Editor,
Thanks to Current in Carmel for including the list of precinct committee people in an article about the Carmel City Council seat caucus selection. I’ve spent considerable time attempting to find out who those people are. While a few are elected, the majority are appointed, and to my surprise, there is no findable list.
I was told one of two reasons: first, the dreaded “that’s how we’ve always done this,” and/or two, the state allows the list to be private. The second makes sense – it lets each political party choose. But why would Hamilton County Republicans choose to keep the list private?
We now know that three of the voters live in one neighborhood — two in the same house! Considering the square miles in the district, this is not exactly representational government.
The caucus process makes sense. Elections are expensive and the caucus allows an expeditious way to fill a vacant seat. However, voters in Carmel deserve a say in the selection of their council representative. This secretive set-up denies voters the opportunity to contact those who’ll be making decisions on their behalf. It should be changed.
Mo Merhoff, Carmel
