Six vie for three seats on Camden Town Council
By Susan Scholl Editor

Casserly

A common theme emerged from all the candidates seeking a position on the Camden Town Council. To keep Camden strong, it needs to attract new businesses.

When Camden voters go to the polls on Nov. 6, they will choose three men to serve fouryear terms on the Town Council. The only candidate currently serving on the council is Pete Wagoner, who has served the past year filling the unexpired term of Ralph Rohrabaugh, who died last December. Andy Robison and Michelle Everett both decided not to seek re-election.

Candidates for the council positions are: Republicans - Jeffery "Andy" Kelly, Jeff Sieber and Everett Snoeberger and Democrats - Richard Fite, Ronald "Ron" King and Pete Wagoner.

Patricia "Pat" Casserly is unopposed for town clerk-treasurer. She has served in that position for the past four years and previously served as deputy clerktreasurer and completed a clerk-trea- surer's unexpired term.

"As with any small community, we don't want to go stagnant," said Casserly. "We need to find some type of growth, be it residential or small businesses. We have to stay progressive and positive."

Fite

Casserly believes it is important for Camden to continue to stay fiscally sound and keep a balanced budget.

"We need to continue to actively pursue grants to benefit our community," she said. "We've been successful in the past with grants for wastewater and housing improvements."

Casserly said that working together is the key to a successful community.

"If we don't work together, we cannot achieve anything," she said.

She praised the current council and previous councils for their ability to work together to achieve goals.

Casserly, a Democrat, has resided in the Camden community for 21 years. She and her husband, Dan, have four children.

Richard Fite, a machinist, retired from Skilled Trades at Caterpillar, Inc., Lafayette, in July 2003. He previously owned Fite's Mobility in Camden.

Fite sees several challenges facing Camden - dogs, the school, getting the park under town control, and promoting Camden as a good place to start a business.

King

"I'd like to see Camden grow," Fite said. "Somehow, some way we need to annex some more area so that we can get some more businesses here. Make this town prosper. If SR 75 would open up to the Hoosier Heartland Highway there's a good possibility that Camden could attract some small businesses."

Fite wants to keep the town clean and neat so that people will consider Camden a nice place to live.

"Once we loose our school, we will be hurting," he said.

"I'm an honest person," he added. "I don't' say I'm a better candidate, but I'll work for the people. I've already proven that several times. I will listen to everybody."

Fite owns two homes in Camden and has been in business several times.

"I've never been accused of cheating anybody," he said.

Fite and his wife, Patty, have resided in Camden since 1985. They have three children (one is deceased), six grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

Ron King owns and operates Camden Emporium and Camden Hardware. He has resided in Camden for two years, but has been around the communi ty longer than that. He has two sons, a daughter and two granddaughters.

Wagoner

King believes Camden's greatest challenges are to retain the businesses it has and grow its business community.

"That will lessen the tax burden on those we have here now," he said. "We have commercial buildings with retail space for sale in Camden that would make great places for businesses to come in."

Continuing the sidewalk improvement program is important to Fite. "It helps to make Camden an attractive town to live."

He also believes that the town needs to keep working hard to get the grant to upgrade the sewer system.

"We need to stay with it until we get the job done," he said.

"Camden is a fantastic place with a great bunch of people who live here," King said. "The Camden Fall Festival is a great opportunity to showcase the town. We need to get aggressive and find some people to step up and take over so the festival can continue."

Kelly

King has 45 years of business experience, primarily working for himself.

"Everyday is a challenge for a business owner," he said. "You need to look at each and every dollar and make it stretch as far as you can. The state and federal governments are in the same boat so we have to get the best bang for our buck."

King said he will work tirelessly on issues that will help the majority of the people. "I'm a hard worker and have always been involved in service."

King is a member of several service organizations and is a member of the Logansport Shrine Club's 3rd Wheel Patrol and drives a Shriner's van that takes children and their families to children's hospitals in Chicago and Cincinnati for free treatment.

PeteWagoner has resided in the Camden community all of his life. He retired from Delco Electronics in 1994 and has since worked as a business consultant - full-time for the State of Indiana and currently part-time for Purdue University.

