By DAVID A. MANN
Last week, Jeffersonville City Councilman Keith Fetz said in an interview that he would not seek re-election.
“I’m a firm believer that after two terms on the city council, you can very possibly fall victim to complacency,” he said. “I don’t want to do that.”
Fetz said he has been pleased with his time on the board, but wanted to sit back and re-evaluate what he’s doing.
As it turns out, however, Fetz is not the only member considering leaving the council. Even though it’s a few years away, here’s a look at what council members are thinking when posed with the question of re-election.
Connie Sellers, council president, said she’s seriously considering not running again. “People who run for office over and over and over — I don’t know how they do it,” she said. “We have a lot of good people in this community who can do this. You need new people in there who can look at it with a fresh set of eyes.”
For Councilman Ron Grooms, the decision comes down to how his run for the Indiana Senate goes. He’s announced that he would seek the senate seat currently held by Sen. Connie Sipes — who is not running for re-election.
That election is in 2010, while the council election isn’t until 2011.
“If I win the state senate seat, I will not be a city council candidate,” he said in an e-mail interview. “I fully expect to be an elected official in 2012, in some capacity, local or state or other.”
Councilwoman Barbara Wilson said she’s not certain of her plans.
“Right now, I would say ‘yes,’ but really it’s too far ahead to make a commitment,” she said. “I really enjoy doing it.”
Councilman Mike Smith said he’s definitely going to run again.
Smith said he doesn’t want to walk away from the job because his priorities — correcting downtown flooding problems and ensuring a smooth transition with annexation services — have not yet been accomplished.
Councilman Nathan Samuel said “as of now — yes” he would run again.
“I’m enjoying the work on the council,” he said.
Like Smith, Samuel has only been on the council less than two years.
“The first two years have been education,” he said.
It’s unclear what councilman Ed Zastawny will do in 2011. He did not return a phone call or e-mail request for comment on this story.
