From: John W. Brown
Charlotte, N.C.
Columbus, Indiana will always be my hometown. I was born and raised in Columbus. My Dad, 96 years young, and Mom (never ask a woman her age) still live in Columbus. My grandparents, my great-grandparents, great-great-grandparents and so on lived in Columbus and Bartholomew County.
It is a special place and I hope you will never have to leave Columbus to understand why it is so special. It didn’t happen overnight. Today it is harder to make sure it survives than to tear it down. While I could offer lots of advice on several things including never taking things for granted … Arvin, 25th Street Fairgrounds …the list goes on forever, I want to offer just a few words of encouragement for today’s city government and community leaders.
Yes, everything grows up and even the city does. Now a second-class city with a different governing body style. Regardless of this change, the role of the elected official hasn’t changed. The role of citizen hasn’t changed. The role of the community hasn’t changed.
As an elected official, the campaign is over. The citizens elected you to govern. The most important question isn’t how you would vote on any particular subject, but how would this particular subject make Columbus, as a community, better? That should always direct the way you vote. Not politics, not Republican or Democratic party affiliation, not a special interest. It’s about the community and the community’s vote.
I understand it’s a split council. When I was elected as a Republican for my second term in 1995 as an at-large City Council member, I was elected on the same ticket as Democratic Mayor Fred Armstrong. The previous council, 1991-1995, was split 4-3 with Republican Mayor Robert Stewart in the majority. If we acted like Washington, nothing would have been accomplished. The results speak for themselves, even with a split council.
When Mayor Fred took over as the next Democratic Mayor, the council was in GOP control by a vote of 6-1. Again, the majority council could have passed anything we wanted. The Democratic mayor could have done almost anything he wanted in defiance of the GOP majority. But that didn’t happen. Again, the community came first. We worked together to do what would move the Columbus Community forward. For everyone.
Columbus is a special place, and as elected officials, as members of the community, business owners, teachers, everyone, you are responsible to move the community forward.
Move Columbus forward with a successful plan in mind. For the betterment of the citizens and for the idea, that each and every one, regardless, wants a better tomorrow. You see, I plan to come back someday. I started my life in Columbus, and I hope to come home someday. I ask you to make Columbus even better than when I had to leave it.
Editor’s note: John W. Brown was elected to Columbus City Council, at-large, in 1991, 1995, 1999 and 2003.
