still hope to spread the word about their campaigns.
Here’s a quick look at who the candidates are, why they’re running and what they hope to accomplish.
Lori Elmore
Age: 52
Office sought: Clerk-treasurer for Greenfield
Party: Republican
Occupation: Deputy clerk-treasurer for the city of Greenfield
Political experience: Member of Hancock County Republican Women; has never held office
Why are you running?
“I’ve always worked in jobs with a lot of diversity and exposure of different things, and this job comes at that full force. I don’t see myself as a politician but someone who has a lot of bosses. That’s something that intrigues me because it’s kind of a vote of confidence that I’m doing a good job.”
What do you hope to accomplish during the next four years?
“The hard thing about this position and this office is most of everything we do is set by the State Board of Accounts or the (Department of Local Government Finance). So many statutes regulate what can and can’t be done, so a lot of it is just enforcing the rules.”
Dan Riley
Age: 65
Office sought: Greenfield City Council, at-large
Party: Republican
Occupation: Retired director of data systems for Lilly Endowment
Political experience: Greenfield-Central School Board 2001-2012, Greenfield Park Board 2001-2012, Greenfield Redevelopment Commission 2008-2012, Republican vice precinct committee member.
Why are you running?
“I would just like to see that the city continues to progress and get better. We’ve got a good city. We’ve had multiple opportunities (as a family) to decide whether or not we’ve wanted to continue living here, and we always decided it’s a good place to live. I’d like to see commerce get better, … not just life sciences but technology as well.”
What do you hope to accomplish during the next four years?
“I’m a big, strong promoter of parks. The main business of the city is public safety and streets. Those things need to be tended to and kept in good shape. Parks are really nice for growing families, so we need to keep our eye on those.”
Jeff Lowder
Age: 68
Office sought: Greenfield City Council, District 4
Party: Republican
Occupation: Retired project supervisor for the Indiana Department of Natural Resources
Political experience: Center Township trustee 2003-2006, Republican vice precinct committee member
Why are you running?
“I’ve always wanted to be involved in Greenfield (and) Hancock County, and I thought this was a good way I’d have an opportunity to give back to those who have given to my family.”
What do you hope to accomplish over the next four years?
“Really I’m gonna take everything that comes one step at a time. There’s so much history and stuff you have to know before you can make a good decision, so I’m gonna have to do a lot of research and stuff, talk with the others that have been on the council. … The only agenda that I have is to promote the city.”
Mitch Pendlum
Age: 66
Office sought: Greenfield City Council, District 2
Party: Republican
Occupation: Retired
Political experience: Greenfield City Council, 2008-present
Why are you running?
“There’s still a lot of work to be done. I feel like I’m still young enough and have time to contribute to the citizens of Greenfield.”
What do you hope to accomplish in the next four years?
“I’d like to see sidewalks put in areas where kids have had to walk in the streets. I want to take trucks off Blue Road and Apple Street; they’re tearing up our roads.”
Kerry Grass
Age: 50
Office sought: Greenfield City Council, District 5
Party: Republican
Occupation: Pike Township (Indianapolis) firefighter
Political experience: Greenfield City Council, 2008-present
Why are you running?
“I enjoy it so much and want to be the voice of District 5. I want to be a neighbor helping neighbors.”
What do you hope to accomplish in the next four years?
“I want to continue working on the revitalization of downtown and continue to work with all the department heads to make sure they have everything they need.”
John Patton
Age: 72
Office sought: Greenfield City Council, District 3
Party: Republican
Occupation: Retired advertising director of the Daily Reporter
Political experience: Greenfield City Council, 2012-present, precinct committee member, publicity director for Republican Party
Why are you running?
“Keeping somebody around who had been here a while would probably be a good idea. … We’re losing a great deal of institutional knowledge.”
What do you hope to accomplish in the next four years?
“There’s a lot that needs to be done. It’s difficult to accomplish anything as a single councilman. … Hopefully, new elected people will get together and be a little more proactive.”
Gary McDaniel
Age: 54
Party: Republican
Office sought: Greenfield City Council, District 1
Occupation: Technical associate at Keihin
Political experience: Greenfield City Council, 2012-present, Center Township Board of Trustees, Greenfield Planning and Zoning Commission
Why are you running?
“I really have more than enjoyed serving on city council. It interests me. I want to serve my community. It thrills me to get involved talking with the people.”
What do you hope to accomplish in the next four years?
“I would love to see us bring in some more high-paying jobs. I would like to see Progress Park with more businesses coming in and just adding to the environment. I would love to see the city grow but with a controlled growth where it benefits everyone.”
Joe Skvarenina
Age: 67
Party: Republican
Office sought: Greenfield City Council
Occupation: Retired, teaches history part time at Ivy Tech
Political experience: Center Township Advisory Board, political director of the Hancock County Republican Party
Why are you running?
“I have been involved with the county for many years as a volunteer, particularly with the historical society. I believe that if you’d like to see something change in the community, you have to get involved.”
What do you hope to accomplish in the next four years?
“I’d like to see Greenfield grow and become more like cities to the north of Indianapolis, like Hamilton County. We can be a community that has a lot to offer.”
Michael Tucker
Age: 23
Party: Democrat
Office sought: Greenfield City Council
Occupation: Paralegal
Political experience: Worked as an intern for the Indiana Democratic Party
Why are you running?
“I believe the best way to help the community is to work in the system. I also believe we need diversity in our leadership; if I were elected, I would be the only Democrat on the council.”
What do you hope to accomplish in the next four years?
“The city needs to look at why kids don’t return to Greenfield after college. We’ve grown a lot, but recently, it seems to have tapered off. We need to look into ways to keep growth going by encompassing tourism that will attract young people.”
