Frazier Says GoodbyeBefore Speedway Town Councilman Ed Frazier even uttered his first word in his farewell speech on January 22, the council appointed him to serve on the economic development commission starting February 1. The economic develop commission serves as a conduit to provide financing for private entities to borrow money. Frazier announced his January 31 resignation in a previous town council meeting. Frazier initially filled the seat in 1999 through an appointment when Sharon Zishka vacated the seat to become Clerk-Treasurer. Since then, Frazier has been elected into district one in 2003. It is time to do something different after years of service was his explanation for resigning. Frazier said the Republican Caucus would determine who is to fill this vacancy on February 10, at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. Frazier highlighted some of the council activities that included separating storm water from the sewers along Lynhurst Drive from Crawfordsville Road to Tenth Street. He recognized hiring John McCurtain to the position of town manager as one of the town’s better decisions. McCurtain has provided a better efficient government than the previous method of having “five part-time amateur” council members manage the daily operations. He also cited a few tangled court proceedings that one involved taking the appeal all the way to the Indiana Supreme Court. The court ruled in favor of the town’s policy to charge the Farley Subdivision fifty percent higher sewer rates than the town of Speedway to cover the wastewater treatment plant’s improvements. Other court entanglements that are still “brewing” included ordinance 1057 that required a license for apartments and recently 1062 the nuisance ordinance. The Indiana Apartment Association (IAA) has filed injunctions to block both ordinances stating they are unconstitutional. IAA Attorney Andy Charnstrom filed a motion to block 1062 because of its vagueness that makes it impossible for a person to know whether they are in compliance. This vagueness invites the town to use arbitrary enforcement. The IAA also had problems with the town ordinance that requires the landlords to evict for criminal activity. Charnstrom claimed the ordinance lacks provisions for the town to protect the landlord in case of wrongful eviction. |
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