He and his wife, Pat, have three sons (one is deceased) and three grandchildren.

someone Sieber

Wagoner believes Camden's greatest challenge is "maintaining an adequate level of services for the people as efficiently as we can. Our population is slipping and our tax base is not growing. The lack of economic development in Carroll County is a problem, too. Until we get more decent jobs, our small towns will continue to loose population. We have to work with others in the county to foster economic development. If that doesn't happen, we'll continue to shrink."

Wagoner said he is seeking election because of his life-long interest in Camden and his concern for the town's future.

He said he would do everything he can to continue to make Camden a nice place to live.

"I have a lifetime of management experience," said Wagoner. "I'm interested in the town. I try to look forward and work with others. We have to look to the future and help the county grow."

Wagoner said he is familiar with issues, not only in Camden, but in the county. He believes working with others in the county will benefit Camden.

Snoeberger

"We need more decent paying jobs created in Carroll County," he said. "It doesn't matter where, as long as they are within a short driving distance of Camden."

Andy Kelly would like to see the SR 75 extension connect to the Hoosier Heartland Highway (HHH). He believes that would open up Camden to more people and help the town grow.

"I don't see Camden growing a lot bigger, but there are opportunities for some new businesses," he said.

"If there is a SR 75 extension, that could possibly attract a gas/convenience store and if not in Camden, north of town near the intersection with the HHH.

Kelly is a mechanic at Kinsler's Care Clinic in Delphi. He has lived in this area all of his life.

"I kind of know what people around here think," he said. "Through my job, I deal with people all of the time."

"If elected, I'll listen to what people have to say and if I agree, I'll go along with them and support them," said Kelly.

Kelly and his wife, Danielle, have resided in the Camden community for over seven years. They have two children.

Jeff Sieber said that Camden faces three major issues - the Hoosier Heartland Highway, the SR 75 extension (what it can do for the town), and the future of the school.

"I feel with these issues, it will take someone who has been here for a number of years, who knows the town's history and what will work for the future," said Sieber. "There havew to be ways to stop the downward spiral of any small town."

"We need a marketing strategy," he added. "We've already started that with our town website and it's a good start, but we need to build from that. We have to let others know what we have to offer. It's like a store, you have to get people inside to see what you have. They may not buy anything that first time, but you may have something they want and they will be back."

"We're already a step ahead of some small communities because we have a good water system and sewage treatment plant," he said.

Sieber, who has resided in the Camden community all of his life, says he is "very dedicated to the town and always has been."

He believes he has a leg up on some of the candidates because he has been attending town council meetings for the past 18 months.

"I know what the town is working on and where we stand on many issues," he said. "Also, in my job I deal with government programs and grants and I already have an understanding of how these things work and what I may be dealing with as a council representative.

Sieber is executive director of Carroll County Senior & Family Services. He and his wife, DeAnna, have three children.

Everett Snoeberger has resided in the Camden community all but one year of his life. He is project engineer at Alloy Custom Products, southwest of Delphi. He and his wife, Beth, have two sons.

"We need to grow our businesses and housing," said Snoeberger. "It is our biggest issue."

"We need to offer incentives for builders to construct homes in or around town," he said. "We can't expect businesses to stay if our housing units aren't sufficient to support them. We need to spread out the town's fixed operating costs such as utilities to reduce the costs to individual households."

Snoeberger added, "Can a town the size of Camden at 600 realistically sustain a gas station? Probably not, but a town of 1,000 to 1,200 probably could."

"Camden is posed to be a bedroom community with the Hoosier Heartland Highway connector between Lafayette and Fort Wayne. (State Road) 218 will offer a quick, easy access to the HHH. If the county had stuck to its original plan developed by EDC (Economic Development Corporation) 15- 20 years ago, we might still have our school. If we had 200 additional rooftops, we wouldn't be looking at an Early Learning Center, we'd still have our K-5 building. We weren't prepared."

Snoeberger believes his experience operating and managing a business will be an asset to the town.

"I will serve on the council as a taxpayer, representing the interests and views of the taxpayers and listen to how they feel the community should be managed and run," he concluded.