Tuesday night I had the occasion to hazard across the river to visit our neighbors to the west and witness, in person, the Mayoral debate between my friend, county councilor Fred Glynn and Mayor Jim Brainard. The point of this blog isn't to update you on the debate itself (as plenty of other folks have opined) but to extend a full throated congratulations to the voters of Carmel. I am not sure about you, but I have been to the Ritz Charles many times, including the marriage reception of one of my sons, but mostly for GOP party dinners and events. I have never seen the room that packed, let alone for a political debate! We hosted a sheriffs forum last April ( at Ivy Tech in Noblesville) and we had nearly 200 people in attendance. My crowd estimating skills place Tuesday nights crowd size between 250 and 300 people. Mayor Brainard deserves credit for agreeing to participate in the debate held by the Current. I say that because none of the incumbents in Fishers (my home city) including the first term Mayor Fadness can be bothered to share their "accomplishments" with the voters. I know because I have been in contact with all of them regarding participation in a candidate forum hosted by the Fiscal Conservatives of Hamilton County. We are hosting an event in Westfield on Thursday April 18th at Grand Park Events Center starting at 6 pm and have extended the invite to all of the candidates running in a challenged primary. It seems that a few of the incumbents over there are not willing to face the voters either. Again, congrats Carmel. It is nice to see some elected officials realize they work for the people and us serfs are entitled to an opportunity to hear their positions. We will be writing candidate endorsements in the next week or so, but if I was guessing, I doubt we will endorse anyone not willing to face the public.