Mike Wolanin | The Republic A view of the new voting machines on the first day of early voting at NexusPark in Columbus, Ind., Monday, Oct. 16, 2023.
One of the longest serving elected officials in Bartholomew County government is being challenged in the November election by a Columbus East High School graduate with a background in information technology.
Democrat Josh Burbrink, 38, is running against eight-term incumbent Republican Larry Kleinhenz, 66, for the Bartholomew County Board of Commissioners – District 1.
Also referred to as the County Executive, the three commissioners have several powers and responsibilities, including those related to the construction and maintenance of roads, bridges, and county-owned buildings.
This is Burbrink’s second attempt to be elected to a county office. He ran against incumbent Bartholomew County Council President Jorge Morales in 2022. Morales maintained his seat that year during what was described as a Republican landslide. Burbrink was unopposed in the primary.
Kleinhenz has represented the district since January of 1993. In the nine primaries for the seat he’s been in since that time, he’s faced six challengers. In the May primary, Kleinhenz won 58% of the vote against fellow Republican Rick Miller.
The winner of the November race will join Carl Lienhoop, who won a sixth consecutive term in 2022, and Tony London, who is running unopposed for the District 3 seat.
The candidates responded to the following questions about county government.
Q: Advocates say Columbus’ two-mile planning jurisdiction outside the city limits assures orderly growth, but opponents say it gives the city control of private property without representation. What are your views of the two-mile jurisdiction?
Burbrink: The two-mile jurisdiction is intended to manage growth, but it gives the city significant control over areas where county residents live and own property, often without enough input from those residents. Even though the jurisdiction lines have been frozen, which helps limit further expansion, I believe the county should have more influence and feedback when it comes to planning decisions in this area.
Kleinhenz: In the mid-1990s, the Indiana General Assembly passed laws, allowing cities to exercise a two-mile jurisdiction. Justifiably, Columbus saw this as a benefit for future growth and development. Therefore, they exercised that option. I feel this is one of the more unfair items ever to come from the Indiana Statehouse. The intent was to help cities with orderly growth. However, the individual property owners’ rights were not considered. Two negatives of this legislation are governance by a body without representation for the people. And most property owners in the two-mile jurisdiction cannot realize the monetary value of their property because of planning limitations on use. I have always been against this legislation simply because of my sense of right and wrong.
Q: A number of elected county officials say remodeling the deteriorating Youth Services Center on Illinois Avenue is likely out of the question. Some Indiana counties have chosen to close their juvenile shelters in favor of sending juvenile offenders to regional detention centers. What are the pros and cons of building a new youth services center and outsourcing?
Burbrink: We need to make decisions about the Youth Services Center based on thorough assessments. If we choose regional centers, we might save on initial costs, but we’d lose control over future expenses and the quality of care. Keeping our juveniles close to their families is important for their rehabilitation, and that’s something we could lose by outsourcing. It’s crucial to balance fiscal responsibility with what’s best for our youth.
Kleinhenz: The current building has served us well for 40 years. However, it is in bad shape and never intended to be used as a detention center/prison. Investing further into this building is not a good idea. A new center will be in the $15 million to $17 million range. There would be a bond issue supported by county property taxes. The commissioners’ responsibility is to build a building if it is needed. The county council and judges will decide what programming is needed if any. The county has enlisted a design firm to analyze our needs and options. Positives of a new center would be simply having positive options for our local troubled youth. Negatives are the cost of operation, along with the high cost to build a center and go into debt.
Q: One month after an online petition was created to request a four-way stop at the junction of county roads 100S and 525E, a total of 1,073 signatures were gathered. Should these signatures have any influence on whether the request is approved? Are there alternatives you would suggest, rather than a four-way stop?
Burbrink: Public input is always valuable, and the petition shows strong community concern. However, any decision should be based on data, such as accident history and traffic studies. While a four-way stop is one option, other measures like better signage or speed enforcement could also enhance safety. We need to ensure our solutions are effective and based on evidence.
Kleinhenz: For me, resident signatures always get my attention and this has! County Road 100S is a highly traveled road, connecting U.S. 31 and State Road 46. We are focusing on this area and our county engineer has been analyzing it. We have initially found that the speeds traveled on this section of road are extremely high. High speeds lead to more accidents. We are all creatures of habit and habits are difficult to break. Would four-way stops fix the problem or create more opportunity for human error by requiring stops that never before existed? These are issues that we are currently considering.
Name: Josh Burbrink
Age: 38
Address: North Wolfcreek Road
Party affiliation: Democrat
Employment: Business Intelligence Director with Mainstream Fiber Networks, LLC
Education: 2004 graduate of Columbus East High School. Earned an associate’s degree in applied science from ITT Tech.
Prior political offices sought: Ran for the District 4 seat on the Bartholomew County Council in 2022.
Family: Married, one daughter
Kleinhenz
Name: Larry Kleinhenz
Age: 66
Address: County Road 500W
Party affiliation: Republican
Employment: Self-employed businessman.
Education: 1976 graduate of Columbus North High School. Earned his post-secondary degree from Western Kentucky University
Prior political offices: Bartholomew County Commissioner District 1, first elected in 1992
Family: Married, 11 children
