The results of the recent primary election should serve as a wake up call to Montgomery County Commissioner John Frey. Every week for at least two months before the election, citizens’ mailboxes had a piece of campaign mail from him. The front page of the newspaper displayed an ad everyday, larger ads throughout the paper and billboards scattered around promoting the candidate for re-election.
Frey’s worthy challenger, April Johnson, for whom I voted, I am guessing, had a small budget for campaigning. I do not recall having ever received a campaign flyer in the mail, saw few ads and no billboards. Yet, despite the difference in spending and campaigning, Frey only won by 166 votes. I think that says a lot about how unhappy almost half of the people in this county are, including myself.
Frey declared in his advertising an ability to listen to the people and build a consensus for the advancement of the county. Recalling the zoning issue; almost no one in this county was in favor of zoning. Nevertheless, it passed because two commissioners and a few old cronies wanted it. I don’t see how that qualifies as listening to the people. Then the zoning thing led to lawsuits over the wind farm thing, which will become an expense to the taxpayers as that drags on and on.
Had there not been a third candidate in the field, I suspect Johnson would have won, so wake up Frey. Better really listen and react accordingly in the next term.
Keith Krout
Crawfordsville
